Last year, I rode Pablove Across America for the first time. I signed up not knowing exactly what I was getting into, only that the cause moved me enough to say yes. I'm back this year because once you've done this ride, not coming back stops being an option.

In my work as a criminal defense attorney and in my years as a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, I've made a kind of peace with being uncomfortable. Long hours, mental strain, high stakes — I chose those fights, and I've learned how to navigate them. But none of it compares to what a family carries when their child is diagnosed with cancer. That's a fight no one signs up for, and it's the reason I keep riding.

This year, Pablove Across America comes to wherever you are: riders log miles all month long, on their own roads, throughout Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. My goal is 1,000 kilometers in September. Every one of them goes to The Pablove Foundation, which powers cutting-edge pediatric cancer research and brings arts programs to kids living with cancer — healing for the body and for the spirit.

The need is real: childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in American kids, yet only about four cents of every federal cancer research dollar goes toward fighting it.

I used to ride to clear my head. Now I ride with a name on every mile — for the kids in treatment right now, for the families sitting in waiting rooms, and for a foundation working to give them more good days. One thousand kilometers, logged wherever the road takes me. The bike is the same. The reason is bigger.

Riding that distance is a real commitment, physically, personally, and professionally. So I'm asking you to step a little outside your own comfort zone too. If you're able, please make a donation in support of those 1,000 kilometers. Whatever you give goes straight to the work, and it goes further than you'd think.

Thank you for reading, and for helping me turn something I love into something that matters.

With gratitude,

Stephen