Seth Rinehart is a graduate student at California Baptist University. 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 Boston, raising money and awareness for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.

What is your connection to the cancer community? 

I try hard to avoid this question, but truthfully, this is what ignited me into joining Team Boston. So I sat down... And I made a list. The list was simply meant to be comprised of anyone I knew who had survived, fought, or lost their battle to cancer. It started with Miss Dottie, the woman who acted as my second mother growing up. She passed away just two years ago from brain cancer. Then came our Pastor Steve, recently diagnosed with cancer that spread until he was given a diagnosis of one year on this earth. The list branched out from there. Kayli, Claudia, Patti, L'Or, Slice, Mrs. V, Mr. G, Mr L. Before I knew it, the list had well over 50 people. That list eventually grew so big that I lost track. And just like that, a voice in my head spoke up...

"This is way too important to ignore".

Why are you traveling 4,000 miles this summer with the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults? 

Imagine the person you hold most dear in the world. Imagine going to the doctor, heart pounding out of your chest, watching helplessly as that person you love hears those words being spoken… “You have cancer”. God forbid, imagine those words being spoken to you.

This is about something so much bigger than us. It’s about giving a second chance at a full life. It’s about that moment when all this money we raise gives a 20-something year old kid a chance to afford college; A chance she might not have had otherwise, because her family was busy paying for radiation and chemotherapy to help her survive. It’s about those moments when we run through a town that has been absolutely ravaged by cancer. It’s about helping to show love in a world that so desperately needs it right now. It’s about hope. I decided to stop starving that voice that keeps saying “this is way too important to ignore”. Instead, I'm feeding it.

So this is for Miss Dottie, who spent her last years showing that pure joy can’t be robbed by disease. This is for Pastor Steve, who taught me that this life is not about us, that God always has a plan. This is for Liz, Meghan, Sophie, Val, Maria, Andrea and all the other kids who never got to grow up with two loving parents walking them down the isle, all because cancer ripped them away. This is for Team Baltimore, Team New York, and all the amazing people they’ve lost in this fight. This is for Jamie, Anne, Jeremy and all the others who died doing what they love, just trying desperately to help others. This is for everyone who realizes that this is about so much more. Because this is seriously about… SO much more.

So one final time;

I’m running because I can.
I’m running because I am grateful.
I’m running because this is what is right.

Living life fully, scared or not...
 

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!