About Me

Profile

About: Hi friends! My name is Kyler Heintz and I’m a senior Human Development major. I plan to participate in an AmeriCorp Vista position after I graduate to lay the ground work for a master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning. I’m from San Antonio, Texas and have called the city home for the majority of my life. My family is constantly on the move, whether it’s a race, swim meet, or soccer game, you can find part of the family at some event.

I’m thrilled to be a part of the 2018 Texas 4000 team. I am looking forward to spreading the mission of Texas 4000 across the country and taking my own meaningful stance against cancer.

Why I Ride

Texas 4000 focuses on providing hope, charity, and knowledge to communities throughout our bike ride. I look forward to sharing my own stories and how hope, charity, and knowledge have made an impact on my life.

I ride for Meg Castellanos. Meg was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, at nine years old. Shortly after her diagnosis the Castellanos family organized blood drives to raise awareness about cancer and fundraise in Meg’s names. I donated blood for the first time in Meg’s name in 2012. At the end of 2012, Meg was cancer free and was able to resume her life. I continued to donate blood as often as I could in an effort to make an impact in my own way. Meg and her family showed me the importance of charity and the difference it can bring to people’s lives.

I ride for the Kalisky family. Nissa Kalisky was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. The Kalisky family was deeply rooted in our local baseball community and was immediately wrapped in much needed love and hope. Nissa battled cancer for nearly two years before she was determined cancer free at the start of 2010. Tragically, cancer struck the Kalisky family again in January of 2015 when Connor, Nissa’s son, was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Connor was about to start his second season of college baseball when he was diagnosed. Nissa was thrown into a position no mother could ever dream of, and was forced to watch as her son battled cancer. Nissa however was in a unique positon to not only support Connor as a mother, but also as a cancer survivor. Connor battled cancer courageously and drew on his mother’s strength. Connor didn’t let his diagnosis affect his baseball season, and proved to be an integral part of his team making playoffs that season. Connor was determined cancer free June of the same year. Throughout both Nissa and Connor’s battles with cancer, they remained beacons of hope and never let their diagnosis’s waver their mentalities. The Kalisky family continues to support individuals and families affected by cancer by providing hope and sharing their stories as cancer survivors.

I ride for my Grandma Jane. Grandma Jane was diagnosed with Small Cell Carcinoma in the fall of 2015. The diagnosis came as no surprise, she had been smoking since she was a teenager, nonetheless is was still dreadful news to receive. Shortly after the news settled Grandma Jane had surgery to remove the localized cancer from her lungs. Despite the surgery, the cancer spread and now the effort has shifted to chemotherapy and radiation. Grandma Jane’s story is a perfect example of the power of knowledge. During Grandma Jane’s youth, the medical community was still debating the hazards of smoking. It’s easy to say that today there is an overwhelming amount of information that links smoking to lung cancer.