One Brother’s Fight to End Diabetes
The ride starts early. Bikes click into gear. Riders gather in the cool morning air, ready for the miles ahead.
For Sterling Simms, every mile has meaning.
He rides to honor his younger brother, Josh, who passed away from complications of Type 1 diabetes at the age of 19. What began as a healing moment between friends has grown into something much bigger: a community, a fundraiser and a way to turn grief into action.
“After Josh died, my friend said, ‘Hey man, get on your bike. Let’s just go for a ride,’” shares Sterling. “And we did the last route that Josh and I did.”
Today that ride is known as Ride with Josh. Each year, cyclists gather to remember loved ones, support one another and raise money for diabetes research at City of Hope®.
Brothers on the Same Road
Love of music runs in Sterling’s veins. He was only 6 years old when he recorded his first song with his grandfather, an R&B musician who introduced Sterling to the legendary sounds of Sam Cooke.
Sterling went on to build a career as a singer-songwriter, releasing his own album and earning a Grammy nomination before moving into the business side of music. Today, he is vice president of A&R (artists & repertoire) at Sony Music Publishing.
But alongside music, another thread runs through Sterling’s family history: Type 1 diabetes.
Josh was diagnosed at age 10. Soon after, Sterling became his younger brother’s guardian. The two brothers learned to manage insulin, doctor visits and the daily routines that come with the disease.
“It was a real learning curve with diabetes,” recalls Sterling. “It’s plagued my family for generations, but it was the first time that I had to deal with it hands-on.”
Always close, the pair grew closer. They shared a love of music and during the pandemic began to ride their bikes together.
A Connection to Hope
Managing diabetes can be unpredictable. After Josh experienced a serious episode of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), he was referred to City of Hope Cancer Center Duarte. There, the team helped him access a special diabetes management device that would sound an alert if Josh’s blood sugar got too high.
The experience introduced Sterling to City of Hope’s Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute, one of the world’s leading centers for diabetes research and the birthplace of the technology underlying synthetic human insulin, which has saved millions of lives worldwide.
He also discovered City of Hope’s Music, Film and Entertainment Industry (MFEI) Group — a community of more than 150 music and entertainment execs dedicated to raising funds for cancer and diabetes research.
Passionate to help the cause, Sterling joined the MFEI Future Hope committee. It was his first volunteer effort to fight diabetes, but not his last.
Putting Hope in Motion
In 2020, Josh passed away from diabetes complications.
Not long after, Sterling returned to the road the brothers once rode together. That first ride with friends became a tradition — and then something more. “I wanted to keep Josh’s memory alive,” says Sterling.
The first official Ride with Josh drew about 30 family members and friends to a parking lot in Calabasas. They rode a 25-mile route that passed Josh’s apartment and raised money for City of Hope through a simple online page.
Now, nearly six years later, the event attracts hundreds of riders and has corporate sponsorship from the elite cycling brand Rapha and Gatorade. Since its inception, it has raised more than $150,000 for diabetes research. The 2026 Ride with Josh will take place this summer on July 25 in Santa Monica.
Each year, new riders join the group, many with stories of their own.
Sterling shared, “The first year we did the ride, a new friend reached out online. He said, ‘I just lost my father to diabetes; I ride. Can I join you?’ The event keeps growing because diabetes affects so many people. It reaffirms for me we’re doing the right thing.”
For Sterling, the ride is just getting started. “I want to make it as big as I can. The sky’s the limit,” he says.
Every Ride Brings Us Closer
For more than 110 years, volunteers like Sterling have powered City of Hopes’ progress. Today, 25,000 volunteers across five regional locations — Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, Chicago and Atlanta — keep hope alive and advance the mission across the nation.
Because of volunteers like Sterling, hope is not just an idea: it is research funded, families supported and lives saved. Every ride brings us closer to a cure. Every pedal stroke counts. Thank you for making hope possible.