Kevin Barnett
Kevin attended the Johns Hopkins University. In the summer of 2012 he is riding with a group of college students on a 70 day, 4000+ mile bike ride from Baltimore to San Francisco.
What is your connection with the cancer community?
Both of my grandmothers and my great aunt have battled cancer. My aunt and maternal grandmother proudly defeated cancer before I was born, but sadly my paternal grandmother lost her battle to non-Hodgkins Lymphoma 15 years ago. At five years old I was too young to understand what was happening to our family. I simply knew that my Grandma was no longer with us, and this terrifying thing called “cancer” was to blame. It wasn’t until my junior year in high school that I really learned the full extent of how deeply cancer is affecting our world. Since that time, I’ve been a part of many Relays for Life and cancer support events. The 4K is another way for me to stand in solidarity with my Grandma Jane and Aunt Ro, and to continue the fight in honor of my Grandma Harriett.
Why are you riding the 4K for Cancer?
My Aunt Ro is an incredible woman. This year, at the age of 82, she will be completing her 25th NYC Marathon. After a surprising breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 47, she began running New York City and Long Island marathons in defiance of her disease. I grew up listening to stories of the sense of community you feel while running a marathon. Aunt Ro would talk about how the thousands of people lining the street to cheer her on along the route would motivate her to finish no matter what challenges she faced. I am riding on the 4K so that I can be one of those people cheering patients on in the fight against their disease. Through my year of fundraising and training, and 70 days of cycling across the country, I hope to support the patients, caretakers, and family members in their journey. I hope to encourage them not to give up, but to keep pushing forward no matter what challenges may arise on the road before them.
