Hi all! My name is Doug Ramos and this is my first year paddling with SebastianStrong. My younger brother has paddled the last 4 years and has always asked me to join him but I never felt ready. I decided at the start of 2023 that I would start preparing and finally join him in 2024.

I didn't know Sebastian personally but the love that my brother has for him and his memory inspires me to paddle. In all reality, none of us should be doing this. None of us shold be paddling. None of us should know that the best treatment option available to Sebastian was more than 40 years old at the time of his diagnosis. None of us should know that less than 4% of funds raised each year for cancer research go towards pediatric cancer. None of us should know a child who's life has been cut short by cancer. 

But we do know those things. So we paddle, in hopes that we can change the tide. We paddle, in hopes that another family does not have to experience this level of loss. We paddle to honor Sebastian's memory. 

My brother has always told me how Sebastian never stopped fighting. He never gave up hope. So now we will paddle and do the same. 

Join me in my effort to raise money for the SebastianStrong Foundation during Kayaking the Keys for Hope!

Together we're funding innovative research for childhood cancers. SebastianStrong is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that funds discovery science to cure childhood cancers and supports families affected by this disease. It has received the highest level of recognition for transparency from GuideStar, the world’s largest source of information about nonprofit organizations. When you support SebastianStrong, you are helping to ensure that no family has to face childhood cancer alone. You are funding HOPE.