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Contribute
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If you are interested in contributing to our cause on my behalf, please click here.
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Professional Background:
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I have been a programmer at the UC Davis Medical Center for the past 23 years. My main focus at the Cancer
Center has been to develop a website for cancer researchers to provide access to our shared resources. To
date, this application automates many aspects of the Cancer Center services which include the ability to
track grant utilization, lab equipment utilization, gene expression analysis and testing, clinical trials
patients, and requests for specimens in the specimen repository freezer. Animal imaging, biostatistics,
mouse biology, and pharmacokinetics resources are slated for the near future.
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Family and Personal Background:
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I have been married to my wife Marcia for 23 years and we have a daughter Lea, 18, who is a freshman in college.
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I am a Sacramento native, and have lived here my entire life. I’ve seen Sacramento grow from a small town hosting
a state fair to a sprawling metropolis with its own professional basketball team. Sacramento has always been a
wonderful place to live because of its four seasons and proximity to the mountains and ocean.
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I am half Armenian on my mother’s side and love the culture, large family gatherings and exposure to its foods.
I have inherited the cooking gene from my mother and grandmother, and enjoy making ethnic foods. I especially
like making Shish Kebab and rice pilaf and would enjoy sharing my recipes.
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Athletic Background:
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I have loved sports my entire life. I started skiing when I was 7 years old. When I was 9 my parents put my sister
and me in a ski program through a local ski shop. We got in a lot of skiing practice during weekend bus trips
to the Sierra. I was president of our high school ski club. Skiing evolved to high school trips and on to becoming
a PSIA certified ski instructor during college. I have taught downhill skiing continuously for the past 25 years
at resorts like Squaw and Alpine Meadows. The commitment to teaching has helped me to stay fit aerobically, and
to stay at the top as a skier as well.
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As a kid, I never considered cycling as a sport until one day I signed-up for a 500 mile cycling adventure to
raise money for the American Lung Association. Despite having no previous experience with long rides, during
the trip from Truckee, California to Bend, Oregon, I found a true passion for cycling. Almost overnight I became
a serious recreational cyclist, which grew into training and riding centuries and an occasional double-century
as well as organizing charitable rides. My wife and I have logged many miles on a tandem with our daughter in tow.
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Why are you involved in Team Donate Life?
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I have always been a strong advocate for fitness though sports. What better way then to join a team with such
an important mission; donor awareness and saving lives? Through contact with the transplant physicians, I have
become inspired to join this cause. Personally, the bonding that comes from training together has enabled me
to push myself to new limits.
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Although RAAM is a completely new challenge for me from riding centuries, I’m excited to see how far I can
push myself and how strong I will become in the process.
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I'm riding in honor of Bob
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Please take a minute to read Bob's story. This is truely a remarkable person that I'm
honored to be riding for.
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