Pedal the Cause

I ride to support the fight against cancer in honor and in memory of so many family and friends, but especially in honor of Chloe (pictured here) and my Mom and in memory of my Dad. I will honor all those impacted by cancer by riding 62 miles on the MLC team. MLC will match every dollar our team raises. Please consider donating. 100% of every dollar funds life saving cancer research right here in St. Louis at Siteman Cancer Center and Siteman Kids.

For the 4th year in a row, the MLC team will Ride for Chloe, a sweet 8th grade hero & survivor diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma at the age of 4. She's had countless procedures and treatments ranging from chemotherapy, radiation, tumor resections in her abdomen and her skull, immunotherapy, removal and placement of her stem cells for her bone marrow transplant, injections, and bone marrow biopsies. Chloe's mother, Mia, is also my inspiration, and her two older brothers couldn't be more supportive of both Chloe and their mother.

I also ride in honor of my Mom, who courageously fights breast cancer after 2 partial mastectomies, 2 rounds of radiation and 4 rounds of chemotherapy. Fortunately, her mammograms detected both tumors in early stages resulting in good chances she's now cancer free, but the side effects of chemotherapy are no joke.

I will ride in memory of my Dad, Jim Blankenship (1945-2014), who passed away after fighting ureteral cancer for 6 years. I cannot personally thank the Siteman Cancer Center team enough for all of their efforts and compassion while helping my Dad fight this terrible disease.

Every year, I pray my "why" list will get shorter, but unfortunately, it's the opposite. There are so many more angels, survivors and caregivers who I haven't mentioned by name. Please support my ride for #aworldwithoutcancer