Rebecca Choi

Texas 4000 2021 Team

Fundraising for Texas 4000 For Cancer
US$4,647
raised of US$4,500 target
by 25 supporters
Donations cannot currently be made to this page
2021 Team Fundraising
Campaign by Texas 4000 For Cancer (RCN 200371876)
We share hope, knowledge and charity through leadership development, grantmaking, and our cornerstone event, a 4,000+ mile bike ride from Austin to Anchorage.

Story

There are a lot of unknowns in life. Questions unanswered from our past. Questions of the present moment. Questions about our future. What we will be doing 5,10 years from now. How do we move forward from this. Where will we be. Who we will meet.

I came to realize how real and scary the unknowns of cancer can be when I lost my two grandparents to cancer. Having been born and raised in Austin, I was never quite close to my grandparents in Korea. Yet, from the few moments I've shared with them, I have always known they were such incredible, loving people. My grandpa was one of those people who could never be fazed or stirred. Just by the way he spoke and carried himself, you could just tell that he was incredibly strong, steady and trustworthy. My grandmother on the other hand was graceful, warm and wise. She would always embrace us with a huge warm hug and be the first one up everyday just to wake us up with her specialty tomato jam sandwich. They were two figures who always chose to love fully and live intentionally. 

For several years, my grandfather had been battling cancer. The cancer was contained for a while, and though the treatments were difficult, he was able to continue living life to the fullest with my grandmother by his side. Yet, one evening we received the unexpected news that my grandmother was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. With such a short notice, my grandmother passed away before we could see her again. Soon after my grandmother, my grandfather also passed away after battling the slow and difficult fight against cancer. Losing these two strong, wise and loving figures to cancer, I could not help but to be struck by the frailty of human life and the ruthlessness of cancer altogether. It was like a domino effect then. A dear church member was diagnosed with cancer, a close friend’s mother was starting her chemo, a family friend was rediagnosed with cancer. Cancer, an illness that had always seemed quite distant, was affecting the people all around me. It hit me then. Cancer is real. So terribly real and so cruel and harsh. Yet, cancer remains a mystery with an overwhelming amount of unknowns. In many moments, I felt helpless. I was unsure of how I could help the people around me. Yet it was this realization and a desire for a change that tugged on my heart as I applied to ride and support the fight against cancer.

It's interesting to see the extreme to which cancer does not discriminate. We are all incredibly so different. We each have a mind of our own, a different upbringing and a unique set of desires, values and passions. Yet, to cancer, a human being is merely a biological system. Nothing more. No race, age or any amount of wealth, fame, wisdom, love or even a healthy lifestyle can protect a person from cancer. Cancer does not discriminate and the unfortunate truth is, it doesn't care about who we are. Although we are left to accept this unfortunate truth, there is something powerful in spreading hope and uplifting each other. There is something beautiful and often necessary about refusing to give up, fighting till the very end and doing our best as supporters, as patients, as friends in this fight.

With the hopes of making some sort of contribution to the fight against cancer, I choose to ride with Texas 4000 because every life is worth fighting for. I ride so cancer will be less of an unknown in our lives. So we no longer would need to question the effectiveness of a treatment. So in the future, there would be no dead-end to cancer treatments, no need to worry about cancer reappearing, no fear of losing a mother, a child, a friend, a teacher to cancer. When there is something worth fighting for - a dream we have, a person we love, or a cause we believe in - we hold onto any bit of hope, learn to let go of fear and do the very best we can right?

I ride in remembrance of my grandparents and others we've lost.
I ride to celebrate the victories of those who have battled cancer.
I ride because it is a beautiful thing to pedal, to hope and to breathe.
I ride because it is a beautiful thing to be alive

If you'd like to help support our missions and join the fight against cancer, please consider donating to Texas 4000 any amount you are willing to give. The money will go into fundings for cancer support centers and cancer research institutes across America and help our mission to spread hope, knowledge and charity. Please also consider spreading the word about what we do or encouraging our team throughout our journey. Really everything and anything would be appreciated.

Additionally, if you have a loved one(s) in your mind, please do not hesitate to reach out to me with their names and their stories. I'd love to carry them in my heart throughout my time in Texas4000 and dedicate my ride to their stories.

To Alaska and back,
Rebecca Choi

About the campaign

We share hope, knowledge and charity through leadership development, grantmaking, and our cornerstone event, a 4,000+ mile bike ride from Austin to Anchorage.

About the charity

Texas 4000’s mission is to cultivate student leaders and engage communities in the fight against cancer. We share hope, knowledge and charity through leadership development, grantmaking, and our cornerstone event, a 4,000+ mile bike ride from Austin to Anchorage.

Donation summary

Total raised
US$4,646.45
Online donations
US$850.50
Offline donations
US$3,795.95

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