3/2026: Wheels Newletter
Wheels 2026: Celebrating Survivors!
Hi Amy,
This month we’re celebrating Superhero Drake! He turned 5 years old today, March 8! The picture above is his team from last year. Read his story toward the end of this email.
As you know if you’ve been reading the newsletters, 2026 is about celebrating our survivors! We are collecting survivor stories and will include them in future newsletters. Please send your stories to me, Amy Goodner, by replying to this email!
WOJ Leadership
With Amber stepping away from her leadership position, we are working to establish a leadership board and spread some of the work. During this transition, we are running into hurdles and bumps so please be patient with us. If you are interested in getting more involved, please reach out with an email to me, Amy Goodner. Click Here to learn about volunteering for Wheels.
We will share our current status and openings during the WOJ Kickoff on 4/22.
Training Rides
We are in process of defining the training rides for this season. We’ll be sending out information as soon as rides are confirmed.
Upcoming Dates
WOJ Kick-Off Party! Wednesday April 22
5-7 pm at Children’s Hospital.
Join us for our annual party to kick start the riding and fundraising season. Dinner & Drinks will be provided! Please reach out if you can help by volunteering for set-up, coordinating during the event or clean-up.
This is a fun event that will get us excited for the Courage Classic and remind us of why we ride and raise $.
Flamingo Party, Sunday, April 26,
12 - 5pm: Flamingo Decorating Party for Children's Hospital | Facebook
This is a fundraiser put on by partner team, Kick Cancer’s Ass.
Sign up for the Courage Classic - either to WOJ or a Partner team!
July 18-19, 2026 Copper Mountain, Colorado
Courage Classic | Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation
Survivor Stories
Drake
Our son Drake Bockmann was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at six weeks old in April 2021 and his roadmap for treatment led to a stem cell transplant at 7 months old. On March 8 after many years of living life “one day at a time” we will celebrate this spirit filled wonder boy’s 5th birthday under our own roof with Drake thriving in remission. Who are we kidding, everyday waking up with us all under one roof is celebrated. Drake did not get here alone and sharing Drake’s story of survivorship aligns with our mission to spread hope.
We arrived at the ER of Children’s Hospital after dropping Drake’s brothers off at their Aunt Becky’s who by the grace of God happened to be home that day from work. We did not anticipate the diagnosis to come and were side blinded by the admission directly to the Oncology department later that night to begin treatment. Aunt Ali packed a bag and hit the road on an eight hour drive from Omaha to be here for our kids the moment we called her as we were heading to the ER. At that time, Drake’s brothers Theo and Mack were 5 years old and a few days shy of 2 years old. Covid-19 pandemic restrictions were still in place at the hospital and as a result his brothers were not allowed to visit. To help maintain some semblance of normalcy immediately after diagnosis their Grandma (“Mimi”) and Grandpa moved from Omaha, Nebraska to live with us and support in ways we could not even communicate.
Explaining to Drake’s young brothers their newborn baby’s cancer diagnosis and our prolonged separation as a family was something we just were not prepared to navigate. We told them baby Drake had super powers that were under investigation which is why we had to be apart. We printed pictures of Theo, Mack and Drake superimposed on superman bodies and told them they were just as strong and courageous. We had the pictures hanging at home and in Drake’s hospital room. We started calling Drake “Super Baby Drake.”
We struggle putting into writing the ugliness of what Drake has endured to be here. We knew nothing about AML and Children’s hospital begrudgingly became our 2nd home. The words bone marrow transplant sounded like a crazy sci-fi movie if we were lucky enough to get to that point. All of this gave us an entire new meaning to when life brings you to your knees. We went through the motions of having everyone swabbed to see if they would be a bone marrow match for Drake. None of us matched but thankfully the registry offered matches all over the world.
Drake received his stem cell transplant on Oct 19, 2021. His stem cells came from an umbilical cord in South Carolina as Dr.Keating felt it was the best option without anything getting caught up during transport in the midst of the pandemic. On Drake’s transplant day his Grandpa shared that the state motto for South Carolina is “While I breathe, I hope” Drake’s survivorship journey has been a road of hope- one day at a time and praying for strength for each day. The small day to day moments keep us all grateful, humbled and a sense of responsibility to use our gifts to help create a world where cancer no longer exists.
In January Drake had his first appointment at the HOPE survivorship clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado. This milestone in his survivorship journey we do not take for granted.
We will never forget the hope offered by Drake’s providers at Children’s. From Dr. Green saying the name Drake had a superhero ring to it. Dr. Gore shocked everyone with her optimistic engraftment day prediction. Psychologist Bob Casey gave us tools to navigate the mental health struggles we still utilize today. Even nurses like Katie having a custom “Super Drake” cake decorated on the day he rang the bell or the ones who kindly paused to grab the special adhesive remover for a little more comfort during dressing changes.
Two of the most impactful stories for us came from the survivors who were providers on the 7th floor. Olivia gave us advice to not think of the length of time of the journey ahead but shared the wisdom her Mom gave her that you just wake up and ask for strength for the day and one day at a time the strength shows up. Brandon Nuechterlein, a young dude wearing combat boots and wild hair we could not believe was old enough to care for our Drake. After learning Brandon was a survivor, catching glimpses of him was like a breath of hope when stuck living on the 7th floor. Brandon was leaving one night and mentioned he was heading to the Courage Classic and paused on his way out to say “I can’t wait to see Drake ride in it one day.” When Brandon left the room we had tears of hope in our eyes that we too could not wait to see that vision play out for our son Drake.
The next summer Drake’s Aunt Devon and Uncle Bear kicked off team “Super Drake”, a partner to our family of warriors on Wheels of Justice. We dressed Drake in a baby tuxedo and drove to Copper to cheer them on. Drake spent most of the few hours we were there asleep in his stroller with the plastic covering in tow as he was still very immunocompromised.
This summer Drake, now 5, will be riding again in the 2nd annual Courage Cruise with a crew of his brothers, cousins, family and friends- old and new.
Drake’s story is one of hope because he is here today as a result of the decades of perseverance and supported research from people like you have worked towards. The money raised by Wheels at the Courage Classic and the awareness the event brings supports so many reasons Drake has a future. Advancing cancer treatment outcomes, giving families hope, and not settling for less than the eradication of cancer.
It is an honor to be there in the support of the warriors' lives lost and survivors dealing with life long effects of current treatments.
We unite and we demand better for the future. You make a difference and we are proud to be a part of the Wheels of Justice team. When we see Drake in those finish line photos we are filled with support in his survivorship and with the hope for his future. One day at a time.
