In 2015, I joined the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCF)’s Iron Girl Team (“Team Fight”) to help young adults fight cancer. That experience was powerful---I learned more about UCF, connected with survivors, and completed my first Iron Girl race in support of these needed programs.

I am honored to join UCF’s 2016 Key to Keys (“K2K”) cycling team where I will have an opportunity to build on my Iron Girl experience, continue to raise awareness and funding for young adults fighting cancer, and visit cancer centers in up to eight different cities. From April 9-16, 2016, I will embark on a 1,500-mile journey from Baltimore, Maryland to Key West, Florida. All proceeds raised will provide support to youth cancer centers, fund college scholarships for cancer survivors, and bolster UCF’s patient navigation programs, particularly for those who served our country and receive care at the John P. Murtha Cancer Center at Walter Reed Military Medical Center.

This ride will be my biggest physical challenge to date, and I know it will be a life-changing experience---not just for me, but also for those cancer patients we will visit throughout our ride down the East Coast.

Why I Continue to Support the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults and Why I Support Patient Navigation Programs

Cancer is an important issue that has affected several of my friends and family. For young adults with cancer, there are limited resources to provide them with the unique medical, logistical, and psychological/emotional support needed to deal with issues that no one that age should have to consider. UCF’s teams work with patients and a multi-disciplinary treatment team to support patients from the moment a patient is diagnosed through post-treatment and remission. UCF provides financial assistance, counseling, fertility preservation guidance, and other resources to help patients enjoy full lives while living with cancer. UCF provides invaluable services to underserved populations and ensures that young survivors do not have to navigate their cancer experience alone. The K2K ride ensures that these vital programs continue.   

How YOU can help

To help sustain UCF’s vital programs, my goal is to raise a minimum of $5,000.

To give you an idea of how your donation can help:

• $50 will pay to keep a patient’s lights and power on during treatment
• $100 will pay for a monthly facilitated support group
• $250 can help preserve a young adult's fertility prior to starting treatment
• $500 will allow UCF to work with five new patients and their families
• $1,000 will pay for gas cards to help 40 patients get to treatment
• $2,500 will pay for a scholarship to send a young adult facing cancer to college
• $10,000 will help start another patient navigation program at a cancer center 

I hope that you will join and support me by donating to this effort. In the coming months, I will share training updates as well as updates from the 8-day ride!

I really appreciate anything you can contribute to support me and those fighting cancer. It truly means a lot!

With heartfelt thanks,
Tiffany

UCF Key to Keys Experience is a journey that brings together a diverse group of individuals to build a community of support for those affected by cancer. Using cycling as a platform, Key to Keys participants come together throughout the journey to share their individual cancer connections and give out as much support to others as they are receiving.