My best friend and forever teammate, Dillon Schoen, has been a long time PMC rider... and after years of cheering her on in this race, I'm finally joining her (and Cameron Park) in Massachusetts this summer! I am thrilled to be able to ride in this year's event because the PMC is leading the charge to beat cancer. And cancer sucks.

I ride for my mom, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017. Despite no history of breast or ovarian cancer in our family, she shockingly tested positive for the BRCA2 gene mutation after her diagnosis. This positive result flipped my family's world upside down and I learned more about cancer than I ever wanted or thought I would need to know. Due to the BRCA2 result, my mom's recommended medical protocols changed to give her the best chances of survival and my mom underwent a double mastectomy in 2018 to remove her cancer and significantly reduce her risk of recurrence. I am so incredibly thankful to say that she has been cancer free for over four years.

Two years ago, I also tested positive for the BRCA2 mutation, which means that I have an elevated lifetime risk of different types of cancer, including breast cancer. Despite this initially daunting result, I feel so grateful for the well-informed screening and preventative treatment protocols that exist for BRCA positive individuals. My own healthcare plans are informed by the critical cancer research that is conducted across the world, including at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. By supporting the PMC, you are ensuring that this life-saving research continues to be well-funded and enabling doctors to provide the best possible care to their patients. Cancer sucks... let's all work together to hopefully create a world where screening protocols can stop cancer before it begins.

Perhaps most importantly though, I ride to honor the incredible people in my life who left this world too soon. I ride in memory of my grandmother, Pat Murray (Grandy), one of the most loving, supportive and genuine people I have ever known. I ride in memory of my friend, Robin Tingue, whose kindness, positive energy and infectious smile lit up every room that she walked into. I ride in memory of Jon Schoen, one of the best Stanford lax supporters and people I have ever had the privlege of knowing. I am also excited to be a part of Team Ocho Cinco for this year's ride to honor Jon's memory. I am who I am today because of each of these people and am thankful for the impact each of them left on this world.

Thank you for visiting my page and reading my story. I'm proud to support the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in their mission to beat cancer, once and for all.