Two Survivors. One Mission. One Final Leg.

Gabe Tesch and Jaclyn Murphy Share a Powerful Journey from Las Vegas to Santa Monica During the Great American Road Rally

The final leg of the Great American Road Rally was always meant to be special. But when Gabe Tesch climbed into the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Tahoe alongside Jaclyn Murphy for the journey from Las Vegas to Santa Monica, California, it became something much bigger than the final miles of Route 66.

Inside that Tahoe were two pediatric cancer survivors whose lives had taken very different paths—but who shared an understanding few people ever will.

For Gabe, participating in the Great American Road Rally was personal.

At just 11 years old, Gabe was diagnosed with cancer. Instead of spending those childhood years only thinking about school, friends and sports, he faced surgeries, treatments and the uncertainty that comes with a cancer diagnosis.

He survived.

Today, Gabe is 23 years old and pursuing his passion for motorsports, with aspirations of building a career in sports car racing. But during the Great American Road Rally, racing took a back seat to something far more important.

He had an opportunity to use his story to give hope to children who are fighting the same battle he once fought.

Riding Alongside the Girl Who Inspired a Movement

Sitting beside Gabe for the final leg was Jaclyn Murphy, the young woman whose own battle with pediatric cancer inspired the creation of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.

Jaclyn was just nine years old when she was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. During her battle, becoming connected with a college lacrosse team showed her family just how powerful it could be for a child fighting cancer to feel like they belonged to something bigger than their illness.

That experience ultimately inspired the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation and its mission of pairing children battling pediatric cancer and other serious illnesses with athletic teams, clubs and communities.

Years later, Jaclyn and Gabe found themselves together in the FOJ Tahoe.

Two survivors.

Two very different stories.

One shared mission.

And nearly 300 miles of Route 66 ahead of them.

More Than a Drive to Santa Monica

The Great American Road Rally traveled from Chicago to Santa Monica with celebrities, athletes, racecar drivers and supporters coming together to raise awareness and support for children battling pediatric cancer.

Throughout the journey, the Rally showcased what Friends of Jaclyn is really about: relationships.

For Gabe, the experience also represented something children currently undergoing treatment desperately need to see—the possibility of what comes next.

The 11-year-old boy who once battled cancer is now a 23-year-old racecar driver chasing his dreams.

The nine-year-old girl whose cancer diagnosis changed her family's life helped inspire an organization that has gone on to change the lives of children and families across the country.

And on the final leg of GARR, those two stories came together.

There is something incredibly fitting about that happening on Route 66.

The road behind them represented where they had been.

The road ahead represented everything still possible.

The Finish Line Wasn't the End

When Gabe and Jaclyn reached Santa Monica, they weren't simply completing another leg of the Great American Road Rally.

They were completing a journey that began thousands of miles earlier in Chicago—and, in many ways, journeys that began years earlier in hospital rooms.

Their presence in that Tahoe delivered a message more powerful than any statistic about pediatric cancer ever could:

There is life beyond the diagnosis. There are dreams still worth chasing. And no child should have to make that journey alone.

That's what Friends of Jaclyn represents.

And that's what made the final leg of the Great American Road Rally so much more than a drive from Las Vegas to Santa Monica.

It was two survivors showing the children fighting today just how far tomorrow can take them.

Help Make a Difference

Gabe and Jaclyn’s stories remind us why the mission continues. You can help ensure that no child battling pediatric cancer has to face their journey alone.

Learn more about the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, its adoption program, and how you can get involved at FriendsofJaclyn.org(opens in new tab).