When I was 7, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. In the devastation that followed, I found my way back through the kindness of teachers and a love of learning. Public education gave me perseverance, and so I gave my life back to it, becoming a pre-service teacher to help others have the transformative experience I had.

But cancer has never really left. My mom, my greatest influence and the best person I know, carries medical scars, chronic pain, and the financial weight that cancer leaves behind even in remission. And in my classroom, I keep seeing it again: Braiden, who lost his dad in 4th grade; Maria, the 2nd grader I tutored whose mom was hospitalized. Kids coming to school distracted, quietly carrying a weight no child should hold. 

Texas 4000 is my chance to fight cancer directly, rather than watching from the sidelines. This ride is how I show up the same way my teachers showed up for me. For everyone who has ever sat in that particular silence cancer leaves behind, I want to ride so they know they aren't truely alone.

Thank you for being here! Any amount donated brings us one step closer, and it means everything to do this for my mom and everyone cancer touches.