Ever since I was smacked on the bottom in Lawrence, Kansas, 19 years ago, I have been full of life. I spent my younger years in New Orleans, Louisiana and its suburb, Covington, roaming the neighborhood in search of trouble and climbing in the giant magnolia tree next door. When I was in 6th grade, my family moved to Kingwood, Texas : “The livable forest”. Here, we thrived on ultra competitive sports and Texas-shaped cheese. I have two kid sisters, twins, whom I adore. We three are the Coyle goyles, and while I call them “kid-sisters,” they are actually sort of like women. We look quite a bit alike, and strangers often think we are triplets, which I have yet to embrace. My parents are amazing and have raised us to be hard-working and free-thinking. I am so lucky to have my loving and supportive family and the most true-blue group of friends you could imagine.

I am currently at The University of Texas at Austin as a pre-med student, though, I have not declared a major. I am strong and independent, and I occasionally take myself too seriously, but not for very long. I love to dance, sing, and do impersonations, though, I do none of these things well. I was initially interested in Texas 4000 because I love making friends and I am ready for an adventure, but I signed when my uncle was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I ride for my uncle, for my Grandma Chris, for Tom, for Lauren, for Henry, for Susan, and I ride for their families, friends, and loved ones.

I am proud to be a member of Texas 4000 for Cancer. It’s time for a cure.

Much of the language we use in Texas 4000 promotional material surrounds the quote “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” We, of course, reword it to include all 4,500 of our miles, and we change our steps to pedals. I admit that initially I found it a bit hokey to used the quotation, especially once it was molded to fit our journey, but after only a short time with Texas 4000, I realized that the idea of building something great from many small efforts is how we are going to change the world. We all agree that something big needs to be done about cancer, but it’s going to take many individuals giving and doing all that they can to find a cure. My journey is raising awareness, raising hope, and raising funds. My journey is 4500 miles, and I’m pedaling. What’s yours?