About Me

Profile

About: Hey y'all!
My name is Elizabeth Knoble. I was born October 10th, 1995 in Elyria, Ohio to Dawn and Paul Knoble. Even though I was born in Ohio, I consider myself a Texan due to the fact that we made the move to Houston, Texas when I was a wee 8 months old. Houston is where I stayed put until moving to the beautiful city of Austin, Texas for college, which is where I hope to stay and build a career in physical therapy.
I am an Exercise Science major here at The University of Texas at Austin. I chose this University because, simply said, what starts here changes the world. Though this statement is felt by all UT students one way or another, you really have to make something out of it. Coming here, I knew I wanted an experience to look back on, and not only know they were the best years of my life, but for the right reasons and that I made a difference somewhere. I chose to join Texas 4000 and change the world with the help of the wonderful University of Texas community.

Why I Ride

I ride for my Uncle Tom, who four years ago was diagnosed with throat cancer. With him being one of my Father’s two brothers out of nine siblings, my dad was very close to him, as was I. He was there to watch me grow up, and there for all the huge experiences in my life. The thought of him not being around anymore was something I could not fathom. The most devastating part was he had two sons, one four and one a couple months old, that needed their father. I had never directly seen cancer until my uncle was diagnosed, and right then and there it became my enemy. After a hard battle, my uncle was fortunate enough to win the fight against cancer. The next time I was able to see my uncle, I threw my arms around him and embraced him with the biggest hug anyone could image, and I ride for others to be able to experience that same cancer free hug.
I ride for my PopPop, who was diagnosed with cancer almost a year ago. My PopPop has been one of the most influential people I have met throughout my entire life. He was not just any grandfather, but the best grandfather. Every important childhood memory I have, he was there. My parents would always laugh at the fact that him and I were two peas in a pod, always joking and having a great time. My world came crashing down when I heard of his diagnosis. I never took any moments with him for granted and never will again. My PopPop is now cancer free and still the same jokester he was before.
Lastly, I ride for Stephen. Two summers ago, my Mom’s best friend’s son was diagnosed with stage 3 lymphoma. This was not the first time I had seen cancer in someone I knew, but seeing the way the diagnosis affected everyone who loved him was hard to watch. My mother had returned home after visiting her best friend two days before the cancer was found. They told her the reason it had been found was because of the way Stephen was laying when he had to sleep on the couch so my mom could sleep in his bed during her visit. When my mom found out the news, I could see how hard it was for her. The empathy my mom had for her best friend was heartbreaking for me to witness in my home. Being a strong hand for my mom to hold this summer was something I knew I had to do, but it was not easy. We offered our full support to their family and did what we could to make sure his big bright smile never faded from his face.

I now ride in Stephen's memory. I know he will be with me every moment of this summer, and will be welcoming my teammates and me into Anchorage on day 70.

I ride for children to have fathers, mothers, and grandparents.
I ride for hearts to always be whole.
I ride for a cancer free tomorrow.