CNN iReport

As we go through life, we meet many people and come across many causes.  Some stand out more than others and then, there are those few who really garner your attention.  They are driven to make a positive change in the world.  Recently, I met two parents, Jo Ann Thrailkill and Jeff Castelaz, who are working to make such a change.

I met Jo Ann and Jeff in New Orleans while Jeff was taking a short break from his bicycle ride across America for "Pablove Across America".  Less than 4 months ago, on June 27th, Jo Ann and Jeff lost their six year old son, Pablo, to bilateral Wilm's Tumor (a rare form of children's cancer).  Pablo battled the cancer for almost thirteen months while undergoing treatment at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

The Pablove Foundation was created to improve the lives of children with cancer, both at the local level at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and at the national level.  To help raise awareness of the Pablove Foundation and the mission, Jeff and a team of riders have embarked upon a ride across America and which they plan to be an annual event.  The ride began on October 10th along the eastern coast of Florida in St. Augustine and will end on November 21st in Los Angeles at the gravesite of Pablo.  Along the way, the ride will include benefits and stops at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Phoenix Children's Hospital and Lance Armstrong will ride with the team while in Austin.  Following the coast to coast ride, a celebration, fund raiser and concert are planned in LA at Griffith Park and The Avalon.

Jeff and I had a nice visit while sitting on the porch of his friends home in Uptown New Orleans.  It was the kind of talk you have with someone you have known for years, not someone you met just minutes before.  At times, our conversation was an interview and often it felt more like two fathers talking about their children.  We talked of Pablo, the ride, his vision for the foundation, the importance of supporting others with cancer, we talked about family and God.

We talked about the ride itself and how he was handling it both physically and emotionally.  Already an avid cyclist, Jeff doesn't find the 100 miles a day to be physically taxing.  From an emotional standpoint, he said he was handling it well and that it was therapeutic.  At times, he said he would begin to cry for no known reason, but would feel better afterwards.  He spoke of the waves and honks of the horn in support of the ride as he passed people along the route and backroads.  He beamed with pride when he mentioned seeing a Pablove Foundation bumper sticker on a car in New Orleans and knowing that the word is getting out.

In talking with Jeff, he strongly believes that "It matters to get involved".  That's a big part of the foundation and his ride to promote it.  He believes strongly in making a difference with children who have cancer and how the children who beat cancer can go on an do great things for a lifetime.

As part of the "Ride Across America", Jeff makes daily and nightly video dedications to those who are fighting cancer, survivors and to the angels (those who have lost their battle).  Each video has the personal touch of being dedicated to a specific child.

Those dedications may be seen at http://getwellpablo.blogspot.com//

While Jeff and I sat on the porch, sunlight beamed down through the large oak trees and rested on Jeff's shoulder and the side of his face.  I took a lot of pictures of Jeff that day, but I kept being drawn back to the pictures I took on the porch.  Perhaps Jeff felt the warmth of that light, but I know that in his mission of the Pablove Foundation, he is not riding away from anything that he is doing.  He is riding towards that light and touching lives just as Pablo did for the six years he was on earth.

Note:  If you would like to know more about the Pablove Foundation, visit http://pablove.org/   You are also encouraged to visit them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pablovefoundation