Battle Cancer Challenge: Team HardyStrong

Hi, my name is David Windley, and Emily Kaufman and I are raising money as a part of the Battle Cancer Challenge taking place in Cookeville, TN in November. Battle Cancer is an organization that hosts fundraising fitness challenges around the world where participants can raise money for cancer charities close to their hearts. ALL DONATIONS WILL GO DIRECTLY TO THE HARDYSTRONG FOUNDATION.

For those of you who do not know Emily and I, we both are graduates of Washington University in St. Louis where we met Justin Hardy. I had the privilege of being his roommate and teammate, and both of us were lucky enough to call him a very close friend. Justin was diagnosed with stomach cancer in April 2021, and after one of the most tenacious, courageous, and inspiring fights I will ever see, Justin passed away in May 2022.

Justin knew that the world was not well-equipped enough to give him a fair fight against his cancer. For that reason, one of the last things he did, with the help of his family, was to start the HardyStrong Foundation. The foundation was created to raise awareness for hereditary diffuse gastric cancer, provide resources that improve access to genetic testing for cancer risk, and honor Justin's legacy by awarding scholarships to exemplary scholar-athletes.

I highly encourage anyone who has not heard Justin's story to watch the ESPN SC Featured piece chronicling Justin and his resilience to play his final college basketball season while undergoing chemotherapy treatments and fighting cancer (link below).