Harvard Business School Alumni Bulletin

A Fearless Force for Change

By Julia Hanna

Jennifer Goodman Linn (MBA '99) left a legacy of hope, love, and laughter to those who knew her and to the thousands who have been and will continue to be touched by Cycle for Survival, the organization she founded with her husband Dave Linn (MBA '00) to fund research and clinical trials at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Linn died July 20 at the age of 40.

Diagnosed with a soft-tissue sarcoma (a relatively rare cancer) in December 2004, Linn endured 26 months of chemotherapy and four surgeries during the initial phase of her treatment, a regimen that would have flattened most patients. Instead, Linn regularly attended indoor cycling sessions at Equinox Fitness Center in New York City. "I may have cancer, but cancer doesn't have me," became a mantra for the New Jersey native, who found a sense of empowerment and spiritual well-being in the minibattles that were fought and won on the "hills" at the gym's spinning studio.

Finding that personal source of support and inspiration was essential for Linn's mental and physical health. But Linn, struck by the lack of research funding for so-called "rare" cancers (responsible for over half of cancer diagnoses and 35 percent of cancer deaths), wanted to translate her passion for spinning into a force for change.

Cycle for Survival, the organization born from that resolve, launched in 2007. A case coauthored by Linn's classmates Ted Seides and Matt Spielman chronicles the remarkable start-up story of how an annual, one-day, grass-roots indoor cycling event (which initially raised $250,000) grew to become a multi-city international event that has raised more than $9 million in less than four years. Driven by Linn's unstoppable energy and expertise as a former marketing executive for Ann Taylor and Nickelodeon, Cycle for Survival to date has directly funded over a dozen clinical trials and studies at Memorial Sloan-Kettering.

"Jen was a leader extraordinaire, a socially responsible human being, and courageous beyond words," states HBS professor emeritus Carl Sloane, who taught the case to a SRO crowd on the occasion of Linn's 10th HBS Reunion. "She typified the very best of HBS."

"That case stands as one of the most meaningful projects I've ever worked on," says Matt Spielman (MBA '99). "Jen had spheres of communities that she profoundly impacted at different points in her life, but it seemed like her MBA education and the HBS community really served as the platform for Cycle for Survival. Jen galvanized a movement with her energy, courage, and determination. The movement continues."

Visitors to Linn's website can view video clips of her numerous national media appearances and read blog entries and other writings that embody her personal life philosophy to live without fear. A sought-after motivational speaker, Linn was also working on a book at the time of her death (I Know You Mean Well BUT) that family and friends hope to complete and publish.

A final blog entry, published three days before her death, best illustrates Linn's passionate, upbeat commitment to life:

"…medically I am having a tough time, but we are doing all that we can to keep our heads high and make my pain and discomfort as manageable as possible….The big issue is the swelling in my lower body…I have gained around 45 pounds of water weight, which makes it extremely hard to walk around…Yesterday was a very special day in that we visited dear friends Todd and Sharon in Scarsdale (with our friends Matt and Sharon, who live down the road). We had a great BBQ and even though it is hard for me to eat much these days, I LOVED being in the water and the sun. Swimming is my favorite thing to do right now. If I could live in the water I would because it is the ONLY place that I feel a bit less heavy. Being able to 'plop' myself in their pool on a gorgeous, sunny day was such a gift."

"Jen is the girl next door," wrote Scott Soshnick, a reporter for Bloomberg News. "She's your sister. She's your friend, not some world-class athlete with ungodly stamina. People can relate. Fact is, all the things people say about Lance Armstrong are easily applied to Jen, too. She's a hero. A fighter. An advocate. A role model. A beacon."

Feel free to share your own memories and reflections on Jen, how she lived her life, and what she leaves behind.