From February 18 to 21, Nikhil Raghavan, a Principal with Global Private Equity in Bain Capital’s Mumbai office, will join nine other professionals for a 1,500 kilometer non-stop relay bike ride to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The marathon will see the ten riders break into three teams, ride for 75 kilometers at a time, then pass the baton to another team that will be following in vehicles. In total, each rider will cover approximately 500 kilometers over a sixty hour period. The riders will set out from India Gate in Delhi at 10 p.m. on Thursday and arrive at the Gateway of India in Mumbai at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
“St. Jude is a unique charitable organization, and one that we’re all proud to support,” Nikhil said. “This ride came together organically as a group of us who ride together were discussing our need to do more in our communities. St. Jude was a natural fit – St. Jude is, after all, the patron saint of lost causes, and it’s important that these children who are suffering from cancer and other serious conditions are not overlooked.”
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is one of the world’s leading institutions focused on understanding, treating and defeating childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. More than 50,000 children in India are diagnosed with cancer each year, many of whom are not able to afford medical treatment or the holistic care needed to recover. St Jude provides clean and hygienic living quarters for these children while they undergo treatment.
At present, St Jude is able to support only 90 children in Mumbai but has a goal to work with 255 patients by year end. The hospital has plans to grow its presence in India and hopes to be able to treat 418 children and their parents across the country in five cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hyderabad. By 2021, St. Jude hopes to be able to treat as many as 1,000 children in the country. To assist with this growth plan, the riding team has set an ambitious fundraising goal of ₹15,000,000, or $225,000.
