Lauren Schoener
Lauren is a Freshman at Virginia Tech. In the summer of 2012 she 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?
Not only have my aunt and uncle struggled and survived cancer but my great grandmother died at the age of 68 from breast cancer. Several members of my community and church family have dealt with cancer as well. Currently a close family friend of mine is facing cancer. He has always been an extremely active member of our church and continues to be involved in encouraging the faith of other members. It is really inspiring to see someone who has been put in such a difficult situation continue not only a strong faith in God himself, but to support others in their faith journey. Every time I see him at church he is smiling and giving hope to everyone around him. Throughout the exhausting cancer treatments and painful news he acts as a servant to the Lord and a blessing to everyone around him. My goal this summer is to provide a fraction of the hope and inspiration Brant Howe sends out to everyone around him every day, to the people I meet biking across the country.
Why are you riding the 4K for Cancer?
When I think about the massive number of cancer patients throughout the United States it is astounding. Thousands of people get up every day knowing that they have not yet defeated their deadly opponent. I know several members of my community with cancer who provide hope for everyone around them and who look at life as a gift instead of something they have earned. It is a blessing to know these people and I want to give them and everyone like them, who face the greatest challenge of all, the gift of hope. I am dedicating my ride to a member of my church, and family friend, because of everything he means to me and everyone around him. I want to be a member of a team of passionate cancer fighters who are set on spreading encouragement across the country. I want to show the thousands of struggling cancer patients throughout the nation that they are not alone in their fight. I believe that we can accomplish this by uniting together as a team to overtake the barriers of doubt and replace them confidence.
