For parents there is no greater loss than that of a child - the Firths have lost three in three years.
The Friends of the Firths are organizing a benefit bike ride on Signal Mountain June 4 to support cancer research so that hopefully other parents won't know that trauma.
"If that's not motivation to get out there and make a difference I don't know what is," said organizer and family friend Claire Horton. "You don't find many people who aren't affected by cancer, whether directly or indirectly. I think it's a cause near and dear to everyone's heart. We're not just doing this for Mary, but for all those who have passed away and are still fighting."
Mary Firth was 35 years old when five-year battle with melanoma ended in February, just after beginning to plan the ride. Brain cancer had already taken her brother John in 2009 and her sister Molly in 2008.
"The Firth family had been doing, I guess for the past five or six years, a bike ride in Boston for the Brain Tumor Society," said Horton. "It's very similar to what we're doing. Mary got to thinking she wasn't going to be able to do the ride this year due to being in and out of chemo, so she said, 'Why don't we do a ride in Chattanooga?'"
The Signal setting not only offers peaceful scenery and a variety of courses and challenge levels, it served as the scene for the Firths' childhood.
"The 10-mile [course] is a pretty easy ride if you just want to get out there and enjoy it," Horton said. "The 25-mile is a little harder ride ... it's a bit more hilly but not anything that can't be done. Fighting cancer is good motivation."
Proceeds from the $50 entry fee will go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and be channeled directly to directly to the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research. Registration will be accepted the day of the event beginning at 6:30 a.m. before the ride begins at 8, or participants can go online and register via the group's Facebook page: Ride for Life. Be Good. Be Strong.
"It's a wonderful institute that is really pushing forward with technology and trying to find a cure for cancer," Horton said of the nonprofit beneficiary. She added that Mary's sister Jenny has been running the Boston Marathon in support of the organization for the past several years, raising more than $30,000 last year alone.
Horton stressed that no real experience or skill level is required for the ride. She said she previously participated with the Firths in Boston, which is hilly, and made it without training.
"We do plan on doing it next year and for many years to come," she said of the local benefit, which is in its inaugural year. "Our hope is for it to only grow."
The Ride for Life. Be Good. Be Strong. benefit bike ride will start at Mountain Arts Community Center June 4 at 8 a.m. Registration begins that morning at 6:30, or pre-register here. Donations also accepted through the site. Participants will receive a T-shirt, snacks and water, SAG stops and support vehicles. MACC is at 809 Kentucky Ave.