It can be easy to forget that throughout life there is more than the simple day in and day out routine. Go to work, eat lunch, take the train, watch TV and go to bed. It becomes the daily grind where the adventures of life are forgotten. When you think that there is not time, remember the following story. One woman has found that in order to live a life to the fullest means never allowing obstacles to stand in the way of dreams. A colon cancer survivor, motorcycle enthusiast and 5 times grandmother Dottie Mattern has used her enthusiasm to unlock the code to living a life full of adventure and joy.
In 2001, at age 57, her life changed dramatically as she was diagnosed with colon cancer. For the next three months life was daily radiation and chemotherapy treatments, but she persevered and today is one of those lucky ones whose cancer was found early enough. Unfortunately, she lost her older brother to colon cancer as his was more advanced at time of detection.
Like many, Dottie’s story is one of success and trials, both with her childhood and her adult life. The youngest of three, Dottie had two older brothers. They lived in Baltimore, Maryland, where she had a dozen playmates in her neighborhood, all were boys. Her Dad left the family when she was a toddler, but her Mother went to work and was determined to keep the family together. The children all had chores and each found some small ways to contribute to the family economics through paper routes, cleaning or delivery jobs etc. Dottie’s Mother certainly instilled a “can do” attitude in her children as all three went on to be college graduates and have successful professional careers.
For her 7th birthday Dottie was given a first baseman’s mitt, as that is all she wanted. She was already in love with the game of baseball and dreamed of playing for the Orioles. She signed up for little league but was told she couldn’t play because she was a girl. Being a talented athlete, she played three varsity sports each year in high school.
Through the Years
But baseball was her first love and when she retired from college teaching at age 53 she pursued her dream by going to Baltimore Oriole Fantasy Camp. She was one of 5 women and 146 men that lived the fantasy of playing big league baseball for one week.
When in college, Dottie was introduced to motorcycling by a boyfriend, and upon graduation purchased her first motorcycle. At age 24 she entered her first motorcycle moto-cross and for the next several years she played “in the dirt” riding events in and around Maryland while she taught in the Baltimore school system during the day, went to graduate school at night and worked weekends as a program director for the YMCA. In 1979 she went to an Antique Motorcycle Club of America meet in Ft Mott, NJ and immediately joined the club. She served on the AMCA Board for 15 years and was named as Honorary Member in 1998. Riding old motorcycles became a favorite activity she continues to enjoy thirty-five years later! In fact, traveling by motorcycle is her preferred way of seeing the world. She took her son Chris on a three week ride through the Alps for his twenty-first birthday and then a few years later they flew to Johannesburg, and spent several weeks riding through South Africa. She and her husband John have enjoyed several trips on their motorcycles both in the USA and abroad.
When Life Gets Tough, Ride On
In Marathon, Florida, Dottie enjoys doing things with her grand children as well as playing golf and tennis. She is a United States Tennis Association Referee and loves to play league tennis. Spending her summers in Asheville, North Carolina, she captained a 65 and over tennis team that won the Southern Section Championships. North Carolina honored her as the Senior Female Player of 2013. Dottie and her husband, John, are members of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary in Marathon, and Dottie is a qualified coxswain and trainer for crew and boat patrols. She also flies as air observer on plane patrols. Dottie has served the last three years on the Board of the Antique Motorcycle Foundation whose mission it is to preserve the importance of motorcycling in our country’s transportation and technological history.
When plans for Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Run for 2014 were announced, Dottie embraced it as a way to challenge herself and raise support for two organizations that are very important to her: the Colon Cancer Alliance and the Antique Motorcycle Foundation. Both are charitable 501(c) 3 organizations with a message. By riding her 1936 Indian Sport Scout across the country from Daytona Beach, Florida to Tacoma, Washington in 16 days she will celebrate her 70th year and hopefully raise awareness of the importance of early screening for colon cancer as well as the work of the Antique Motorcycle Foundation.
Get Ready
The story of Dottie is told to inspire everyone to live life to its fullest, never taking for granted the days that are given. Life itself is a challenge, but you are never too old to accept the challenge and pursue your dreams. Every day is an opportunity. She is a survivor with a mission.
To contact Dottie email her at dmatt103@bellsouth.net or call her 305-731-7148
Any donations made in memory of a loved one or in honor of a loved one, will be noted and the names will be written on a shirt and carried across the country on her journey.
Perks of Living Outside the Box
Written by Katie Reule