I am grateful.

 

In May of 2023, on my 24th birthday, I went in for a routine MRI on what I assumed was a groin injury I suffered playing pickup basketball.

 

A very long story short, I was diagnosed with a rare type of late-stage cancer called clear cell sarcoma.

 

I won't bore you with the details, but my medical team at Memorial Sloan Kettering sprang into action making countless decisions regarding my health and my treatment plan. My treatment has varied from immunotherapy to radiation therapy, to chemotherapy, to finally a combo of all three.

 

It is Time to Compete.

 

I wrote this simple phrase on Instagram with the intention of letting everyone know that I was ready to fight this, to battle, to compete.

 

This phrase was meant for me, but what I didn't expect was that it was also a rallying cry to my community, friends, family, and even strangers - many who leapt into action providing me with so many tangible and intangible things.

 

I am lucky.

 

It is a peculiar phrase to say given the circumstances, yet I often find myself thinking about how lucky I am. Lucky that I have amazing teams of support around me, lucky that I have an entire town willing to drop everything for me, lucky that my company has been supporting me every step of the way, and lucky that my family has the financial resources to support me through this. I am lucky.

 

My hope with this new charity of ours is to help those in situations similar to mine (young adults with late-stage cancer) who aren’t so lucky.

 

Time to Compete hopes to provide support to young adults who are diagnosed. We hope to provide support for the families that have to deal with the repercussions of a diagnosis. We hope to build a network of support that makes Time to Compete bigger than just me, and my diagnosis.

 

We have a lot of cool things planned and I am excited to see this project develop and make a difference in other people’s lives.

 

For everyone that has been there for me and my family.

 

I am grateful.

 

Gibson