Drive for life: Riverhead family hits the road to fight breast cancer

Maybe the car was a diversion, or maybe it was a goal to help keep her going as she fought the battle of her life. But as Randi Spero battled breast cancer, she had her eye on a Dodge Challenger.

When she was declared cancer-free in January 2010, the Riverhead woman planned to buy it for herself. She didn’t tell her husband Mike.

“Randi used to love to do those kinds of things,” he said this week. “She used to say, ‘Where are you right now? I need you to sign something!'”

Her dream was never realized. The cancer returned, and Randi, 56, succumbed to the disease last October, after a valiant, three-year fight.

Her family decided to buy the Challenger in her memory and customize to raise awareness of the disease and funds for breast cancer.

“My mother loved cars,” explained Randi’s daughter, Melissa Messina, at the car show on the downtown riverfront Thursday evening, “and this seemed like a great way to raise breast cancer awareness.”

The black muscle car, sporting sleek pink stripes, pink ribbon breast cancer symbols and the words “Drive for Life,” can be seen at the car show every week, and at the drag races at Riverhead Raceway on Sundays. It was part of the Mardi Gras parade on Main Street Saturday.

“We all had a family meeting, and we decided that it was what she would have wanted,” Melissa said. “And we think that she would have really loved the car.”

“She would have gotten the hemi, though,” Mike said.

“Our goal really is to bring it to different fundraisers and raise breast cancer awareness,” Melissa said. “We’re marching in the Mardi Gras parade on Saturday, we’re drag-racing it this Sunday, and when we go to the Raceway, they announce it as the ‘Breast Cancer Awareness Car.'”

The family has a history of love for fast cars and raceways. Mike has drag-raced on raceways across Long Island his entire life,  and claims to once have had “one of the fastest cars on Long Island.” Randi, meanwhile, loved to watch her husband and family members participate in the races. Melissa’s husband, Jim Messina, recalled fondly that Randi once insisted she and Mike accompany him and Melissa to the Pocono Raceway when a job with Good Year Tires took him there in 2001. 

“Next thing I know,” Jim said, “my in-laws have a hotel room up there with us, and she’s sitting in the stands the next day screaming, ‘Ahh! This is great!’”

Randi’s family is planning a fundraiser this fall to show off the car and raise money for breast cancer research, and they hope to get other cars from the weekly car show involved.

“All these guys in the car show are great,” said Mike, “and so is Riverhead. We’re proud to call this town our home.”

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