Kevin Lugo
--Are you a cancer survivor or are you currently in active treatment? Want to be a pen pal for a rider on my 4K for Cancer team as we bike across America this summer? Click to learn more about our Pedal Pal program.
--During my journey I will regularly post videos and photos to my blog. I invite all my donors to dedicate their donaiton to a loved one who is in some way connected to the cancer community. I will dedicate each day of my ride to the loved ones of my donors. Please, send your loved one's name, relation to you, and a short blurb about them (100 words or less) to lugo.kevin.b@gmail.com.
Hey everyone, I am Kevin Lugo and I am a senior Economics and Environmental Studies double-major at Gettysburg College. I fell in love with sustainable transportation, especially cycling, while studying abroad in Denmark in the fall of 2011. When I returned to the states I knew I owed it to myself to go on a grand adventure before entering the real world, so I decided to bike across the country after graduation. After some searching I found 4K For Cancer and knew it was perfect for me. I am looking forward to planning events as Team Seattle's Service coordinator and am excited to get on the road. 4,000 miles from Baltimore to Seattle is a bit scary, but I am ready for the challenge!
What is your connection with the cancer community?
I have known acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family who have suffered from cancer. The relationships I have with each and every one of these people help me understand the universailty of cancer, but my grandfather's four year battle with lung cancer is what forever linked me to the cancer community. After being diagnosed in 2000 and fighting tirelessly for four years, Poppop finally passed in February, 2004. I was thirteen years old. Those four years had been the hardest in my life, and the next few were not much easier on acocunt of the terrible financial burden cancer had placed on our family. In those years my mother and I learned to be strong out of necessity, and I never fully grieved for my grandfather. But two years ago, while lighting a luminaria candle at a Relay for Life event, I was completely overcome with emotion. Since then I have re-engaged my own story and am ready to connect with the cancer community.
Why are you riding with the 4K for Cancer?
Above all else, I ride for Milton Kendrick, beloved grandfather. I ride for Chris Lasek and Paul Detwiler, my ΑΦΩ brothers who have fought and continue to fight cancer. I ride for the countless people I have known who have been diagnosed with cancer, and for all the family and friends who have suffered alongside their loved ones. I ride for those to whom life is unfair, and I ride for those who deserve better. I am excited to be in a team working to connect the cancer community and raise money for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. I look forward meeting young adults struggling with cancer as well as the families and loved ones that sacrifice so much to lend their support. I want to show these people they are not alone.
While I ride for others, I also ride for myself. I want to continue following the three principles of my service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega: Leadership, Friendship, and Service. Even more importantly, my ride is a very personal journey. While college has helped me reflect on and begin to come to terms with my grandfather's death, the road to acceptance and understanding is long. Perhaps 4,000 miles long. And as I prepare for graduation I am constantly pondering who I am, who I want to be, and where I want to go with my life. I still have not answered all these questions, but I know I want to do great things and go on grand adventures. 4K For Cancer is just the beginning.
Fundraising Info
Why $7,476? I was looking for a meaningful date relating to my grandfather, but none of the important dates I know would make sense as a goal. Sticking with the idea of an important date, I picked July 4, 1776. After all, if a cross-country ride does not represent the Independence & Freedom of our country, what does?
For more information:
- Check out the full donation packet.
- Join the Facebook group.
- Follow my blog.
