Physical therapy seems like something someone would need after a bad fall or a car wreck, but not as part of cancer treatment.

It is, however, something cancer patients need. The disease is brutal. The treatments are no picnic, either. Cancer patients need to build up their strength after enduring all of that.

A group of bicyclists recently raised money to help cancer patients get moving again while at the same time honoring one of their pedaling partners.

The recent Prairie Rivers Trail Ride honored Connie Johnson, of Fort Dodge. She is an avid bicyclist and breast cancer survivor.

The Aug. 12 ride attracted 180 participants.

It raised $12,000 to help pay for a therapy gym at the Norma Schmoker Cancer Center at UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center.

A $12,000 donation is pretty impressive. But that is only a portion of the money the trail ride has generated over the last five years.

Since the first ride in 2019, a total of about $50,000 has been donated to various organizations.

That first ride evolved from a tragedy two years prior. Josh Doyle, of Fort Dodge, suddenly died at age 29 of a rare heart condition called an aortic dissection. Friends who wanted to do something to honor his memory planned a bicycle ride with the goal of raising money to buy automatic external defibrillators. That first ride generated about $7,000, enabling the purchase of seven automatic external defibrillators.

The 2020 ride was held in memory of the Rev. Al Henderson. It raised $8,000 which was donated to Serving Our Servants. That is an organization Henderson established to support local fire and police departments.

The 2021 ride was in memory of Steve Springer, It raised $13,000 for Fort Dodge Community School District athletics.

Last year’s ride was in memory of Tim Flaherty. It generated $10,000, which his family asked to be donated to the Beacon of Hope and The Lotus Community Project.

The core group of trail ride organizers will be thinking about next year’s version soon. That group includes, but is certainly not limited to, Bruce and Carol Breeser, Tim and Susan Doyle, Racquel Benegas, and John and Melissa Nanninga.

That group continues to prove that there are people in Fort Dodge always trying to make things better in their community.