Tricia Maybaum
Hometown: Palos Park, IL
University: University of Illinois
Major: Special Education
BIOGRAPHY
Hi! My name is Tricia Maybaum and I am a junior at the University of Illinois. I am studying special education and I hope to teach life skills to high school students once I finish school. I am from Palos Park, Illinois and have two brothers and a wonderful Golden Retriever named Brooke. I love spending time in nature, I love animals, and my biggest passion is for sports. I was involved with sports my whole life- volleyball will always be my favorite. I played volleyball for my high school, Carl Sandburg High School, and for two different club teams between eighth grade and senior year. In addition, during my freshman year at Sandburg I decided to quit softball and pick up badminton in the spring. I continued to play through my senior year; however my season came to an end when I tore my left ACL at the end of April. That summer I got surgery and rehabbed my knee all winter, however, the following April while playing volleyball I re-tore my left ACL. I got surgery again that summer and rehabbed it until the next April because I then unfortunately tore my left hip labrum while running. These injuries have forced me to quit all high-impact sports and running, which is why I am excited to now be able to focus all my energy on biking. I believe there is a positive in everything, and although these injuries have been difficult to deal with mentally and physically, they helped me find and become a part of this great organization. I am extremely excited to see what Illini 4000 has in store for me, and to be able to fight the war against cancer at the same time!
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Everyone has been affected by cancer whether it has been directly or indirectly. I will not just ride for those who I personally know that have battled cancer, but rather I will ride for every cancer patient, survivor, and victim. Cancer is not about to go away on its own, but through the collective effort of people donating their time and/or money I believe it can, and will, be defeated. This summer, I will ride to remind all of America that there is a voice and story to be heard behind anyone who has been labeled as having or had cancer. These individuals need to be seen and recognized for who they are, and not just be given a title according to the type of cancer that they have faced. These two dimensional labels do not do a person justice because every cancer patient and survivor is so much more than their disease. They each are a mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, or uncle among many other roles and they deserve to be recognized for it. I will ride to help expose these stories, and spread the message that each person and the experiences they carry with them are larger than the cancer that they are fighting or have fought.