Shoutout to Texas 4000 for Making It to Alaska Today!

The 2012 Texas 4000 for Cancer team just crossed the border into Alaska today, after riding their bicycles over 4,000 miles from Austin, Texas—all in the name of raising hope, knowledge, and charity in the fight against cancer. These University of Texas at Austin students have less than a week of riding left before finishing in Anchorage. As an alumna of this amazing organization, I’m so proud of this group’s dedication to honor the fights and memories of loved ones, including their teammate, Ruel Bobet, who passed away in February. Visit their website to make a donation, read their inspiring blogs, and get involved in their cause!

Why I Climb

I went for a hard, fast hike on Austin’s Greenbelt this afternoon to break in my boots. During my speedwalk through the woods, I was thinking of the Bobet family, who have all been an inspiring and instrumental part of the Texas 4000 organization.

This family has had a really rough year because:

• …their dad has been fighting colon cancer, which has since metastasized to the liver, since 2009;
• …their 21 year old son—a Texas 4000 rider—passed away from stomach cancer in February 2012;
• …and this week, mom Sandy was diagnosed with lymphoma. 

And in the thick of it is their younger son, Andrew, who has had to emotionally deal with it all.

In spite of these hard times, this family has so much strength, courage, and support for the Texas 4000 2012 team.

I ended up reaching out to Sandy last night on Facebook when I saw her status about her diagnosis, and I asked if I’d be able to climb for her and her family. Since she’ll be scheduling appointments at MD Anderson over the next few weeks, I was unsure if she’d have time to reply. But in all honesty, I really didn’t have to hear back; I just wanted her to know I was offering up all the support and positive energy I could. 

I was so happy when she responded with the kindest message. She said she was grateful to have me think of her during the climb, wished me good luck, and shared an inspirational quote about adventure. She also noted that her late son had dreamed of summiting Kilimanjaro.

Man, consider me motivated now more than ever. This new piece of knowledge definitely makes me want to reach the top for him, his mom, and his family. I will absolutely, certainly, wholeheartedly, 100% be climbing the 19,341 feet up Kilimanjaro with the Bobet family in mind. When I’m cold at the top of the mountain, tired from the hiking, and sick from the altitude, it will be so incredibly tame compared to the what this family has had to endure in the past year. And even when the climb is done and I have to fly back home to Austin, I will be sending all my good vibes their way.

Coins for Cancer, in Memory of Ruel Bobet

Moving Forward

It’s March, and that means there’s just 4 months left until I attempt to summit Kilimanjaro with Survivor Summit!

As the days have been ticking away, I’ve been moving forward with:

1. Fundraising; I’m up to over $4,600 so far!

2. Training; I’ve been running stairs weekly.

3. And, preparing for the climb; I just purchased over half of my equipment through Whole Earth Provision Company here in Austin!

Moving forward seems like an appropriate title for this post for another reason: this past Saturday, a 2012 rider from Texas 4000 for Cancer passed away after battling stomach cancer. He moved out of this life and into the next, and he had a lot of people who loved him and were inspired by his fight.

In the days since his death, the Texas 4000 organization and Austin community have come together to support the 2012 team members during what can quite obviously be described as a very difficult time.

As an alum, I think that the news hit everyone involved in the organization—past and present—hard because, as Natalie Choate (Rockies 2007) said on Facebook, “any team member of T4K is a team member of mine.”

I remember how close I became with my team in 2009. We’d ride for each other, stand together in daily ride dedication circles, push one another up the hills, talk about our hopes for the future, and dream up plans to invite each other to our weddings some day. We’d make silly jokes, play pranks on one another, and dance like absolute idiots at rest stops.

We were—and still are—a scrappy family of brothers and sisters, bonded by the amazing summer we shared together.

Realizing that the 2012 team will have to do all those things, minus one of their brothers, makes me feel pretty sad. However, all that anyone can do is move forward and honor his memory. I plan to do both with my climb up Kilimanjaro.

This rings especially true for the 2012-ers, who I support for their amazing strength and camaraderie.

I went to one of 2012’s team meetings on Monday night and listened to some of the riders talk about Ruel. I saw understandably saddened and grieving students. But there was something more to see: riders standing together with a purpose. This team is more motivated than ever to ride their bikes to Alaska and spread Ruel’s memory all 4,500 miles, and beyond. From hearing their stories about their fallen teammate, I know that their grief will translate into the indomitable spirit to get up and keep going, even when times get tough and hills get steep.

The 2012 riders have a very personal reason to fight cancer, and they’ll be moving forward, one pedal stroke at a time.

And I’ll be doing the same, just putting one foot in front of the other, until I make it to the summit. When I think about the pain Ruel, my college mentor, my grandmother, and my uncle went through, it’s the very least I can do.