Ryan Cooper is a sophomore at the University of Kansas. In the summer of 2018, he will be traveling with a group of college-aged students on a 49-day, 4000+ mile run from San Francisco to New York City, raising money and awareness for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.

What is your connection to the cancer community?

Before the age of twelve, I had always perceived cancer as a formidable yet unlikely possibility. With this inaccurate cognition, it was a devastating shock for me to learn that my close family friend named Damien had developed stage four lung cancer at the early age of fifty years old. I remember his smile, his generosity, and his laughter even to this day. While these memories are positive, they continue to haunt me. Thinking about his widowed wife, his fatherless daughter, and the friends that he left behind continues to fill me with extreme sadness. It is because of these unfortunate but enlightening realizations that I have decided to increase my involvement with the cancer community. While I had even at a young age decided to become a physician, I had never fully had my heart set on a single specialty. Upon learning about the fate of my friend, I realized oncology would be an appropriate and rewarding career. I have always known I wanted to devote my life to helping others. I believe that increasing my involvement in the cancer community will give me the means to achieving this goal.

Why are you traveling over 4000 miles this summer with the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults?

Over this summer, I will be running with a group of college age young adults across the country as a symbol of the journey that each patient diagnosed with cancer faces. My hope is that by completing this journey, I will inspire those who are struggling to remain hopeful. While I myself am ignorant of the pain that each patient diagnosed with cancer faces, I believe that this journey may serve as a life changing and humbling experience. During off days, I will be interacting with those in the cancer community by performing such duties as volunteering in hospitals, delivering chemo bags, and delivering Ulman Cancer Fund scholarships.

2018 marks the 17th year of the 4K for Cancer sending young adults on journeys across the country in an effort to inspire hope and unite communities in the fight against cancer. The 4K for Cancer is a program of The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCF). Interested in joining the fight? Apply to be a rider or runner a at www.4kforcancer.org! 

CHALLENGE:

Over 70,000 young adults are diagnosed with cancer every year. Young adults (ages 15-39) face a variety of unique challenges with a cancer diagnosis including fertility preservation, social isolation, lack of insurance, delayed diagnosis, and more. 

SOLUTION:

The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults changes lives by creating a community of support for young adults, and their loved ones, impacted by cancer. With your support, the Ulman Cancer Fund is able to provide free support services and resources for the young adult cancer community including:

Cancer to 5K - a 12-week training program designed to introduce or reintroduce cancer survivors to physical activity.

Patient Navigation - a free program (onsite at cancer centers and remotely through our office) that ensures no young adult ever faces cancer alone. We provide one-on-one support & resources to young adults and their families to help them manage the cancer experience and long-term cancer survival.

Scholarships - a financial assistance program to help young adults continue their education after being affected by cancer through their own diagnosis or the diagnosis of a loved one.

UCF House - This year UCF broke ground on a “home away from home” to provide free housing for young adult cancer patients, and their caregivers, in East Baltimore. 

Your donation will help make these programs and our mission possible!