Profile

About: Hi! I am a fourth year marketing major from Houston, Texas. I was originally born in izmir, Turkey but I moved to Houston, Texas when I was three years old. I have two incredible parents who are very excited to support me in this journey.

Between my classes, you'll find me reading, on a run, or studying in the McCombs building. After completing my degree at UT, I plan on immersing myself in the nonprofit arm of the business world and actively participating in the global community.

Please feel free to email me at the address given above to share your story, ask a question, or just to connect. I firmly believe that we can gain hope and strength through sharing our stories, so I invite anyone and everyone to reach out to me.

Why I Ride

When my dad was 7, he was diagnosed with stage III rabdomyosarcoma, which resulted in him having a tumor in his left leg. The doctors told him he did not have a chance of surviving but that they would try amputating his leg to see if the cancerous cells would stop metastasizing. He spent most of his childhood going from hospital to hospital in Turkey and after about 3.5 years of chemotherapy, prayers were answered and he was in remission. At the time, my dad was one of two people who had survived from this cancer. However, the battle continued for him and that was only the beginning to living the rest of his life with an amputated leg. To this day, my dad continues to fight and is easily the most fearless person I know. He never stops battling. Knowing how much he suffered and the extreme health conditions he had to live through weighs heavy on my heart everyday. If he can battle stage III cancer and all the complications that came with it at the age of 7, I can bike 70 days to Alaska. For him.

My grandmother on my father's side was diagnosed with breast cancer 15 years ago, and after fighting it off, was diagnosed with liver and colon cancer about 2 years ago. She went through her last round of chemotherapy last summer in July. My grandfather, her husband, was diagnosed with colon cancer shortly just 15 days before my grandmother's diagnoses. Having three very important people in my life fight cancer ignited a strong fire in me to do whatever I can to help create a cancer-free future.

I ride for my family, for hope in finding a cure, and for the immaculate strength cancer fighters show each and every day.

xxx

Texas 4000 organizasyonu 2004 yilina University of Texas at Austin'da basladi. Ilk senemde duymustum ama basvurmak cok korkutucu gorunuyordu. Dusundukten sonra nihayet basvurmaya karar verdim cunku bir daha asla bu kadar harika firsatim olmayacagini biliyordum. Babama 7 yasinda rabdomiyosarkoma diagnosis kondu. Doktorlar, hayatta kalma şansı olmadığını, ancak kanserli hücrelerin metastaz yapmayı bırakıp bırakmayacağını görmek için bacağını kesmeyi deneyeceklerini söyledi. Çocukluğunun çoğunu Türkiye'de hastaneden hastaneye giderken geçirdi ve yaklaşık 3.5 yıllık kemoterapi sonrasında dualar cevaplandı ve remisyona girdi. O zamanlar, babam dunyada bu kanserden kurtulmuş iki kişiden biriydi. Ne kadar acı çektiğini ve yaşadığı aşırı sağlık koşullarını bilmek her gün beni cok etkiliyor.
Ben bu aktiviteye kanserle savasta cok buyuk mucadele veren babam adina katiliyorum.