Profile

About: Self-proclaimed cinephile and dog father. Love to spend time outdoors, running, hiking, or just hanging out. From Chicago to Boulder and now Austin, I've lived all over. My goal is to one day help serve others through a career in medicine. Hookem!

Why I Ride

This fall, my grandfather, or papaw as we called him, passed away. My papaw and I had a uniquely close relationship, and he play a great role in my siblings and I's upbringing. When he found out that I was biking to Alaska, he was instantly my biggest supporter. He always has been my biggest supporter, long before the ride. While his death was not cancer related, the loss of a loved one like him was a reminder of how cancer can dramatically affect family dynamics. I will always carry him with me, on and off the bike. I want to also ride for those who have experienced similar such losses.

I also ride for my mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was in high school. She is the most resilient woman I know, and she luckily was able fight through and beat it. Much like her father (my papaw), she is a role model to me, and a living symbol of what it means to be equally as strong as you are caring.

When I was living in Chicago, I worked on the oncology floor of Lurie's Children's Hospital. This experience was polarizing to say the least, and helped to put a lot of things in my life into perspective. I ride for the children that may never get the chance to ride a bike of their own.

Recently, a dear friend of mine, Lucas Rhed, lost his father to cancer. Drew Rhed was a pillar within my hometown community, and we are all at loss in his absence. I ride with the Rhed family in my heart.