Sam Snyder is a junior at Rutgers University. In the summer of 2018, he will be traveling with a group of college-aged students on a 49-day, 4000+ mile run from San Francisco to Boston, raising money and awareness for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.

What is your connection to the cancer community? 

Cancer has had a major impact on my friends and family, and I am sure that I am not alone in that category. However, it has had a major personal impact that I carry with me every day. My grandfather, Stanley Boise, died from Glioma Brain Cancer when my mom was just 9 years old, forcing my grandmother to work hard as a single mother to raise her three children. My mom named me Samuel in memory of her father, so his namesake and memory can carry on through me. More recently, after successfully raising her three children, my grandmother currently is being treated for Hodgkins Lymphoma, which she got from her rheumatoid arthritis medications that she had been taking for 18 years. Thus, I will be dedicating my run to my grandfather’s memory and my grandmother’s current battle.

Why are you traveling 4,000 miles this summer with the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults? 

As previously mentioned, cancer has had a direct personal impact and an even larger impact on my family. I believe this is a great opportunity for me to combine a newfound passion of mine in running with a cause that I care strongly about. In the last year since I picked up running as a hobby, I have been running races for a variety of different causes, but I cannot think of a better reason for me to run across the country than to help combat cancer.

2018 marks the 17th year of the 4K for Cancer sending young adults on journeys across the country in an effort to inspire hope and unite communities in the fight against cancer. The 4K for Cancer is a program of The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCF). Interested in joining the fight? Apply to be a rider or runner a at www.4kforcancer.org! 

CHALLENGE:

Over 70,000 young adults are diagnosed with cancer every year. Young adults (ages 15-39) face a variety of unique challenges with a cancer diagnosis including fertility preservation, social isolation, lack of insurance, delayed diagnosis, and more. 

SOLUTION:

The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults changes lives by creating a community of support for young adults, and their loved ones, impacted by cancer. With your support, the Ulman Cancer Fund is able to provide free support services and resources for the young adult cancer community including:

Cancer to 5K - a 12-week training program designed to introduce or reintroduce cancer survivors to physical activity.

Patient Navigation - a free program (onsite at cancer centers and remotely through our office) that ensures no young adult ever faces cancer alone. We provide one-on-one support & resources to young adults and their families to help them manage the cancer experience and long-term cancer survival.

Scholarships - a financial assistance program to help young adults continue their education after being affected by cancer through their own diagnosis or the diagnosis of a loved one.

UCF House - This year UCF broke ground on a “home away from home” to provide free housing for young adult cancer patients, and their caregivers, in East Baltimore. 

Your donation will help make these programs and our mission possible!