give & give often. you CAN make a difference.

long story short: the world is unfair. diseases affect too many. cancer sucks. a whole lot of negative things happen in this country, and many people i know and care about are affected by some of these things.

although im just one person, im trying to make a difference. part of my new years resolution was completing 50 in 2011 , one of which is donating to a charity every month. every little bit can make a difference.

in lieu of favors at our wedding we made donations to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, two charities which have affected my husband and i personally in the lives of our family. as many of you know, tyler's brother has CF. to learn more about CF, click here. in 2003 tyler donated his right lower lobe of his lung to his brother, and that lung is still working hard for aaron every day. tyler actually had more complications during surgery when his heart stopped for almost 4 minutes. aaron has since had another transplant of his left lung and may or may not be in need of another transplant in the future, something we are hoping to avoid with numerous medications and other treatments helping to keep the current lungs working for him.

in 2007 my step father was diagnosed with whats called "harry cell leukemia", a very rare form of blood cancer. the whole process was scary and he was very sick during the radiation treatments, but as of right now the cancer is gone, so we are all very happy about that.

in january we donated to the CF foundation. for february we are donating to the leukemia and lymphoma society. i chose to profile two women i know through the blogging/twitter world to donate to in support of team in training for the L&L society, as they are raising money to run marathons, a passion of mine as well. 

Courtney
(visit her TNT fundraising page here http://pages.teamintraining.org/pb/rnr11/cbuiee)
running San Diego Rock n' Roll marathon June 5, 2011

about Courtney- 

"I started running in May 2008, and began my blog as a journal for myself. It just grew from there, I guess.

Now here I am, a Starbucks Store Manager, living in South Florida with my dog, Mako and boyfriend, Ken – loving life and enjoying my favorite things: RUNNING and COOKIES!

On January 9, 2011 I crossed the finish line of my first marathon - The Walt Disney World Marathon. It was the icing on the cake after 5 months of training and raising $4,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. But I realized that I can’t stop fighting just because I crossed that finish line. At the Team Inspiration Dinner the night before the event, I heard a father talk about his 9 year-old daughter who is a cancer survivor.

He said:
"People you will never know will live because of you."

Less than 2 weeks after the Disney Marathon, I signed up for the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and committed to raising $2,650 to help fight against blood cancers. We can't stop until there is a cure. Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission."

Elisabeth

(please visit her TNT fundraising page here  http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/anchor11/ewallersco)

running Mayor’s Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska June 18^th 2011

about Elisabeth- 

"When I was a kid I remember my older sister's mother getting leukemia and eventually dying at a very young age (when she was only 42, my sister was just 16). I am running the marathon and raising money in memory of my sister's mother, Janet Zamucen. And in memory of the many others who have lost their courageous battles with blood cancers as well as those who continue the fight and sill need our help today and tomorrow.

Every little bit helps. Blood cancers are scary and difficult to overcome and we need to do everything we can to find a cure and help those living with these awful cancers and their families, and if my running a marathon and raising money helps even a little then I will be glad to know that I'm making a difference. Janet fought a brave battle and her memory lives on now in her friends and family and I want to honor her memory by continuing to fundraise and do what I can to help find a cure. No one should have to suffer through the difficulties of blood cancer. And, I am also running because I feel that no daughter, mother, sister, brother, father, son, friend or relative should have to watch their loved ones fight this battle, or worse lose it. It’s time to find a cure and put an end to cancer!


I know that I can do this, but I can only do it with your help! THANK YOU!"

thank you both, Courtney & Elisabeth, and all others who run for TNT in support of finding a cure. i wish you both the best of luck with your marathon and fundraising adventures!

"its important to give it all you have while you have the chance"

i heard this quote a while back and it really hit me. this quote relates to many parts of my life, with family, work, and running. although i sometimes feel sluggish, dont always want to go to work, or go to the gym... once i get there, i give it my all. and it feels good. sometimes i make the excuse that i dont have time to call a friend or family member. 5 minutes doesnt take long, and it feels good to make that call, make that connection. life can be busy, thats for sure, but youre never that busy.

find.the.time.

"we can do no great things, only small things with great love" ~mother teresa
"unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. it's not." ~dr. seuss