About Me

Profile

About:


My name is Sarah Sykes and I think we should be friends.

I was born on August 26th 1989 and grew up in the comfortable Dallas suburb of Coppell. While my parents divorced when I was three, I was blessed with wonderful step parents and, eventually, two younger half brothers, Brett and Bradley. Our family is a little unconventional: my mom and stepmom became good friends and Brett and Bradley, although not actually related, act as siblings nonetheless. We changed the rules and ended up with one family instead of two. I try now not to accept things just because they are the expected ”˜norm’.

While Coppell was a great place to grow up, by the time I was 18 I was ready for personal growth and interactions with different kinds of people. The University of Texas was the natural choice. I lived in Jester my first year and, despite the bad reputation, absolutely loved getting to know the people on my floor. It was there that I met my two best friends, Raelea and Tiffany, who have been my rock throughout this life-changing college experience. It was also on Jester East, 9th Floor, that I met Darius Khosravian, a 2006 Texas 4000 rider. The moment he shared the T4k purpose and mission with me, I wanted to be apart of it also.

Fast forward to my 4th year of school, I look back and see I have accomplished a lot. The thing I am most proud of, though, is studying abroad in New Zealand last semester. I arrived completely out of my comfort zone, on my own in a beautiful country, and left with a multitude of friends from around the world, a craving for international experiences, and the knowledge that I can do anything if I put myself into it.

It is hard to present my life in a few short paragraphs. I would love to share more and get to know you as well. You can contact me at [email protected]. I believe that it is only through other people that you, yourself, can grow.

Why I Ride

We can all do our part to beat cancer. I know what you are thinking, “easier said than done”, but I hope I can convince you otherwise.

I will never be a pharmaceutical researcher or a world renowned oncologist; my brain just isn’t wired that way. But, by some miracle, I was blessed with two working legs that (with lots and lots of training!) are able to spread hope, knowledge, and charity through 4,500 miles of North America. I believe this bike ride parallels the struggles of cancer patients. Like so many of these brave people, I am a bit scared, have been told I might not make it, and realize the long journey ahead will be extremely difficult, unknown and will physically wear my body out. However, even my toughest days are nothing compared to the fight they wage on a daily basis. Their strength gives me hope.

Hope is tricky because cancer is relentless and all are affected by it. While it is easy to give up hope, it really is the most important thing to have. If you can’t become a doctor or even ride your bike for the cause, you can still spread hope. Hope for a cure. Hope for individual success stories. Cancer patients are so much more than the disease that is part of their body. They each have goals, aspirations, stories, and fears. Through Texas 4000, I look forward to meeting these people, patients and survivors, who will inspire me to continue to radiate this belief that the second we lose hope is the second that cancer wins.