About Me

Profile

About: Hello, I’m Shannon Lu and if there’s only one thing you’re going to read about me, let it be that I am obsessed with dogs and that I hate cancer. I was born in Bloomington, Illinois, but I’ve lived in the Dallas, Texas area for the majority of my life and have never been back up north since I was 8 months old.

Since I was younger, I've always been interested in challenges. I have a competitive spirit and I enjoy solving problems. Because of this, I knew I had to apply to Texas 4000. There are few opportunities in the world that compare to biking across the continent to fight cancer while raising money, spreading awareness, and inspiring others. I'm excited to take on this challenge and I know it's just the beginning of many more to come.

I am optimistic, quirky, and fun. I can go through an entire container of hummus in 2 days or less and I love spicy food. I will always be down to sing karaoke, attempt to dance, or play Mario Kart. I’m a fan of running and all kinds of boarding and try to go see the mountains every year. I am also a huge fan of professional sports. I love the outdoors and will always be down to do anything involving hiking, camping, or similar activities. Adventure is out there and I’m ready to seek it!

Why I Ride

One of my favorite quotes about fighting cancer comes from Stuart Scott’s Jimmy V Perseverance Award acceptance speech: “When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, while you live and the manner in which you live.” Every life is valuable and I want to ride to fight cancer for every person affected by the disease. Whether someone is personally diagnosed with cancer or if people they know are, the effects of this disease go beyond any single person and I ride for everyone who has been touched by cancer in any way.

I ride for my cousin. In the past, I heard about many people who had cancer and did not expect anyone in my family or my friends to be affected by it, but this diagnosis changed everything. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma a few years ago when he was only ten years old. He was treated with multiple rounds of chemotherapy and beat it (twice!), so I ride for my cousin in hopes of a cancer-free future.

I ride for my grandpa. Shortly after finding out about my cousin, my grandpa was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Growing up, my grandpa was always the healthy one in the family, so it came as a shock to everyone when he got diagnosed with cancer. One of the hardest truths about cancer is that it takes loved ones away when everyone least expects it to, so I want to ride to one day eliminate this possibility. I ride for my grandpa because even though he lived 7,300+ miles and was 2 generations away, he made a real impact on my life.

I also want to ride for the caretakers and the researchers. The people behind the scenes in the fight against cancer are those who make it possible to endure this fight. From the doctors to the nurses to the scientists, I ride for everyone who is also fighting the same cause in a different way. I ride for those, like me, who do not have professional training, but still offer their personal time to help fight this disease through volunteering, blood donations, and anything beyond.

No one fights cancer harder than those who truly care about defeating this disease, and with the same mindset, I ride for everyone between and beyond them.