Well - seems like I am always getting inspired by Dave and following in his foot steps....
So, after 7 marathons centered on chasing the unicorn (guess I'm still going to do this as well), I decided that I will be training for and running in the 17 Chicago Marathon for a better reason than self - or at least a more productive one anyway. I have registered to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis research.
I would welcome any support you all could provide, but more than that - I hope to raise some awareness about this disease as it impacts over 30,000 people each year in the US.
I was fortunate enough to share some great years with a boy in our church who became a good friend and one of my hero’s – Kenny Webster. He lost his battle with cystic fibrosis at the way too early age of 15. Kenny lived a vibrant life and one filled with strong faith, love and joy. I think of him often when life gets kinda tough and I start feeling sorry for myself - here was a kid who could barely breathe each day, but you would have never known it!
So, to make a long story short - many everyday people struggle with this disease - one that requires countless trips to the hospital just to draw daily breathe and be somewhat functional. I saw first-hand what it took to lead a life with CF - fighting for each breathe, being reliant on machines and enduring countless grueling trips to the hospital. It's a disease that NO ONE should have to struggle with.
Real progress has been made in the search for a cure, but the lives of people with CF are still cut far too short.
Thanks for at least letting me share Kenny's story and draw some attention to CF...
Here's the link to my donation page and links for more information about CF. Thanks in advance for any help you could offer to battle CF!
http://fightcf.cff.org/goto/mfroning
Hmmm - not sure what happened to my first response to this.... so I'll try again. I apologize if this doubles in any way.....
Chicago is a little more than a month away - feeling like the training is coming along (with a little prodding from Mad-Mike) even though the legs are heavy and the eyelids even more so....
Decided early on that I was going to run Chicago this year to raise funds and awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. As detailed below, I lost a very dear friend to CF who struggled many days of his life just to do what many of us take for granted - breathe. What made it worse is this young man was only 16 when he died - so instead of doing things that boys should have been doing, he was taking trips to Maine Med to get his lungs pumped out. But not once did I hear him complain or feel sorry for himself. He took advantage of every moment to lead a full life. An example I try to follow each day.
So, although I have come to realize that I suck at fundraising, I would welcome any support you could provide to help me reach my modest fundraising goal of $2,000. I understand the there are many things that compete for our time and resources, so no pressure for sure - but if you are able to, you can make an online donation at this site below (as well as learn more about Kenny and CF):
For those who have already provided support, I am truly grateful!
Mike