Four Siblings, One Mission

Being the tight-knit family that they are, his brothers and sister didn’t think twice when Jacob Ehlers asked them to join VeloSano Bike to Cure in honor of their father, Don Ehlers, and his fight against metastatic prostate cancer.

“Dad had made his pledge to continue his fight and take on chemo in a way he hadn’t had to before,” says Jacob Ehlers, MPAS, PA-C, a physician assistant in orthopaedic surgery. “We wanted to show him our support and join his fight.”

All four siblings — Jacob, Julia, Justis and Jesmin — committed to Bike to Cure, with Jesmin (an emergency medicine physician in Kansas) participating virtually. They decided their first ride in 2024 would be a Father’s Day gift. Their dad was part of the journey. “I challenged him to create a playlist of his favorite songs, and that’s what I listen to when I ride,” says Jacob. “I ordered my bike in his hospital room, and I think about him every time I get on it.”

Before Don passed away last year, the siblings brought him to Cleveland Clinic. That experience reaffirmed why Justis, Jacob and Julia chose to build their careers here. “In under two weeks, we had a diagnosis and initiated a treatment plan,” says Justis Ehlers, MD, Vice Chair of Operations and holder of the Norman C. and Donna L. Harbert Endowed Chair for Ophthalmic Research in the Cole Eye Institute. “That, for me, was a powerful example of who we are as Cleveland Clinic and what we should strive to be.”

The Ehlers siblings grew up watching their parents care for others. Both were United Methodist ministers and licensed professional counselors, often called upon when people were in crisis. Those experiences opened their eyes early to what illness, healing and compassion look like.

“For all of us, the anchor in VeloSano is our father,” says Justis. “We did it for him. But as I look at why we keep going, it’s not only that memory — it’s what lays the groundwork for others around us, for our children and for the future.”

For the Ehlers family, Bike to Cure has become more than a ride. It’s a way to reshape how people think about cancer by being part of something hopeful. “Cancer is a trigger word for a lot of people for a lot of reasons,” says Jacob. “VeloSano allows there to be a different narrative about cancer.”

The siblings have discovered a powerful sense of community that extends beyond their own family. Julia Ehlers Chones, MSN, APRN-CNP, a nurse practitioner in cardiovascular surgery, even went on to start Riding with Heart, the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute’s team, so fellow caregivers could join in the fight against cancer.

“When you’re at Bike to Cure, you realize everyone there has been touched in some way by cancer,” says Julia. “Participating together as siblings makes it even more meaningful, and I know our parents would be so proud.”