Why We’re Riding

In my early 40s, I was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. Those two words changed everything, not only about my health, but about how deeply our lives are connected to the planet we depend on.

We are not separate from the natural world. We are made of it. When ecosystems are disrupted when toxins enter our soil, water, and air, the consequences eventually show up in our bodies.

My diagnosis made that connection impossible to ignore.

Valerie stood beside me through every step of that journey. As a reconstructive plastic surgeon who has dedicated her career to reconstruction, she has guided hundreds of women through some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. She understands, perhaps better than anyone, what survival truly costs.

So when I asked her to ride 150 kilometers through the Serengeti with me in the Wagora Bike Ride, she didn’t hesitate.

We are riding in memory of Kitaboka Wagora, a courageous anti-poaching ranger with the Grumeti Fund who gave his life protecting wildlife and the wild places we all share.

His story and ours are more connected than they might first appear. The destruction of wild ecosystems, through poaching, habitat loss, and environmental degradation does not stay in the wilderness. It travels through our food systems, our water, and ultimately our bodies. Protecting the Serengeti is not separate from protecting human health. In many ways, it is the same fight.

The Grumeti Fund does this work every day alongside rangers who risk everything to protect one of the last great ecosystems on Earth.

We ride because we survived.

Because Kitaboka Wagora did not.

And because I carry with me the gift of Robert, an organ donor whose generosity lives in every mile I ride.

For the women who have suffered.

For the men who love them fiercely.

For those who stand guard over the wild.

And because the Earth, like the human body deserves every fierce effort to protect it.

Where Your Support Goes

Your contribution directly supports the Grumeti Fund, a leading conservation organization working to protect the Serengeti ecosystem through anti-poaching patrols, ranger training and support, wildlife protection and habitat restoration, and community programs that create sustainable, long-term conservation impact.

This ride honors Wagora by continuing the work he died protecting safeguarding wildlife, preserving ecosystems, and ensuring the Serengeti thrives for generations to come, as well as research and educations for young women.

Join Us

My experience with environmental cancer opened my eyes to how urgently we need to protect the world around us. This ride is my commitment to that work — for Wagora, for the Serengeti, and for all of us who depend on a healthy planet.

Every dollar protects the wild spaces that protect us all.