After reading your (pardon the triteness here) 'totally awesome' story on the Terry website, I knew I had to write. What an inspiration! And, well, I have something to ask.

I have a dear friend who also happens to be petite - small - diminutive - well, short. We love to ride together, and I have to say, we're pretty funny. I'm 5'8", and built something like the lady in the blonde braids who wears a metal bra and sings. I have no problem finding a bike that fits. Nina, on the other hand, rides an old beater that doesn't suit her small self. She's an ICU nurse, and was saving up to buy her heart's desire. You guessed it - a new Terry bike. Her catalogs are dog-eared from comparing the merits of the Symmetry to the Madeleine.

A couple of weeks ago, Nina realized she was experiencing tiny seizures. She had the works - CAT scans, MRI, biopsy, all of it - and is now dealing with the nasty news of a malignant brain tumor. She's doing the chemo/radiation thing, and she's tired, nauseated, discouraged and scared. She can't work as an ICU nurse anymore, her husband and kids are shattered, and her life is upside down. However, she is doing her best to cling to joyfulness and normalcy, and that includes riding. So out we go, Brunhilda and Tinkerbelle, on our bikes.

Ms. Terry, I would love for Nina to have a new bike. My request is that Terry Bicycles consider donating at least a portion of the cost of Nina's bike - sort of an adult lady cyclist's "Make a Wish" thing. It would truly be an act of women supporting women and I think Terry Bicycles epitomizes this.

Thanks for everything - my Butterfly Ti saddle design, my skorts, tee-shirts, jerseys and jewelry - that make being a woman cyclist so much fun. And thanks for thinking about Nina.

Sincerely,