South Elgin physician bikes to Pikes Peak to raise funds for cancer research

As a surgeon, Robert Maganini often tells his breast cancer patients they've climbed Mt. Everest after they've completed treatment.

This summer, Maganini climbed his own mountain by biking 1,000 miles to Pikes Peak in Colorado and scaling the summit to raise funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the American Brain Tumor Association.

“The idea of finishing at the top of a mountain was kind of symbolic, said the South Elgin physician, who is a member of Alexian Brothers Medical Group. “Pikes Peak is something everybody recognizes and understands.

Maganini raised $48,000 and is still receiving donations. He had set his original goal at $25,000.

“I'm hope to break $50,000 before all is said and done, he said. “I'm just thrilled with how the trip went.

Raising money for good causes isn't new for Maganini. He's competed in the Chicago Triathlon for the American Cancer Society and walked alongside his patients in the Relay For Life.

But he wanted to do something more and uniquely his own. While serving on the Susan G. Komen Chicagoland Area Affiliate Board, Maganini had learned about the disparity in breast cancer care that exists between the insured and uninsured or underinsured. Komen had made a $1 million donation to the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force in 2009 to help eradicate the disparity and Maganini wanted to help.

Last year, his brother, Rick, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Rick had responded well to treatment and Maganini wanted to support the efforts of the American Brain Tumor Association.

Bike2thePike was born.

Maganini rode it alone, except for friends who biked with him for portions of the journey and family who accompanied him in two support vehicles.

“It was not so much a race as an endurance event, he said.

Bike to the Pike

Starting on July 30, Maganini pedalled for nine days, taking a one-day rest midway through the trip. He spent six to eight hours on his bike, averaging 110 miles a day.

His most challenging day came when a bridge was out and closed roads in Nebraska, forcing him onto gravel routes.

“That was very difficult, and it was a hot day, he said. “(But) it's hard to get too upset when you keep thinking about, ‘I'm doing this for people with cancer.'

As he rode along, people saw the signs on the support vehicles and two radio stations interviewed him on the side of the road.

“All along the way, people would honk and wave and offer their support, he said. “I even got a couple donations.

When he reached Colorado Springs, Maganini took two days off and then hiked the 13-mile Barr Trail up to the peak. Family members joined him.

“We had a really fun time seeing the country between here and there, and seeing it in a really different way than on the interstate, said the married father of three.

Maganini said he would like to do the trip again, but it might not be feasible to do it in quite the same way. He hired a personal trainer and trained six days a week for nine months. Toward the end of his training period, he was biking 300 miles over a three-day weekend.

“I'm not sure I could do that on an annual basis. At some point, I suspect we'll come up with a variation, he said.

Patients and colleagues joined family and friends in supporting Maganini with their donations; supporters reached out to their networks of friends to help, too.

Karen Bland, practice manager at the St. Alexius Breast Care Center in Bartlett, said she followed Maganini's trip daily on the web and donated money. After 12 years of working with Maganini, she knew his commitment to patients.

“He gives of his time freely at a lot of different events, she said. “He has compassion for women going through this struggle like no one I ever met.

Maganini said he began his career as a general surgeon, but that changed in the mid-1990s when biopsies for breast cancer no longer had to be done in the operating room. Using X-rays and ultrasound to guide them to the irregularities, doctors could do needle biopsies in the office and better alleviate patients' anxieties.

Alexian Brothers opened the Breast Care Center in Bartlett and Maganini became a leading practitioner.

“I enjoyed the breast practice so much, and I got so much out of it, that I decided after awhile that's all I wanted to do, he said.

Careful to educate his patients about their treatment, Maganini said breast cancer should to be seen in terms of risk, prevention and screening. Whether an individual is in a high- or low-risk category needs to be put in perspective, he said.

“It can happen to anybody, he said.

But Maganini said patients can help reduce their risk through diet and exercise. Exercise may be nothing more strenuous than a brisk walk, he said.

“Diet is as simple as eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, he said.

Women ages 25 and older should do breast self-exams, and women 40 and older should get regular mammograms, he said.

Maganini said his willingness to go an extra mile (or 1,000 miles) for patients flows out of a desire to give something back for the advantages he's had in life. He is a board member and volunteer for Tri City Health Partnership, a free medical clinic in St. Charles, and has traveled to Bolivia on a medical mission.

“You realize rather quickly when you're doing those things, you end up getting twice as much, or five times as much, in return, he said.

For details on Maganini's trip, see Bike2thePike.com.