Pedal the Cause

I am proud to join Pedal the Cause for my 11th year in the fight against cancer and my 8th year as a team captain! Cancer has deeply affected my life and my family. I have lost a great grandmother, great aunt, grandfather, and mother to cancer due to the BRCA2 gene. I ride in memory and honor of my mother, Cynthia Joy Carroll, who passed away in February 2007 after a long and tiring fight against Ovarian cancer. She was such a positive person who brought encouragement and joy to everyone who knew her. I have seen the first hand effects of chemotherapy and radiation, as a family we longed for her doctor to share a new trial or treatment that could give us more time with her. As a ten year old, I understood what "good and bad" blood cell count meant during her treatment. Growing up didn't end that journey; it just changed my perspective. As an adult, I’ve experienced both the vital clarity and the overwhelming weight of genetic testing. Facing the reality of BRCA gene mutations showed me just how deeply cancer can weave itself through generations of a family—but it also gave us a path forward. Pedal the Cause is so important to me because we have the power to change that narrative. When we support ground-breaking research and expand access to genetic testing, we turn uncertainty into actionable hope. With your help, we can fund answers, empower families, and build a future with more treatments for all types of cancer. I am excited to use my love of biking to ride in honor of those I have lost and fund research for a cure. Please help me in this mission by donating to my ride or team, Joy Riders, for research to defeat cancer so other families will not have to endure the loss of a loved one. Give with confidence knowing that 100% of your donation will fund lifesaving cancer research right here in St. Louis at Siteman Cancer Center and Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children's Hospital.