Profile

About: My name is David McCarty and I'm a Senior studying Quantitative Finance and Business Honors. I grew up in Fort Worth and have loved my time in Austin so far. On campus I am an active member of Beta Upsilon Chi and Texas Silver Spurs. I love getting outside to hike, fly fish, and backpack. I am excited to join the fight against cancer and for the journey to Alaska.

Why I Ride

During November of my Freshman year my dad was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He had missed work for the several weeks prior because of a long list of bizarre symptoms and we were convinced it was an infectious disease of some sort. I remember when he was diagnosed, I felt absolutely crushed by the weight of my world that was falling on me. His treatment ran from November 2016 to early June 2017. Each round of chemo and the subsequent news that it was becoming less effective forced me to readjust my hopes and expectations. He had to Skype in to our family Thanksgiving from his room at MD Anderson, but luckily was able to make the trip home for Christmas. After a hard-fought battle, he decided to spend his last weeks at our home in Fort Worth where he was able to see friends, offer advice, and be with my mom Karen, my brother Stephen, and me.
During his sickness, our relationship changed from father-son to just friends. My faith has been the sustaining force for me during this journey. Because of it, I was able to see and appreciate the beautiful moments during so many of the hard ones.
I look forward to meeting people along the journey with T4K and hearing their stories and sharing in their hope. I hope to heal with my teammates and the friends we meet. I ride for my dad. I ride for Ken McCarty.