I will participate in Hope NYC XII on November 14th, 2024 to honor my cousin and grandfather.

Their courageous fight against cancer fundamentally shaped who I am and how I view the world. Boxing provided an outlet for me to cope and process these challenges. Every workout, every round, every punch will have one goal and one goal only: To honor their legacy.

Join me on this journey as I push myself every day to honor my grandfather, cousin, and every brave warrior who fought cancer in the ring. With your generous donations, we can make a meaningful impact in this battle against cancer. 100% of the donations will go towards the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) - the world's largest voluntary (nonprofit) health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services.

Together, we can envision a future where a cancer diagnosis is no longer a life-threatening sentence, but a condition that can be swiftly and effectively treated. Join me in this fight to improve our world and eradicate cancer from our lives for good! Donate here, and let’s punch cancer in the face!

About me:
I was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. I was fortunate to have a loving childhood surrounded by role models every step of the way, among them my maternal grandfather and older cousin (really more like my older brother). Three days after my 13th birthday, I moved with my parents and three younger brothers to The Woodlands,Texas. It was my first time leaving my home country, marking the beginning of a new chapter. I didn't speak any English and knew no one, but I had the unwavering support of my parents, brothers, and family back in Colombia. Fast forward years later, as a proud alum of the University of Texas at Austin (hook 'em,) I started my finance career in Austin, TX and eventually moved to New York City.

Three months after moving to the U.S., my grandfather ended his fight against a brain tumor. I remember our phone conversation a few weeks before his passing, where he told me to "make sure to do well in school and listen to your mom". My cousin bravely fought leukemia until March 19th, 2020. Even during his toughest moments, a few weeks prior, he picked up the phone to wish me a "Happy birthday, bro".

I fight for my grandfather, my cousin, and all of the friends and relatives my Hope NYC peers are fighting for, who bravely battled cancer. I will train for the next four months in their honor because that is what they would want us to do: to enjoy life to the fullest every single minute we get.

About Haymakers For Hope:
We give everyday men and women the opportunity to fight back against this terrible disease by training for, and competing in charity boxing events to raise money and awareness. To prepare for each event, we combine the efforts of the first time amateur boxing participants, local boxing gyms and volunteers. We hope to help give life saving researchers the resources needed to fully focus their efforts on finding a cure.