My 11th Courage Classic
What started me on this journey is not why I am still here. The Courage Classic started for me as a way to support Amber and her family's fight with pediatric cancer years ago. The gratitude they all have for Children's Hospital Colorado is unmatched.
After more than a decade of participating, I am fortunate to have found a sport, an activity I absolutely love. I watch people improve as bike riders each year and watch parents raise their spirits through the riding season. The Wheels team has become a living, breathing organism of its own and I am grateful to participate.
I am fortunate that I have not lost or fought a cancer battle myself or with a family member. Through the years, I have had a glimpse of the mark it leaves on people and families. That is enough. That is why I ride and fundraise every year. I could ride and just raise the minimum, I could participate because I just like bikes. But that IS NOT enough.
I hope you never experience what these families have gone through. 300 kids receive new cancer diagnoses in Colorado alone each year. Every dollar helps, please donate what you can. Thank you
On April 15, 2022, my friend Martha, passed away to Ewing Sarcoma. Martha was 20 years old. I don’t know that I have ever met anyone going through half of what Martha did, for seven long years. Martha did everything, she tried everything, and she smiled through almost everything. She didn’t want to dwell on the what ifs. She took the diagnosis, and the updates, and the plans and she followed them. She wasn’t going to live her life a “cancer patient”. She rode with us for 5 Courage Classics, she captained her mountain bike team, she made art and told stories. Martha was incredible, she didn’t deserve this.
Thank you,
Bradley
