About Me

Profile

About:

My name is Barbara Gass, I am twenty years old and a second year student at the University of Texas at Austin. I am an accounting major, planning on pursuing the five year Masters of Professional Accounting degree. I am also a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, involved in Younglife, and a SHARE volunteer on campus.

I grew up attending an all girl’s private school in Dallas. I have always loved being physically active and tried just about every sport I could between middle school and high school. I ran a half marathon my junior year of high school which was a lofty goal at the time. Finishing my half marathon made me thirst for other places I could push myself out of my comfort zone. Spin classes were rumoured to be the hardest work outs and after a couple classes with a fabulous instructor I was hooked.

I am inspired and encouraged by others. I love working in teams and enjoy working to achieve a goal as a unit, not an individual. I think true happiness comes from connections formed between people which is what I hope to find in my Texas 4,000 teammates.

Why I Ride

My grandfather defeated colon cancer when I only two. I do not remember his battle or his treatment, but I know the story. When he was first diagnosed with cancer, the doctors in Dallas wanted to operate on him right away and cut out the cancer. My grandfather was hesitant, having seen others go through cancer treatment, and went to get a second opinion at M.D. Anderson in Houston. The doctors in Houston recommended radiation treatment to shrink the tumour before they operated to remove it. My family found out afterwards that if he had surgery before the radiation treatment, the cancer probably would have come back more aggressively.

I am so fortunate to be able to say that granddaddy has been in remission for 18 years. It is because of this story and other stories I hear from Texas 4,000 teammates that I ride for our three pillars: hope that we all can fight to overcome cancer, knowledge to make informed preventative and medical decisions, and charity so that those fighting cancer can have the best care possible.

I see cancer poking holes in the people’s lives that I love dearly. Cancer does not discriminate. It merely points and shoots. I don’t want it to be that way in the future. I hope that one day there will be a cure. I want to have a part in patching up the holes that have been made in my family and my dear friend’s lives right now and in the future through Texas 4,000.