I ride because my family, like many others, has been affected by the hardships of cancer. My mother is a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed in 2006, when I was a junior in high school, and my brother had just started college. Truthfully, I had no idea how serious or scary something like cancer can be. I was lucky that my parents, especially my mother, despite everything she was going through, provided so much strength, positivity and support to me and my brother.

I remember leaving school to drive my mom to her radiation appointments when my dad was working. I remember the sympathetic faces of school administrators who checked me out of class so I could take my mom to the doctor. They knew what I was too young to understand: That cancer is serious, painful, and terrifying.

I remember my mom coming out of treatments exhausted, but always with strength and a smile on her face. With top notch medical help, and a fighting spirit, my mom was able to beat cancer. She, along with many skilled doctors and nurses, will forever be my heroes.

I ride for my mom, and I ride for the many families who have faced the same hard journey as my own. With that said, my mom is one of the lucky ones and so am I.

I also ride for my paternal grandmother who was a three-time cancer survivor, for my aunt and maternal grandmother who both survived breast cancer, and for my paternal grandfather who passed away after a brave battle with prostate cancer.

I will be riding for the first time, alongside my boyfriend Andrew who will be participating in his 9th PMC in honor of his father, who is also a cancer survivor.