Jared's Google Eyed Warriors
Jared's Google Eyed Warriors ride to honor Jared Lujan's life, courageous three year battle with cancer that ended on April 4, 2006 and the hospital and staff that made such a difference during this battle!
We also ride in honor of all those who continue to battle cancer and their warrior spirit! We also ride to help fund research that can stop cancer from impacting other future kids and their families!
This is the 20th anniversary of Jared’s passing from cancer. Help us crush our team goal of having 50 riders and raising $50,000!
We would love you to join our team!
Can’t attend the in-person event? Not a cyclist but want to join us in honoring Jared and those who battle cancer, participate virtually to help us meet our goal!
There is no registration fee or fundraising minimum for virtual participants. You have access to the same tools and resources as riders and are eligible to receive the same recognition and awards.
Before Jared passed, he made us promise to "live, love and never give up"! We ride to live up to this promise and help others live through their battle with cancer, spread love, and give others with cancer hope to never give up their dream to be cancer-free!
To learn more about Jared and his battle and watch a video of some of his life moments, you can see below and use these links or URL:
jaredlujan.memory-of.com/
Jared's Life Story:
Born into this world May 11, 1995, Jared Carlos Lujan lit the world on fire with his smile, humor, and passion. From an early age Jared would naturally capture the attention of a room full of people without trying. The natural attraction he had toward people and people toward him was very apparent to everyone. This gift enabled him to impact many people.
As a baby Jared was very advanced. He weighed 8 ½ pounds and was 2 weeks early. On his due date, he weighed 11 pounds. Jared was very bold and took his first steps just before he turned 10 months old and was talking by his first birthday. Doggie was his word of choice, in honor of our puppy, Chelsea. Jared was a performer growing up developing many facial expressions to match his mood and situation, the mean guy face was our favorite. Jared was also a tender child and could not resist snuggling with his family and always fell asleep on our chests. Jared adored his big brother Mathew and worked so hard to emulate him as he grew. Mathew has been an outstanding role model and provided Jared a high bar to live up to. Jared embraced this challenge and studied and learned the best Mathew had to offer, which included his strong faith in the gospel. Mathew and Jared loved spending time together… they were best friends. Although they could have been doing many other exciting things, just laying together with Jared on top of Mathew was the preferred way of spending time together. The arrival of his brother Daniel in December of 2004 brought a new excitement to Jared’s life. He now had the chance to be a big brother and help mold Daniel’s life just as Mathew had done for him. Love sprouted quickly between Daniel and Jared. Jared was the only consistent recipient of Daniel’s sweet kisses. The love affair gave Jared even more reason to press on through his illness.
Jared began his school age years as a loyal and concerned friend, wanting to be Batman to protect his friends. His teachers were concerned with his social behavior but always claimed it was innocent love for communication. Jared loved school and his teachers deserve all the credit for this love. School work was fun and learning was truly exciting. Reading and vocabulary were his favorite subjects, as if that were a surprise to those who knew him. His school mates offered their love and support to Jared during his illness that gave him great hope.
In August of 2003, Jared was diagnosed with Myleodysplastic Syndrome, a rare blood disorder that affects blood production within the bone marrow. Although the disorder left him with almost no immune system, no blood clotting ability, and anemic, Jared continued to attend school only missing for doctor’s appointments. He fondly earned the nickname “the Enigma” from his doctors and the name fit very well; there was no explanation for why he always seemed to do so well. Jared remained an active young boy playing two seasons of youth baseball in which he helped pitch his team to the World Series game. Jared completed this phase of his amazing life needing only blood transfusion support. God kept Jared safe from common infections which were very dangerous to him. However, in December 2004, Jared developed a staph infection in his chest and liver. Jared required surgery to his chest and two separate liver surgeries which ended in the right lobe of his liver being removed. During the treatment of this complication, Jared’s disease transformed into Acute Myleoid Leukemia. He received two rounds of high dose chemotherapy. Jared still continued to excel, not experiencing the common, terrible side effects associated with chemotherapy. Jared’s next step was to undergo a bone marrow transplant which took place on April 27, 2005. The bone marrow transplant was successful, and again Jared overachieved. An extended stay in the hospital was necessary, as Jared had no functioning immune system to protect him. Doctors had again warned of many physical and emotional side effects. Jared proved his mettle by not showing signs of side effects, including gaining weight during this stay, an accomplishment almost unheard of. Jared’s recovery was going very well, regaining strength and stamina he hadn’t seen since his battle began. Then at a routine 6 month exam we found the cancer had returned. Jared was ready to continue his battle, however untimely physical hurdles clearly showed him that the Lord may have other plans for him.
Jared decided to end his medical fight in February, but knew he had to close strong, like a great distance runner who ends their race with a kick. Strong is word that just doesn’t quite do Jared justice. Heroic best sums up Jared’s battle with his illness. He never backed down, but when choosing to protect those around him from more pain, the unselfishness that he showed in his decisions goes beyond what words can describe.
Jared loved his family and many great memories are held in our hearts. Jared left us memories of courage and acceptance when first diagnosed. Treatment left us with memories of toughness, stubbornness, respectfulness, and a willingness to live. When we were left with minimal options is when Jared’s light shined the brightest, memories of faithfulness, humility, gratefulness, and unconditional love were apparent to all who were fortunate enough to be part of his life. Jared’s devotion and faith to his lord and savior were the foundation of his strength. He was rewarded when he received his crown of righteousness on April 4th from the Lord.
