I'm a proud participant in the Pan-Mass Challenge - a bike-a-thon that raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the country - to bring us Closer by the Mile to a cure for cancer.
Since its founding in 1980, PMC riders like me have raised more than $1 billion for lifesaving cancer research, treatment and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the country's top cancer care hospitals. My PMC is making a difference in the lives of patients at Dana-Farber and around the world. The funds I raise support the innovative work of doctors, nurses, and scientists in their search for cures for cancers and related diseases.
100 percent of every dollar I raise goes directly to Dana-Farber, meaning that your donation has a real impact! Please donate to my PMC fundraising and help me reach my fundraising goal.
Why I ride...
On May 22nd, 2023, I lost one of the most important woman in my life. My grandmother, I
still remember the phone call from my cousin a year prior, telling me that my grandmother
was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, the cancer was aggressive, but the doctors
were optimistic with the treatment. My grandmother underwent surgery a few weeks later and began treatment, everything seemed to be working, for the first few months it was like
she did not have anything, she continued her life normally, had no restrictions and remained very active. We then received unexpected and devastating news, the cancer was spreading, it was now attacking her liver, lungs, and bones, even the doctors were shocked since she showed no signs of this, she was as energetic as ever, full of life, she continued her treatment and after a couple of months, it appeared the cancer cells were decreasing in size, another sign of hope.Mother's Day weekend 2023, we were happy to have her with us, my aunt prepared food and a celebration for her, but my grandmother’s health took a drastic turn, she became very ill, she was taken to the hospital the following day as she was experiencing a lot of pain in her abdomen, she was released a couple days later, seemed fine and then was
taken back. At this point the doctor finally told my aunt that there was nothing else they
could do for my grandmother, her liver was failing, she was in her final stage and will most
likely pass in the coming days. My aunt was devasted, although I would call almost every
day to check on my grandmother, my aunt never told me what the doctor had said, she
didn’t know how to, every facetime I would see my grandmother slowly deteriorating, she
was now on oxygen and couldn’t speak for too long, I would tell her how beautiful and
amazing she is, she would remind me how much she loved me. She had such an incredible
sense of humor, she never stopped laughing or making jokes, even as her life was slowly
fading. She was such an incredibly strong woman, single mother of four, loved her children
and her grandchildren, always wanted to be surrounded by her family, had a huge circle of
friends who adored her. I still remember her delicious pancakes, and every time I would
visit her, she would make me some of her best pastries, but above all, her unconditional
and immense love is what I miss the most.
On Sunday, May 21st, 2023 I spoke to my grandmother, Facetimed and told her how much I loved her, how much she meant to me and how amazing she was, she gave me her
blessing through the phone, as if she knew her time was coming to an end, I told her I
would see her soon. Later that day my aunt called me, she told me my grandmother was
not doing well, I didn’t know what to think or feel, I got a flight from Chicago to Medellin, Colombia
and left first thing Monday morning, I prayed and hoped that I could see and hold my
grandmother one last time, I feared but didn’t want to think of anything else. The moment I
landed in Miami, the message I was afraid to receive came through, my grandmother had
passed, I felt numb, I sat at my gate waiting for my connecting flight, my phone rang, my
mother called, my sister called, I didn’t answer.
All I wanted was to get on that plane and
be with my family in Colombia, and even that I feared as I knew the sorrow and sadness my
entire family was experiencing at this moment.
Saying goodbye to my grandmother has been the hardest thing I’ve experienced in my life. I
am incredibly grateful that I got to have her in my life, love her, and know how much she loved me
and our family, I keep the sound of her laugh in my memory, how fun, and joyful she was,
how loving, caring, calm, strong, and resilient. I ride for her, for those who are no longer
with us and have lost their battle to cancer, for those whose laughter we no longer hear but
their memory lives deep in our hearts, I ride for those who continue to fight, and for those
who have beat this terrible disease and are still with us.
