Northbrook Native Biking 4,000 Miles For Cancer Research

A Northbrook native is honoring the memory of his next-door neighbor by participating in a 70-day, 4,000-mile for cancer research - according to the Northbrook Star.

Shawn Killian is be part of the Texas 4000, a journey of more than 4,000 miles from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska completed by students at the University of Texas, where Killian is currently studying. He will do it in honor of Linzey Wilson, his neighbor who died of a brain tumor in 2007.

“She (Linzey) had a brain tumor wrapped around her brain stem,” he explained. “The reason I ride is for her. She fought 10 years with it and she just kept on fighting,” he said, noting his grandfather was also recently diagnosed.

Killian, a 2014 Glenbrook North grad, hosted the team at his family’s Northbrook home in late June as they stopped through the Chicago area.

“It was neat to have my family meet the team,” said Killian, adding that his neighbors helped with providing the 27 guests with a place to stay. “They were gracious enough to offer up their living room.”

Killian and his team stay at recreational centers, campgrounds or at the homes of host families. The journey is made up of three routes, one that travels through the Ozarks and the Midwest, one that bikes along the Rocky Mountains and one that journeys along the west coast.

more via the Northbrook Star