I have been an honorary uncle to Maya since the day she was born. Maya developed a Wilms Tumor (a form of childhood cancer) when she was 7 years old. She spent over a year undergoing treatment and continues medical monitoring to this day. Maya is now an active 13-year-old and is doing great in school and in Girl Scouts. She is a delightful, courageous, and strong young lady who enjoys art, baking and nature walks with her family. Her nickname, which is perfectly fitting, is
Mighty Maya.
When my longtime friend Ray and I retired in 2021 we started seriously talking about a goal we have both had for several years and that is to ride our bicycles across America. When we committed to riding across the country, we also wanted the trip to have a meaningful purpose. Knowing Maya’s experience undergoing cancer treatment, I asked her parents if they had any ideas. They told me about St Baldrick's Foundation and provided me with a link to their website. After Ray and I met with Maya and her parents, over pizza, to discuss their work with the Foundation, Ray was immediately impressed with Maya, her family, and St. Baldrick's - we both immediately agreed that we had our worthwhile propose. Ray is now considered Maya’s honorary uncle.
Our trip will begin on the weekend of May 20th and last 45 to 50 days. We will cycle taking a northern route which will approximately total 3,100 miles! As we are finalizing the route and preparing our bicycles, and bodies, for the strenuous journey, we hope to cross paths with childhood cancer survivors who live along the route. We feel very blessed to have this once in a lifetime opportunity to see the countryside from a unique perspective and learn about the history and experience the cultures of the towns and cities we travel through. However, the true blessing will be reaching our minimum fundraising goal of $7,000.
Please consider giving any dollar amount per mile (approximately 3,100 miles), lump sums for every state (12 or 13) we enter, or just simply a donation to show your support.
With your generosity we hope to raise more! Did you know world-wide a child is diagnosed every 2 minutes with cancer. In the US alone 1 in 5 diagnosed will not survive. 4 of the 5 will suffer long-term effects from the treatment. St. Baldrick’s is the largest funder of childhood research grants and the research they fund has entered an unbelievable era of scientific discoveries and cures. St. Baldrick's is a volunteer-powered charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long, healthy lives. So when we ask for your help, it’s to #ConquerKidsCancer for families and kids like Mighty Maya!
We will keep you updated on our progress during the course of the ride. Thank you! To learn more about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and other ways to get involved, please visit https://www.stbaldricks.org.
