July 13, 2018, Filed Under: 2018, cancer, texas4000Letter to Texas 4000 Riders: Victoria and Suchin Suchin Kundra and Victoria Lee are part of the Texas 4000 Sierra 2018 team. They and their team are arriving in Portland, Oregon on July 12! Dear Suchin and Victoria, My name is Katie and I wanted to congratulate you on the progress you’ve made these past few weeks on your journey to Alaska! A couple weeks ago, I and other students in my research program made cards for all the riders on the Sierra route, and I hope they were fun and encouraging. Your journey raises awareness and supports research opportunities, and you deserve some support in return. Two of my mom’s close friends have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, and I have seen the toll it takes on not only their lives and but also those of the people around them. I appreciate all of your hard work that has gone into this endeavor. Your effort and perseverance have inspired myself and others to find our own ways to help in this war against cancer. Biking 4,000 miles is no easy task, and I can only imagine the challenges that come with the ride. Even if there are still a few miles to go, I hope you can see how far you’ve come and be proud of your accomplishments. Keep on riding! Sincerely, Katie Long, Columbia University
June 25, 2018, Filed Under: 2018, cancer, texas4000Letter to Texas4000 Rider McKenzie Clayton Dear Mackenzie, My name is Isaac Gándara. I am a rising Junior from the University of Texas at El Paso and I wanted to thank you for your dedication and efforts in the fight against cancer. Along with the funds you have raised in support of research, your long ride raises awareness for the need for research, and that in and of itself is invaluable. Because of what you and what the other riders do, I and other people engaging in cancer research experiences are able to work. Furthermore, I wanted to congratulate you on your progress thus far. As I write this, you are nearly halfway to 4000 miles! I also wanted to say I’m sorry for your loss of your grandmother. I also lost a grandparent to cancer and understand how hard it is to lose someone. But because of your journey, you will help other people in their own fight with cancer. Be proud of what you have accomplished and what you will complete in the coming month, you have earned it! Thank you for everything and keep working hard! Sincerely, Isaac Gándara, The University of Texas at El Paso Isaac in front of the mural at the 23rd Street Artist’s Market in Austin, Texas. Photo by Fawaz Mohsin.
August 5, 2017, Filed Under: 2017, cancer, texas4000Letter to 2017 Texas 4000 Riders Gabby at her research poster on August 3, 2017. Photo by Jill Ortner. Hello, My name is Gabby. I wanted to start off this letter first by saying thank you for your support and your dedication toward fighting cancer. The Texas 4000 program is a big part of what makes research experiences like mine and my coworkers’ possible, and the number of lives you touch through your efforts is incredible. So, for that I’d like to say thank you. Secondly, I wanted to say congratulations on making it this far. You’re almost there! Even though I’ve never been on a biking expedition like yours, I know that it’s easy to fall into the routine of things and not realize how much you’ve accomplished. So, I invite you to take a moment to look back on this summer’s experiences and reflect on what you’ve learned and achieved. (I learned how to culture macrophages in gels for experiments.) I hope you are all doing well, and I wish you luck during these last few days to Anchorage. Thank you for all you do! Sincerely, Gabby Pérez-Lozano, Carnegie Mellon University
