Of the over 15,000 children diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States, one in seven will not survive. We’re honored to have fought alongside so many of these children and their families, who selflessly shared their stories with us right up until the end.
Each of the children honored here served as Great Cycle Challenge ambassadors, sharing their stories with Great Cycle Challenge riders and inspiring thousands of people around the world to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer research. We honor their memory by committing ourselves to the cause and sharing their stories - because their lives, cut too short by cancer, mattered greatly.
To the families and loved ones of these children - thank you for sharing your child’s light with the GCC community. Their legacies will live on in our hearts and minds.
Ashlyne Thurber, 2015 Ambassador
May 24, 2004 - May 19, 2015
Ashlyne, a dancer and cheerleader, loved spending time with her parents, aunt, and all the kids in her big family. She was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma when she was visiting her dad in Minnesota and had to begin treatment there instead of returning home to California. She inspired people all over the country to follow her story and help her fight cancer in various ways - police officers in her dad’s town even helped her “arrest” cancer with her own set of pink handcuffs. The GCC team created in Ashlyne’s honor, Ashlyne’s Army, rode nearly 100,000 miles and raised more than $200,000 in the month after her passing in May 2015 at just 10 years old.
"When we started our fight, the phrase, ‘Go big or go home’ got us through many hard times. I was honored when approached about Ashlyne being an ambassador for the GCC. As the challenge progressed I was in disbelief that so much was being raised in her name. Knowing how many people fought personally with their own challenges to help children who are dying means more than anything. Losing my daughter to cancer has been more than I can bear some days but it helps knowing Ashlyne's legacy is far from over. She will always be my hero and reason to keep fighting.” - Jessica, Ashlyne’s mom
Landon LaVallie, 2015 Ambassador
March 15, 2010 - June 1, 2015
Landon will always be remembered for his passion for cars and his stuffed puppy, Lola. When he wasn’t in the hospital fighting hepatoblastoma, he loved playing with his four brothers, sleeping over at his grandma’s house, and spending time with friends and family.
His wide smile and contagious giggle tugged the heartstrings of the thousands of riders who followed his story and rode in his honor while Landon was a GCC ambassador. His brothers, parents, grandparents and friends miss him dearly and are forever changed by knowing Landon.
Callie Cavanaugh, 2017 Ambassador
December 1, 2008 - April 7, 2018
In Callie’s nine years, she touched more lives than her family could ever have imagined. Diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma in 2015, Callie and her family decided not only to fight Callie’s cancer, but to be advocates for childhood cancer research. She motivated GCC riders to pedal thousands of miles and raise millions of dollars that will someday lead to a future where kids like Callie will no longer lose their lives to cancer. When it became clear that Callie’s cancer treatments were not working, GCC riders who had followed Callie’s journey sent over a thousand cards to Callie and her family, telling her what an inspiration she had been to everyone who was touched by her strength and story.
"Your ongoing support and prayers for Callie mean more than you can ever know. I love my little fighter more than words can describe. I will miss every inch of her." - Michelle, Callie’s mom
Kendal Breyfogle, 2017 Ambassador
May 1, 2016 - September 7, 2017
Kendal and her identical twin sister, Kenedi, were both diagnosed with leukemia at just three months old in 2015. Kendal and Kenedi endured the same cancer treatments and a 129-day hospital stay together and were happy and healthy for just over a year when Kendal’s leukemia came back. Her family knew that the odds of Kendal going back into remission were slim, so they took their family on a memorable adventure to Disney World before starting Kendal on a new drug - her last chance to beat leukemia.
Ultimately, Kendal’s cancer proved to be too smart for the drugs and she passed away on September 7, 2017. Her parents, Abby and Aaron, remain dedicated to raising funds and awareness for childhood cancer research. They use their story as parents to a child lost to cancer and a cancer survivor to connect to other parents on their childhood cancer journey.
Nathalia Hawley, 2018 Ambassador
December 13, 2003 - April 19, 2019
Nathalia, or “Nat” to those who knew her best, never missed an opportunity to give back during her cancer journey. During her time as a GCC ambassador, Nat asked riders across the country to donate art supplies to local hospitals in her name, to bring smiles to the faces of other kids like her. She preferred to talk about her cancer not as a fight, but as a journey, and she used her story to make that journey easier for every other child with cancer. She inspired riders to raise over $1 million for osteosarcoma research, which is already yielding important discoveries. In the final months of her life, she shared her cancer experience widely, all to make things better for other kids.
“She told me if she passed, that she hoped in some way, she would still be able to help raise awareness and help others who were in the same situation she was in.” - Katy, Nat’s mom
Aric Ferlaak, 2018 Ambassador
September 16, 2015 - September 6, 2018
Aric, a lively toddler who loved to follow his big brothers everywhere, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in April 2017 at just 15 months old. He underwent multiple brain surgeries, rounds of chemo, and weeks of proton radiation. But in 2018, Aric’s fast-growing tumor proved to be more than today’s treatments could beat. His family resolved to make the rest of Aric’s time as comfortable and full of love as possible. The weekend before Aric died, his parents, brothers, family and friends gathered for a backyard birthday party, complete with a bouncy house and balloon animals. Just 10 days before his third birthday, Aric passed away. Each year, his parents, Tom and Jessica, watch the GCC billboard in Times Square to see Aric’s picture and remember the impact their son had on the world in his too-short life.
“As a parent of a child with cancer, there is nothing I want more than a cure for other children fighting cancer. Being a cancer father took me out of the back seat and got me trying to do anything I can to push for a cure.” - Tom Ferlaak, Aric’s dad
Your story matters.
Stories have the power to create change. If you’re interested in learning how to share your child’s cancer story with the Great Cycle Challenge and Children’s Cancer Research Fund communities, please reach out to Lisa Allie at lallie@childrenscancer.org.