About Me

Profile

About:

My name is Haley Gold and I was born in Dallas, Texas and raised in Plano, Texas. For as far back as I can remember, I have always referred to Austin as my second home and have dreamed of attending The University. I am currently a junior at UT pursuing a double major in Business and Sociology and enjoying every minute of it.

I am an avid animal lover. I especially love cats. I have a passion for music. I was in percussion all through high school and am a member of the Longhorn Steel Pan Ensemble. I also love to cook and bake and aspire to open my own bakery one day! Every holiday season, when my mom was alive, she would make special cookies for all of my teachers. Seeing the smiles on my teacher’s faces each and every winter made a lasting impression on me. They always told my mom that she should open a bakery one day. When my mom died, I continued her legacy and it is my dream to open a bakery for her.

My parents instilled in my brother and me the importance of creating strong bonds and helping people at a very young age. These are the values that I live by and I hope to make my family proud through this journey!

Why I Ride

I ride for my parents. My dad was diagnosed with colorectal cancer when I was in the fifth grade. Luckily, he was cured after surgery. I could not be more proud to call him my dad. While my father won his battle, my mother was not as fortunate. She was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2006 and lost her battle with the horrible disease on August 10, 2007. My mom was and is my hero. Even in her absence, she has taught me how to be a strong young woman. I strive to be the woman that was my mom.

I also ride for the children of parents afflicted with cancer. At a young age, my life changed because of the disease. I do not want any other child to share my experience with cancer. No child should have to hear the words “Mommy is going to die.”

I ride for awareness. 9 out of 10 colon cancer diagnoses are to people over the age of 50 and screening is recommended to people once they turn 50. But what about the other 10%? That other 10% just happened to be half of my immediate family. I know that screening is expensive, but is the 10% really worth the savings? Was losing my mom’s life worth a few extra dollars in someone’s pocket? To me, the answer is no. I ride so that maybe one day these things will be taken into consideration. It’s important to remember that people with cancer are not the only victims. We all are. We have to use our experiences to fuel the fight.