On Tuesday, January 13th 2009, I went to MD Anderson hospital along with a whole group of my fellow 2009 Texas 4000 riders and a few from the past year. We presented a check for $175,000 to John, Mendleson, the president of MD Anderson hospital. After the check presentation they gave us a tour of the MD Anderson hospital where we got to see where all the research and lab testing is done. It was amazing to walk across such a large campus dedicated to cancer and helping find a cure.

After the tour, we visited the children's wing of the hospital and joined a group of kids varying in age for an ice cream social. It was so surreal to put a face to what I am doing in Texas 4000. To meet the people that I am fundraising for and the very people I am riding some 4,500+ miles for this summer. It was such a touching experience to see how many kids and how many families affected by cancer.

I met a young man named Jose, who was 16 and had been there for chemotherapy and treatment for the past half year. He was nothing but grateful to meet us and thank us for everything we were doing. He had been out of school for the past semester and had to drop out of marching band and various other school activities to come get treatment at the hospital. Jose had been fighting cancer and was on his last month of treatment until he was clear to go and start remission. It was so amazing to see a young man fighting and beating cancer. I gave him one of our Texas 4000 wrist bands as a token to connect him to us riders. He even showed interest in joining Texas 4000 when he got into college!

I also met another gentleman who was my age. He was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 2 and was entered into MD Anderson for treatment. After 8 years of treatment, he had beaten cancer and was entering his remission phase. That day I met him, he was 19. He's been in remission for the past 9 years! It was amazing to meet such a positive character and know that he was one of the many people we are riding for this summer.

It was so amazing to meet such wonderful people who had been greatly affected by cancer and were putting up a fight. All of them being thankful for what we did. But in the end? They have the harder fight to battle, but they have us by their side. Turning one pedal at a time, biking one mile after another, and traveling throughout the United States and Canada to share hope and knowledge.

It is this fight that we are all involved in...it is this comradery that we all share...that one day we will triumph over cancer!