Sky Baas is a sophomore at the University of Kentucky. In the summer of 2018, she will be traveling with a group of college-aged students on a 70-day, 4000+ mile bike ride from Baltimore to San Francisco, raising money and awareness for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.

What is your connection to the cancer community? 

When I was in 8th grade, I did not know him at the time. While I was busy performing in theater plays, a soon-to-be close friend of mine named Burke got very sick. He was vomiting in class and experienced piercing headaches. A former cross-country star who once sacrificed winning a race to go back and help younger kids find their way to the finish line, he was taken out of school in a miserable state. He had developed a cancerous brain tumor the size of a baseball and had to undergo treatment. About a year later he reappeared at school, a different person entirely. Sitting in a wheelchair, his motor and linguistic skills had to be built from ground up through his rigorous physical therapy. He went from wheelchair to crutches to walking on his own to crutches again after breaking his leg. He was a fighter. Throughout high school I copied my notes for him, and we became close friends. He was hilarious, intellectual, and vibrant. In 2016, he was able to graduate with the rest of my class on time and enroll in college. This summer, I hope to ride my bike across America with 4K for Cancer to develop sacrificial humility and help spread awareness for cancer research. In the same way that Burke sacrificed himself to help the lost children and overcame his cancer, I also want to sacrifice myself through physical trial and campaigning for the cause on my journey.

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

I want to ride with the 4K to express my gratitude for the research that has already been done and to continue to spread awareness for cancer research. Riding across the country is outrageous and olympic, and it is just the kind of thing that catches the attention of the people we pass by on our journeys. The personal connections we make with Americans across the country are invaluable for sharing our passion for finding the cure. The energy required to complete such a task as riding cross country is electric and infectious. Word of mouth is the strongest form of advertising, and you can bet that the people we meet on our path will go home and tell their families about our team at the dinner table. We become a concrete reminder for what still needs to be addressed. We become a human sacrifice for the cause. Riding across the country is difficult, but it is so much more difficult to live with and survive cancer. Just as we finish the race of crossing the country, just so we hope to help all cancer-ridden people cross the race into survival.

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!