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 in memory of Bob Rasche (1964-2023), a beloved employee of Mississippi Lime, and Jeremy Newton (1976-2023), an amazing husband, father, police officer & friend. I will honor these three and countless others by riding 52 miles on the Mississippi Lime & HBM Holdings Team. Mississippi Lime and HBM Holdings will match every dollar I raise for Pedal the Cause. Please consider donating. Every little bit helps fund life saving cancer research right here in St. Louis and will be doubled thanks to my employer! 100% of funds raised through this event goes straight to cancer research funding at Siteman Cancer Center and Siteman Kids, both right here in St. Louis. Also, Pedal the Cause funds are matched 12 to 1 by additional federal research funding! For my finance friends out there, how can you say no to a return like that?!?
For the third year in a row, our team will Ride for a Child named Chloe, a sweet little girl and amazing survivor who was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma at the age of 4. She has 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 is only 11 years old and is my hero. Her mother, Mia, is also my inspiration, and her two older brothers could not be more supportive of both Chloe and their mother.
I will also ride in memory of Adley, our Team's past Ride for a Child honoree who tragically passed away at age 3 after a courageous cancer fight in June of 2021.
Last but not least, I will ride in memory of my father, Jim Blankenship (1945-2014), who passed away after fighting ureterial cancer for 6 years. I cannot personally thank the Siteman Cancer Center team enough for all of their efforts and compassion in helping my Dad fight this terrible disease as long as he did.
