Austin Bound!!!

I ride for Gary Bonacker!!  "Who is Gary Bonacker?" you ask.  Well let me tell you a bit about this opportunity and Gary.

As some of you may know, one of my annual rides that I enjoy is to journey to Bend, OR for the Tour des Chutes.  The TdC was developed by Gary back in 2005, 2 years after he was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor.  Gary made the trek down to Austin for the Ride for the Roses and thought that it was such a great celebration of cancer survivorship, and he wanted to provide the opportunity to others in his local/nearby area.  Since 2003, Gary has been through many ups and downs with his health.  This past year, he was not able to be as involved in the organization of the Tour des Chutes as he would like because of recurring seizures and the general ups and downs in one's health.  That being said, you'd never know that Gary was struggling in any way.  His attitude toward life is AMAZING and an inspiration!!

Last year, Sarah, Gabriella and I went down to Austin, TX for the Livestrong Challenge since it did not come up to the PacNW. My parents met us and it was a great experience.  Of course, I wanted to go again this year, but with Catherine's upcoming arrival, I knew logistically and financially it was not feasible.  However, when Catherine was born a little early, I did joke that "now she will be over a month old so I should be able to go to Austin, right?"  I was completely joking.

That was when Gary's incredible generosity fell into my lap.  The day after Catherine was born I received a message from Gary to give him a call because he wanted to send me to Austin for the Ride for the Roses and Livestrong would cover all of the costs.  SERIOUSLY?!?!?  The Ride for the Roses is held in conjunction with the Livestrong Challenge Austin and it provides some special VIP treatment for those who have raised over $10,000.  Through the TdC, Gary donates a significant portion to the local St. Charles Oncology, but has also sent a large amount to Livestrong.  Because of this, each year he receives an invitation to attend the Ride for the Rose.  Due to his health, but even more because of his generosity, Gary prefers to select one person from the ride to go and represent the Tour des Chutes in Austin.  When we were talking on the phone he said he likes to select a survivor who is a good person and a good example of survivorship and advocacy for what the community needs.  This year, as he unfortunately sat in the hospital, he began telling people about me.

Suddenly a trip to Austin seemed much more feasible.  Sarah, always being incredibly supportive, said that it was an opportunity that would be stupid to pass up.  Therefore, due to Gary's generosity (another representation of the great "Cancer Community" I'll get to go to Austin with all expenses covered and get a once in a lifetime experience - especially as Livestrong celebrates its 15th Anniversary.  There are some GREAT things planned for the weekend which include celebrities such as Lance, Ben Stiller, Maria Shriver, members of the professional peloton and more.

To say I'm excited is an understatement, but none of this would be possible without Gary.

Since I have this opportunity, I've transferred all of the funds that I have raised over to my friend Patrick (don't worry, it all goes to the same cause).  We want to help Patrick get to his $5,000 goal so that we can get more tickets for some of the great events.  Therefore, if you can help out, please extend your generosity to Patrick's fundraising at: http://laf.livestrong.org/site/TR/Challenge/Challenge?px=1006157&pg=personal&fr_id=1182

Thanks for all of your continued support!!

If you want to see more about the Ride for the Roses weekend or Gary's Tour des Chutes websites you can see them below:

Ride for the Roses:http://www.livestrong.org/take-action/team-livestrong-events/ride-for-the-roses-weekend

Tour des Chutes: http://tourdeschutes.org/