About Me

Profile

About:



Soon after my birth in Ponce, Puerto Rico, my family relocated first to New York, then Georgia, and finally settled in Harlingen, Texas. I divided my interests between traveling with my family, academics, and tennis. As long as I can remember, I have wanted to pursue a career in the practice of medicine. I am currently a junior at UT Austin, majoring in human biology. Although my parents are no longer together, each of them support me in following my goals. Spending time with both of them is one of my big priorities as well as spending time with my 2 brothers and 3 sisters.

Why I Ride

Josie, a very close friend of the family was diagnosed with breast cancer 4 years ago. As we regard her as a family member, we have been impacted by her disease as we have personally witnessed the pain and suffering she has been through. To top it off, her sister-in-law recently passed away from brain cancer. We have experienced her decline in health, physically and mentally as she has not only suffered due to the cancer, but also due to the therapy and its complications.

During the past two summers, I have worked as an aide at a Pain Center and have been able to participate in the management of various cancer sufferers’ pain. However, management of pain is only palliative. There is so much work to be done in other aspects, such as research, prevention, and various modalities of treatment. I aspire to be a physician in the future and know that not only on a personal, but on a professional basis, I will encounter cancer victims and I believe that the more we know about causes, prevention, and treatment, the better results we will accomplish.

We cannot only depend on the traditional ways of funding care for these patients, but must come up with original, productive, and effective ways of securing funds for cancer victims’ benefit. Texas 4000 is one of the ways that we can accomplish these goals.