My name is Farin and I'm organizing this GoFundMe for my dad's 2,591-mile bike ride across America, which will benefit the Oncology program at Valley Children's Hospital in Maderal, CA.

In Spring 2023 my dad, Alan, will ride from Huntington Beach, California, to Jacksonville Beach, Florida, to raise money and awareness for the oncology program where my son has been treated for the past 16 months.

When my son Isaac was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia last year at the age of 8, it came as a huge shock.

My son was a really healthy, really active kiddo, so when he had a few extra bruises on his arms and legs I didn’t think much of it. It was summertime, so we had been paddle boarding, swimming in different lakes, playing basketball and soccer, riding bikes, running around. Of course he was going to have some bumps and scrapes here and there. But then he also had some swelling on one side of his neck, and on August 10, 2021, he suddenly became lethargic and weak. I took him to the ER at Valley Children’s and within a couple of hours I had the ER doctor breaking the news to me: Isaac has leukemia, a blood cancer.

We were admitted into Craycroft, the oncology unit at Valley Children’s. The next day, my son had surgery to install at Medi-port in his chest, he got his first dose of chemo through a spinal tap, and he had bone marrow extracted for testing.

Over the next eight days, my son received five more chemo treatments and three infusions of platelets.

We were finally released from the hospital, but continued to return to the Oncology clinic at Valley Children's twice a week, then weekly, then twice a month, and now monthly for chemotherapy. Isaac, now 10, is in remission but must continue chemotherapy until at least August 2023.

Isaac has ended up in Craycroft (in-patient) several times throughout treatment when the cancer and chemo rendered him too sick to be at home.

Everyone in Craycroft and the Oncology Clinic has treated Isaac with such loving kindness and care and made him feel comfortable in even the toughest moments. We are on a first-name basis with all of the doctors, nurses, and nurse practitioners, so going to the clinic for chemo isn't a scary thing anymore. Isaac has his favorite infusion chair in the back room, and we even look forward to our favorite snacks and the glittering star lights on the ceiling in Craycroft if we happen to be admitted for in-patient care.

I'm beyond grateful that my dad is going to dedicate this epic ride to Isaac and help support the Oncology department at Valley Children's, which has done so much over the last 16 months to help us.

With the money raised through GoFundMe, my dad will donate 75% to Valley Children's and 25% will help defray some of the cost associated with the journey.

During the ride, Valley Children's will partner with the media and my dad to encourage fundraising that will directly benefit the Oncology program. This GoFundMe is a pre-fundraiser to help with that fundraising goal :)

We appreciate all of your support!