Jeff: Childhood Brain Tumor Survivor Races for the Stars

Riding motorcycles. Skateboarding. Playing the drums. Following a brain tumor diagnosis at just 12 years old, Jeff Dinger was told he could no longer do these things he loved.

Menigonoma, surgery, lifelong seizures and treatment side effects took those passions — as well as childhood normalcy — from him. And it left him feeling lost and angry.

“I had a long, hard struggle, mostly mentally, and had a hard time admitting that this happened to me and listening to people tell me I couldn’t do things,” Jeff shares. “Once I was able to come to grips with this, I was able to be positive and put myself out there where I found out that the world will respond.”

Twenty-six years later, Jeff has a fresh perspective and determination to get back to doing something he loves — racing motorcycles.

A few years ago, his partial onset seizures began to subside, and the dream of racing motorcycles started to become a reality. He found a crew to support his dreams and mission, and in 2017 founded the Race for Kids motorcycle team.

Race for Kids is not only on a mission to win. Jeff is using his passion for motorcycle racing to raise awareness and money for Stars like him — children with brain tumors — by pledging a portion of his team’s sponsorship funds to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

After bringing home first and third place finishes in his inaugural season, Jeff is gearing up for 2018. Willy Ingram will join him as the second Race for Kids rider, and they’ll compete once a month from May through October with the Utah Sport Bike Association.

Through teamwork and his experiences, Jeff hopes to inspire other kids fighting brain tumors so that they know they’re not alone.

“If I could help just one kid understand that this isn’t a life sentence of unhappiness and broken dreams, then I would be happy,” he says.

You can help children with brain tumors thrive like Jeff by donating to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation at www.curethekids.org/givenow.

Follow Race for Kids’ journey at www.facebook.com/raceforkidsutah and email raceforkids@hotmail.com to learn about sponsorship opportunities.