About Me

Profile

About:

My name is Esteban “Jordan” Robles. I was named after my father, but I’ve always gone by Jordan. I was born in the museum district of Houston and lived in Texas until grade school. From there I moved to California with my dad until we both got homesick—a feeling that is familiar to every native Texan. In Texas, I went into high school with good grades and experiences from my past years at middle school. At home I resided with my father, stepmother, and two half-sisters. Quickly, I adapted to high school life and excelled in the classroom, but then just as quick my life took a turn for the worse. My father was diagnosed with leukemia. Since age two, my father raised me as a single parent, so the news of his diagnosis dealt a heavy blow. Two years later, my father lost his courageous fight against cancer—he was 38. The loss of my father showed me the reality that life could be cut short at anytime and that it’s up to me to be more assertive and make my dreams happen during my time on earth.

I’m not trying to pitch a story in which you should feel sorry for me; but rather a story of my potential for great expectations. For you see, my life circumstance only temporarily brought me down, yet what emerged in me is initiative: the power to take charge and make my dreams a reality. My greatest dream would be for another day with my dad, but as impossible as that is, I believe that by spreading awareness and raising funds for continued research that I can make this dream a reality for others whose loved ones have been stricken by cancer. My father’s death has defined its purpose—it has allowed me to mature quickly and hone life skills making me a more assertive individual. I, now, turn impossibilities to possibilities, and try to make everyday worth living for others and myself.

Why I Ride

I ride for my father, Esteban Robles. My father was diagnosed with leukemia when I was in high school. Throughout his fight, he always carried a smile and a high spirit. He went through traditional treatments and eventually onto research-based methods, and he always ended up being the 5% that wasn’t supposed to make it. I now truly understand the need and effects of cancer research, and why this mission is so important to the team. Up until my father passed, he had been training in hopes of attending and completing the MS150. My birth mother suffers from MS, so my father supported the cause and helped in raising money. In sickness, he would ride his bike mounted on a trainer for hours on end.

It feels great when people come up to me and say that I remind them of my father. My father’s profession had him connected to tons of people, and for them to say how much my father meant to them makes me proud to have been his son. He loved cycling, so I believe that by completing the ride to Alaska not only would I be an ambassador for the fight against cancer, but I’d also be fulfilling my father’s wish of completing that one last ride.