Erin Pieronek didn’t set out to become a brain cancer advocate. She was being a good friend.
Erin met Mandy Gregory when her daughter was born through a mommy and me group. Erin, her husband, Tom, and their two kids became friends with the Gregory’s. Their families connected through desert weekends, kids playing together, overlapping friendships through school and community circles. That’s how Erin came to know Kory Hunter.
Then one day, everything changed.
Kory suffered a seizure while in the desert and was rushed to the hospital. Soon after, he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and devastating form of brain cancer. Surgeries followed. Then treatments; hope for good news; fear for the worst. It was the beginning of a journey no family ever expects.
When Kory’s loved ones began helping plan what would become the Tour de Pier in Manhattan Beach, Erin showed up. She doesn’t even remember when she first heard about it, she just remembers being there. The first year, Kory was already very sick. He passed away the day before the inaugural event in 2013.
“It was really hard,” Erin says. “But it was bittersweet. I was glad we were able to be there to support Rory and the whole Hunter family.”
What began in heartbreak grew into something powerful, a community coming together to fund research and create hope where there were so few options. Erin and her family have been part of it every year since.
When asked to help, she stepped up. She took on growing the auction. She made the calls to everyone she knew. She asked for donations without hesitation.
“I don’t mind asking people for money,” she says. “Not for something I believe in.”
Then brain cancer came for her family.
Erin received a call that her mom wasn’t feeling well. She was missing words. Her sentences didn’t make sense. Within days, doctors discovered a brain tumor. Within a week, she was in surgery. It was glioblastoma.
Erin watched the disease move quickly and mercilessly. Her mother was 82, vibrant, sharp, present, they were hopeful that she would tolerate treatment well. But the tumor grew exponentially, and there were no more options.
Less than two months after her diagnosis, Erin’s mother passed away.
“It’s hard to reconcile,” Erin shares. “My mom ended up with this disease that I had been trying to help support for all these years.”
During that time, Erin was still volunteering. Still making calls. Still raising funds. She rode at the 2025 Tour de Pier and went straight to her mother’s bedside.
“I wasn’t going to miss making a difference.”
For Erin, riding is about more than one person. It’s about creating options where there currently are none. It’s about funding research so families facing glioblastoma have more than devastating statistics and impossible timelines.
“There’s not enough support. There’s not enough research. There aren’t enough options for people with glioblastoma,” she says. “Tour de Pier offers help in a visible and powerful way.”
She rides for Kory.
She rides for her mom, Louise Godley.
She rides for every family blindsided by this disease.
“My mom taught us to appreciate the people around us and to make a difference when we can,” Erin says. “So, this year, I ride for my mom… and for all the other people out there.”
Every dollar raised fuels critical research, and research is what turns moments of heartbreak into breakthroughs. Together, we can create a future where a glioblastoma diagnosis comes with real option, and real hope.
Erin rides for hope. Why will you ride?