When I left for this trip...there was always one thing that I was so very concerned and worried about. After my family's bad luck for the past year as far as losing family members goes, I was scared. I was scared that during the trip I would lose yet another family member. It was the one fear and concern I had for the summer. The stress of the rides, the tormenting weather, the hard climbs, the hills, the mountains, the heat, the hurt, the pain, the injuries...none of that worried me at all. I wasn't scared of any of those things. The one thing I feared... was the emotional turmoil in which I might endure during the summer.

At the beginning of the trip, the fear started coming over me. My dad had to leave just a few weeks before my departure because my grandfather, his did was ill. They had found him unconscious with a bottle of sleeping pills...

Nobody knows what had happened... My grandmother, his wife had passed away not too long before that. She, was the sweetest lady in the world. I remember her warm welcomes and love every time my siblings and I came to visit her. She would embrace us in the biggest hugs she could. She was a short little lady, under 5 foot for sure. And she would give us kisses all the time. She always took care of us and went to buy food, drinks, and everything to make sure we were full. She was the cutest lady in the world. Right after my first summer semester at UT, she became ill. My dad and I rushed to Vietnam to visit her and check up on her. The hospital in her hometown...was scary. She was in a room with no A/C, open windows, and concrete everywhere. The mosquitoes could fly free inside the rooms at night. We knew that was a horrible place for her to stay...so we had her transferred to a big city hospital. While I was there, she had a speedy recovery and she seemed to be coming back to health towards the end of my visit. A little over a year later, March 30th of this year, she passed away. This could've been the reason my grandfather was found unconscious. But who knows? Maybe he just lost count of the pills he took and might have taken one too many.

After hearing this news, a few days later, I asked my dad how he was currently doing. My dad told me that my grandpa was still unconscious. So my dad left for Vietnam to visit him and just be there in cast anything happened.

On top of that, my other grandfather, my mom's dad... Also in Vietnam, became ill. He was having heart problems and was hospitalized with an oxygen tank. He stayed in the hospital and somehow, lost bladder control. Then there was a possible infection. He had been through so much already, it pained me to see him go through so much more. He lost his wife in a car accident, lost his vision soon after, then his memories began slipping, eventually developing into Alzheimer's, he lost his YOUNGEST child to lung cancer.

Both of my grandfathers were in the hospital when I left for Texas 4000. Not a day went by that I didn't feel the fear. I had no idea what was in store for them. And after losing two family members in one year, I feared losing two more...

My dad came home from Vietnam today at 6pm. I called my mom yesterday and asker her when my dad was going to be home. I called him a few days before to see how he was doing, but since his phone went straight to voicemail, I figured he was still in Vietnam.

So just about an hour ago, I called my dad and spoke to him. I told him about the trip and where I was and what I did today. I told him about hiking the mountain, kayaking, swimming, and our wonderful rest day. Then I asked him how my grandpas were doing. Both of them.

Then came the good news! He told me that both of my grandpas are out of the hospital. My mom's dad now had bladder control. My dad's dad was conscious and back to normal. They had both been released from the hospital and were back home. I immediately started shedding tears. I was so happy and so grateful that they were doing so much better.

From all of this, I have really seen how strong my grandpas are. Both of them have lost the love of their lives and yet they remain so strong for us kids. I can not even imagine what it must have been like to go through something like that. Being as old as they are (89 & 95) they are fighters!

They really are my inspiration for this summer. Seeing them fighting so strong amazes and astounds me. I push and I fight everyday to be as strong as they are. I can say that they definitely are my role models. They are such amazing men.

I can say that this feeling of fear has been greatly relieved after talking to my dad. I have really seen the strength of my grandpas. I no longer have the fear of losing them during the ride this summer. I no longer have the fear of not being able to visit them as they fight for their lives. I am less scared and less emotionally bothered. The heavy load that I've been carrying these first 19 days of the trip has finally lightened and I am less worrisome.

If anything, my grandpas have given me more strength to push forward and ride strong. After seeing the strong fight they both just put up in the hospitals, they give me even more motivation than I had before.

Tomorrow, I will ride for the both of them. They have been through so much in their lives and are still staying strong. The are my inspiration. They are my motivation. They are my role models.

They are... my grandpas.

I love them to death!