Some people come into your life and quietly make it better just by being who they are. I'm riding LOTOJA this year for two of those people. Both are fighting cancer. Both are fighting it with a grace and a courage I deeply admire. And both deserve every mile I can give them.

Jarom Sweazey

Jarom and I met in sophomore PE class under circumstances I'd rather forget. A much larger kid had decided I was an easy target. Jarom stepped in without a second thought. No hesitation. No calculation. Just the kind of instinct that tells you everything you need to know about a person's character.

That was nearly 30 years ago, and Jarom hasn't changed a bit. He has spent 20 years serving with the Gresham Police Department, protecting people who never knew they needed protecting. He's a devoted husband to Rebecca and a proud, present father to six kids who are his whole world.

Jarom is a Stage 4 Melanoma warrior who has beaten this disease twice. In August 2024, while attending a law enforcement conference in California, he was hospitalized with what appeared to be stroke symptoms. The doctors found a hemorrhagic stroke and several brain tumors, including one large enough to require immediate surgery. He went in fighting, just like he always has. The prognosis is taken one day at a time. But Jarom keeps defying the odds, and those of us who love him keep believing. I am riding for him because he would do it for any one of us without being asked.

Sam Draayer

Sam is my sister-in-law. She is a nurse who has spent her career caring for others. She has never smoked. She is the mother of three young children who light up every room she walks into. And for over a year, she has been fighting lung cancer.

There is no way to make that make sense. Sam did everything right. She is exactly the kind of person you want more of in the world, not less. But cancer doesn't negotiate, and Sam has responded to that reality the only way she knows how: with quiet, steady, relentless fight. Her kids are watching their mom battle something enormous. She shows up for them every single day.

I ride for Sam because she deserves a cure. Her children deserve their mother. And no one who gives this much to others should have to fight this hard alone.

My parents have a combined 11 sisters and only 1 brother. My only blood relative uncle is my Uncle Kevin Ellsworth, my mother's oldest sibling. He has always held a special place in my life and has been battling bladder cancer since July 2024.

Kevin has dedicated his life to serving others through his role as a wonderful family man, scouting and youth leader, and professor/department head at ASU. He has been a guide and mentor to many. Uncle Kevin makes time to sit with anyone to discuss the finer points of rock and roll, politics, enjoy a bowl of cereal, or just sit in silence.

His initial diagnosis of bladder cancer has been worsened by it spreading to his lymph nodes and pancreas and causing kidney failure, liver infections, and the removal of his gall bladder. I will be riding for my Uncle Kevin and hope to be able to smile by the end as he has been smiling through something far more daunting and painful.

Elizabeth Wallace

I am riding LOTOJA 2026 for my amazing sister Liz.

Liz is a fighter in every sense of the word. A devoted single mother of three, she has spent her life raising her children to embrace the world with curiosity, courage, and compassion. She has taught them to love deeply, pursue education, seek adventure, and never take life for granted.

Her journey has not been an easy one. She is currently facing stage four triple negative breast cancer — her third cancer diagnosis. Each diagnosis has been unrelated, yet she has met every challenge with resilience, strength, and unwavering determination.

Liz has a deep love for life that shines through in everything she does. She is incredibly passionate about the outdoors — especially skiing — and finds joy in traveling the world and being in nature. She has a special place in her heart for her two beloved dogs.

Despite the weight of these battles, Liz continues to inspire everyone around her. Her spirit remains unshaken, her love for her family unwavering, and her ability to find meaning and beauty in life truly remarkable. She is not defined by her diagnosis, but by the extraordinary way she continues to live, love, and lead. This ride is in honor of my sister, Liz — my hero.