I ride for my family members whose lives were and are uprooted because of cancer. I ride for the hearts my Grammy was never able to touch. I ride for those whose stories I don’t know, and those whose I will learn. I ride for my future students, who will have their own stories of pain and deserve to know that there can be change. I ride for a system that does not engineer cancer into our food, water, and life and then profits off its work. I ride for a world that centers justice. I ride for the communities I will bike through, to whom I will listen and with whom I will work toward change.
I'm raising money for Texas 4000 for Cancer!
The fight against cancer is personal to my family. In 2014, the world lost my Grandma Dresang (Grammy) to breast and lung cancer—she was one of my biggest role models and an example of a change-maker. Grammy also gifted me my first bike. More recently, another family member entered their third year fighting lung cancer. He teaches me the power in humility and importance in keeping hobbies. I think about them and my other family members' cancer experiences often. The network of people I know who are affected by cancer is large; if Texas 4000 for Cancer teaches me anything, it is just how many communities experience the effects of the disease. Joining Texas 4000 means more than riding from Austin to Anchorage, it's a tribute to the fight against cancer and my journey to Alaska in their honor.
Additionally, some of my favorite memories from when I was younger involve me and my grandparents biking throughout southern Wisconsin. My ride to Alaska honors that time with them.
Every contribution—big or small—will help uplift my family members and support cancer research and prevention. All T4K donations are IRS tax deductible.