WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – In Watertown, it’s neighbor helping neighbor. It’s not about borrowing a lawn mower or asking for some sugar, it’s about a much bigger cause and it all starts with a bicycle crash.
“Just remember thinking this is gonna hurt.”
Joanne Nugent-Ward is in good spirits after being involved in a head-on collision riding her bike in Watertown Monday.
Treated at Samaritan Medical Center, she needed a few stitches.
“I think there’s about 17 between the wrist and the knee,” she said.
When her bike was hit by a car, Nugent-Ward was riding to raise money to end childhood cancer, participating in what’s called the Great Cycle Challenge.
Now, needing to recover, she can’t peddle the final 48 miles to reach her 150 mile goal.
“I’ve had cancer myself and I can’t imagine little kids through all that they have to go through with cancer. So, I was really disappointed that I wasn’t going to be able to finish those miles,” she said.
That’s where Robert Finn comes in. He’s Joanne’s neighbor from across the street. Helping out was an easy choice.
“It wasn’t even a thought. As soon as I knew what was going on, she put a post that she couldn’t finish. I was like, oh, I’ll do it,” he said.
He’s doing well – riding 20 miles so far.
“Rob is the best neighbor that I could ever ask for and for him to come forward and offer to finish off my miles means everything to me,” said Nugent-Ward.
Once healed, she won’t shy away from getting back up on a bike to rack up more miles to support a cause that’s important to her.
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