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

This is my 3rd year participating in Kayaking the Keys for Hope, and once again, I am honored to be part of the (best) road crew (to ever exist). I'm sooo ready to put my puns to good use.

Last year, I wasn't sure if I had another kayak, wave, tide, or splash pun left in me. Together we were riding the waves, making a splash, lifting the tides, and so on. Every photo I made it into (uncoerced), I was glued to my phone, stressing over captions. Seriously, how many emojis are too many? This year I've made it a point to apologize in advance for being buried in my phone. So if you see me being “anti-social” in the forefront or background of photos, I promise it's not a lack of interest but an abundance of passion for what I do and what we're doing as a foundation. Very different from my usual aversion to human interaction, I swear.

Each day I watch a mother and father, who lost their son, on an eternal grieving journey while fighting for the next child. I watch them offer words of hope and support to other parents. I watch them celebrate others’ wins and mourn alongside those who face loss, reliving their own grief. I watch them work through tears... sometimes tears of joy and fond memories but often tears of pain. Childhood cancer doesn't care about any of that and it doesn’t take a break. Fortunately, I get to work alongside some pretty amazing humans who do care and also refuse to take a break.

I'm constantly in awe of these two humans who continuously chose to work through their grief to give hope to the next family. I'm in awe of the tiny humans going through unimaginable treatments who still greet you with a smile and their bigger-than-life personalities. I’m in awe of the parents who join this mission to advocate for the next child while they fight for or grieve for theirs. But mostly I’m in awe of the moments when these same people have enough trust to show their pain, letting others know they’re not alone. I’m honored to be a part of all of it.

While research is our focus because it holds the key to better treatments and cures, Kayaking the Keys for Hope allows us to give some families a weekend of normalcy. Seeing the kids excited to paddle the final mile of this 110-mile journey and being part of their smiles is incredibly rewarding. I invite you to be a part of those smiles and that hope.

Sebastian's only treatment option, no matter where Oscar and Rose would have gone in the world or how much money they would have spent, was over 40 years old at the time. Today, almost a decade later, kids facing the same diagnosis receive the same treatment. With all the medical advancements over the last 50 years, childhood cancer treatments still lag behind. Many remain highly toxic and ultimately ineffective. Kids deserve better and we can help by raising awareness and funds!

Sebs, as always, I wish you were here to witness the impact you have on each person who learns your story and the profound love of those who tell it.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

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.