Donor Spotlight: My Mom

Me and Mama B on Flathead Lake

Last week my mom celebrated her birthday, sort of. She was born on Leap Day, so she doesn’t have an exact day to celebrate her birthday this year. I remember the year I turned 12 and called myself “older” than my mom, because she had only had 11 birthdays up to that point. The odds of being born on a Leap Day are slim – 1 in 1,461 – but my mom is more like one in a million. She also recently donated to my Bike & Build cause and pushed me up and over the $3,000 mark.

It’s no surprise that my mom is my number one supporter in just about everything. I remember her being at every brutally hot soccer game, every tear-filled swim meet, every boring tennis match, cheering from the sidelines and just as happy to be there watching as I was to be competing (that is, unless I was losing). She even did a cartwheel in the middle of the field when my college ultimate Frisbee team came back from an 8 point deficit to win the game to go to Regionals my senior year. I remember my teammates asking me in disbelief, “Did your mom just do a cartwheel?!” Anyone who can tolerate that many second-rate athletic events deserves some recognition.

Taken about the time I turned "older" than my mom

When I proposed my original plan to bike across the country and asked my parents to tag along as a support wagon, she was a little hesitant but didn’t discount my dream. Once I got on board with Bike & Build, her first reaction was, “So you mean we don’t have to go any more?” with a sigh of relief. She would have supported me along my journey if needed and is still pushing me closer towards it, just gratefully not from behind the wheel of a support vehicle. So here’s to my biggest fan, my role model, my one-in-a-million mom. Thank you for being there to support me every step of the way.