About Me

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About:



Hey, my name is Andrew King. I’m currently a third year Mechanical Engineering student here at the one and only University of Texas. I was born in Dallas, but given my father’s background in the Air Force, I’ve seen a considerable portion of the country (including Massachusetts, Ohio, Colorado and New Mexico, just to name a few places). I love to be outdoors, so when school doesn’t own my life you can usually find me riding my bike in downtown Austin or climbing out in the Greenbelt. I really enjoy traveling as well. I intend on studying in France for the summer of 2009, and I can’t wait to see what Europe has to offer!


For the larger portion of my life I swam competitively, and I feel that doing so gave me much of the work ethic and discipline I have today. To quote Al Marks, my first and most inspirational swim coach, “Anything worth doing is worth doing well”. There is no substitute for dedication and hard work, and I try to live my life keeping these wise words in mind.

Why I Ride

Make no mistake, cancer is an awful disease. It doesn’t discriminate against race, age, or sex; it is universally devastating. I learned at a young age about cancer, as both my grandparents on my father’s side were diagnosed. My grandmother, or Gram (as I called her), was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, while my grandfather, or Papa, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. More so than the cancer itself, I can remember the chemo. The whole basis behind chemotherapy baffled me. As a child, I couldn’t understand why poison was supposed to help the sick recover. I remember Gram being so sick from her chemotherapy that she was often too weak to get out of bed. I remember the awful coughs she used to get because her immune system was so weakened that she couldn’t fight off infection. I remember the wig she had to wear since her chemotherapy sessions made her hair fall out all the time. After Papa passed, cancer ultimately claimed Gram. It is an unrelenting disease, and it will require men across all nations to defeat it.


The fight is not without hope, however. I firmly believe in the potency of the human spirit, and I believe in the power of people. I was introduced to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure after my family learned that my aunt on my mom’s side had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Through fighting with courage and staying positive, my aunt is now a survivor, but I will never be able to forget how powerful it can be to see literally thousands of people gathered together to strive towards a common goal. Texas 4000 will do just this. By riding across the nation with a common goal, Texas 4000 will carry the message to all those that are afflicted that they do not fight alone.

I ride for the memory of my grandparents, whom cancer has claimed. I ride to keep their struggle alive, and to keep the fight against cancer alive.

I ride for my aunt, whom cancer has not claimed. I ride to carry her victorious spirit, and to show others that they do not struggle alone.

I ride for the cure, and for the day that cancer is defeated.