Ron Tisdale
Hometown: Riverton, IL
University: University of Illinois
Major: History and Secondary Education
BIOGRAPHY
I am very excited to be joining this organization and cause. My family has been affected by cancer and it is something that I feel is very important for people to know about. This ride is more than donating money, it is also raising awareness in all of the communities that we come to. I am riding because it is a money commitment, a time commitment, and mostly a physical commitment to fight against cancer which affects almost everyone in some way or another. By doing this we make the fight against cancer much more visible and it draws a great deal of attention from people everywhere. I have always been a very physically active person as well. I think this will be a challenge unlike any other I have tried to complete in the past. This is an experience that I will be able to share with others and talk about in the future. There are many causes that I could choose to devote myself to that are great causes. But I can't think of another cause that could touch so many people or help so many people. I hope to inspire people to join the cause as well as help raise funds for the research that is essential to finding a cure.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
One of the reasons that I find the fight against cancer so important is because my grandfather recently passed away from lung cancer. I was there to see him when he was diagnosed over two years ago and I was also there the day he passed away. We were very close, I lived next door to him for nearly my entire life. It was difficult to see him go from almost perfect health to having breathing difficulties, to having to walk with a cane, to a walker, then a wheelchair, and finally he was confined to his bed and home. It was the hardest death that I have had to deal with as I was there through his entire fight. It would be so great to one day find a cure to these deadly forms of cancer. If I can be a part of finding a cure there are so many people who could have better lives. For something that affects so many people, there needs to be a bigger push to find a cure. The more people that we can get involved with this fight the better the future will be for those who are struck with one of the many forms of cancer. Getting people involved is as important if not more important than collecting donations and the ride allows us to do both.