About Me

Profile

  • Route: Sierra
  • Ride Year: 2010

About:



I call Queens, New York home despite not living there for the past six years. After high school I studied Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rowan University in New Jersey. I felt that four years of school wasn’t enough and decided to push through another two years to get my master’s in Structural Engineering at UT of Austin.


I’d like to think I don’t fit the stereotypes surrounding an engineering student. I have always loved the outdoors whether it is running, biking, hiking, camping, or rafting. Drop me in the woods and toss me a knife and some rope; I’ll see you in a month.


Anything for the story. I figure at the end of the day, all you have are stories so why not stock up? I’ll do what it takes to get a laugh out of someone especially if it’s at my own expense. I try to laugh at myself, before anybody else can.

Why I Ride

Help those who cannot help themselves. Have hope for the hopeless. Fight for those that do not have the strength.

Cancer is an illness which shows no mercy in its destruction. Those unlucky enough to be caught in the storm’s path rely on the support of their doctors, friends, and relatives. I am not a doctor. I am a friend and I am a relative. While I cannot cure cancer, I can make a difference. Each battle against cancer is as unique as the person who is diagnosed. As such, each person needs a personal touch. I may not be able to treat the disease but I can provide the emotional support that provides relief and nurtures hope. The road is long and arduous. It is an uphill battle with pot holes and a constant headwind. However, crossing the finish line is worth each step taken, mile ridden, tear cried, and day lived.

My aunt was stricken with breast cancer when I was still in elementary school. She fought well over the course of several years but it eventually spread and she passed away soon thereafter. I was young at the time and the concept of cancer was not real to me.



In the summer of 2008 my mother was diagnosed with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMMoL), a rare form of leukemia. Since her diagnosis she has seen multiple rounds of chemotherapy as well as countless blood and platelet transfusions. Her hope for a cure rests in a bone marrow transplant, and she faces this ordeal with the reserve and determination necessary to beat this disease. Her courage in the face of adversity has proven inspirational to me, and to others.

My parents traveled to Alaska for their 25th anniversary prior to my mother’s diagnosis. It had always been a dream of theirs and they had the time of their lives. The chance to ride to Alaska in my mother’s name represents a duality in my life. My mother flew to Alaska and returned to a dire diagnosis. I wish to ride to Alaska and return one step closer to a cure.