About Me

Profile

About: My name is Sarah Gutberlet, and I am a senior studying History and English. My family resides in Colorado, but I was raised all over the country from Louisiana, to California, to Alaska! My father works hard as an engineer and my incredible mother raised me and my two siblings, Renee and Ryan. My sister, Renee, is an incredible person and works at Baylor Scott & White hospital changing lives every day. My little brother Ryan is not that little as he towers over me, but he's still my little nugget brother.

I am happiest when I am outside, particularly in the mountains and forests. I have a tattoo of a Douglas Fir tree on my right calf representing where I grew up and how happy I am immersed in trees and the mountains. My other two tattoos reflect similar feelings of belonging, happiness, and what I have overcome. One of my goals is to climb Mt. Rainier in Washington, and every Colorado 14'er mountain some day. I have three down, only 51 to go! I also dream of hiking in the Himalayan Mountains, the Alps, and Patagonia. I love spending time with my friends, reading, watching Homeland, going to weird little movie theatres, learning about World War I & II, and finding cats that I dream of adopting.

As I have grown up my desire to travel has grown, probably inspired by my incredible Oma, Iris Tufts, who has traveled to every continent and over 100 countries. I want to travel the world, get out of my comfort zone, and constantly learn from and listen to other people. I'm still learning about myself and where I fit in the world, but I am really excited about where I am headed. I have new plans ahead for travel, after my Texas 4000 adventure, and I can't wait.

Why I Ride

I ride for my family and friends, strangers, neighbors, and pets that have battled with cancer. I ride for my Aunt Heather, who bravely made the decision to have a hysterectomy when she tested positive for the cancer-causing gene that killed her mother, grandmother, and aunt. I ride for my Grammy, Little Betty, who has fought disease for most of her adult life, including her latest surgery to remove breast cancer from her chest. I ride for my Aunt Mary that defeated cancer in 2009. I ride for Cookie Monster, a kitty that got my best friend through the worst year of her life, and then passed away from the tumors in his brain. I ride for Anna Stark, who watched over my sister and I when we were children while my parents were at work. Today she is fighting breast cancer and proving that the human will to live is something to be reckoned with. I ride for my step-uncle, Glen, who I never had the privilege of meeting because he passed away from testicular cancer. I ride for Jill Costello, who taught my teammates and I what it means to not give up; to take responsibility, ownership of who you are in the face of uncontrollable events, and persevere. Jill passed away from stage IV lung cancer three weeks after earning second place at the 2010 NCAA rowing championship. I ride for a former teammate who I spent countless hours supporting while Lupus betrayed her. I ride because she, and many others, are still here. I ride because many others are not.

I ride for those moments of hope that can feel so very far away and so very small, but are essential spots of light on what can feel like a perpetually black canvas. No matter how small, or where that hope comes from, it is vital. The Texas 4000 team is a community that lives and breathes hope and knowledge for families and friends. It is an organization that recognizes that cancer and disease doesn’t discriminate by race, sexual orientation, gender, age, religion, or where you are from. It is relentless.

Good news: so are we.