In the fall of 2024, my husband Sam was diagnosed with Stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma. It was aggressive, rare, and devastating—one of those diagnoses that immediately changes everything. While this cancer can be treatable, it isn’t considered curable, and the odds of remission were painfully small.
Sam fought with everything he had. He endured aggressive chemotherapy that took a heavy toll on his body, yet he kept showing up—determined to keep living, loving, and being present for our family. There was hope of a clinical trial, but he remained on the waitlist and passed away in the summer of 2025 before he ever had the chance to try it.
He left behind our two children—our baby boy, who wasn’t yet one, and our daughter, who was only three. The grief is indescribable. Sam was my best friend, my partner, and the bravest person I will ever know. His time in the Army shaped him, and unfortunately, is connected to the cancer he faced—yet he had no regrets about serving our country. He was proud of his service, proud of his family, and proud of the life we built.
I’m riding with Pedal the Cause because I owe it to Sam—and to every family facing cancer—to help move research forward. 100% of participant‑raised donations fund innovative cancer research, and every dollar truly matters. If you’re able, please donate in Sam’s memory. Your support helps fund the discoveries that give families more time, more options, and more hope.
Sam, your legacy rides with us.
Pedal the Cause is hope, community and the region’s most impactful movement to end cancer. I am proud to participate and to play a part in funding groundbreaking research at our local, top-ranked institutions that is changing the way we treat and cure cancers.
Every penny of every dollar donated funds innovative cancer research at Siteman Cancer Center and Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children's Hospital, driving new treatments, clinical trials and discoveries that are improving patient outcomes. CLICK HERE to learn more about the impact of the over $51 million donated by Pedal the Cause since 2010.
Please support my efforts to create a world without cancer with a donation of any size to my fundraiser by clicking the DONATE button on my profile page.
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