Melissa’s Story: Cycling in Memory of Her Twin

Hooked on cycling 

Learning a loved one has a rare cancer comes with shocks and challenges. The diagnosis has special meaning when the loved one is your twin. That was the case for Melissa Macaluso, whose twin sister, Megan, was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) for a rare cancer.  

When Megan was diagnosed, Melissa and her family immediately began looking for a way to raise money for cancer research. While walking down a hallway in MSK’s pediatric unit, they saw a sign for Cycle for Survival. One of Megan’s nurses told them about the event and how 100% of every dollar goes directly to rare cancer research at MSK. “Signing up was a no-brainer,” Melissa recalled. “From our first event, we were completely hooked.” 

Becoming a decade rider 

While all Cycle for Survival participants are stars, Melissa belongs to a prestigious group called the Decade Riders: participants who have been part of Cycle for Survival for 10 years or more. “The dedicated Decade Riders are the foundation — the real key to the building of this powerful movement,” said Dave Linn, Cycle for Survival co-founder. 

Over a decade after first climbing onto a Cycle for Survival bike, Melissa and her teams, Megan’s Miracle Makers and LEAGUEAPPS, are seeing their fundraising efforts transform into real impact right before their eyes. “It’s beyond our comprehension to think that some of the speakers at our first event were people who had limited, or even zero, treatment options,” Melissa noted. “Now we get to hear from people whose lives were saved by a clinical trial that Cycle for Survival helped fund. To say I’ve been directly involved in that journey will forever move me to tears.” 

The year 2023 marked 10 years since Megan’s passing, but her spirit lives on — especially each time Melissa raises funds for Cycle for Survival. “Being a Decade Rider with Cycle for Survival is one of my proudest achievements,” she concluded. “Each year I look forward to laughing, crying, dancing, and singing with this incredible community. It’s been the honor of a lifetime.”