"As everybody lives their lives, we each come across experiences that sear a set number in our minds forever.  A date.  August 7,2011 is the date that scarred within the plaza of my mind.  My life was drastically altered never to be the same again.  The horrific disease we have all become too familiar with, cancer, selfishly took the life of my uncle.  The demon of the disease shattered and stole the fragments of a part of me that can never be replaced.  Cancer does not affect only one individual but rather it is like a pebble thrown into a pond, its ripple encompassing all those who surround the victim.  These are the reasons that will motivate my legs through every pedal, every mile and every state."

"Recently, I became a part of the 2015 Texas 4000 for Cancer ride team.  We consist of a group of approximately ninety UT undergraduate and graduate students with a passion for fighting cancer through spreading hope, knowledge and charity.  Next summer, my teammates and I will embark on the twelfth annual 4,500-mile journey across North America in hopes of inspiring communities from all across the country to join us in the battle against cancer.  Starting on May 2015, we will ride our bikes from The University of Texas at Austin to Anchorage, Alaska.  This is the longest charity bike ride in the world (More than twice the distance of the Tour de France!), and will take 70 days to complete.  Along the way, we will stop in communities to present cancer awareness programs in an effort to educate people on cancer prevention and early detection.  Our goals and wishes are to inspire hope among those personally suffering from the disease and to raise awareness by sharing our stories and zeal."

Esquivel is the daughter of Eagle Pass Independent School District Police Chief Eduardo Esquivel, whose brother Elias lost his battle with the disease in 2011 and who will accompany Alyssa on the first 40 miles of her trek next year.

Check out Thursday's edition of your Eagle Pass News Gram for more of this compelling and courageous endeavor that Esquivel and her colleagues will undertake next year.