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| Team picture at a water stop on Lexington Bike path 2/23/13-17 miles logged. |
Fundraising Update
I am very excited to share that while I have not been able to dedicate as much time as I did last year to fundraising, last week I surpassed the $8,000 pacesetter mark on my fundraising page http://www.runDFMC.org/2013/kerryd. This week my page actually hit $8,902.45. This is incredibly exciting and I am so filled with gratitude for the many people who continue to step up and contribute to such an important effort- a world without cancer. I am also reminded as each donation is made of the many ways that cancer touches our lives. Many of you have made donations in honor of a family member, a friend, a colleague or someone who has touched your life in a variety of ways. This is the constant powerful reminder of how important it is to support cancer research. Simply stated, too many loved ones struggle terribly and leave us too early because of this dreadful disease. We must not give up on the fight. A world without cancer is possible, it just requires a Herculean effort and when we come together collectively we can be Hercules strong.
Right Foot, Left Foot, Breathe.
The month of February in New England has certainly added to the challenges of marathon training. Mother Nature has made it incredibly challenging to get in our long weekend runs. In fact, three of this month’s DFMC training runs have been cancelled because of weather and safety concerns. However, this did not mean that the miles we not logged. It meant we needed to adjust. For many of us this meant that the miles were logged indoors on treadmills. In the month of February I logged three long runs on a treadmill, 14 miles, 16 miles and 14 miles. Right foot, left foot, breathe. This is how we get it done. It is not thinking about the 2 hours and 40 minutes on the treadmill, it is thinking about all the people for whom we run and then simply saying, “Right foot, left foot, breathe” and repeat.
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| Third long run on treadmill, still smiling. 14 miles logged. |
“Right foot, left foot, breathe.” These three actions can help us move forward in spite of an enormous challenge that lies before us. I am very grateful for watching the 20/20 Special on Robin Roberts and her courageous fight with cancer. It was so inspirational! If you have a chance to watch it, it is well worth it. In this special she described how powerful the words “right foot, left foot, breathe” were for her. She also talked about optimism and how it can help us face our challenges whatever they may be. She went on to describe optimism as a muscle and how we must work to strengthen it. This idea really resonated with me. I loved the way it recognizes that optimism is not just something that people have or do not have, it something that can be developed and strengthened. The challenge is how do we do this? How do we cultivate optimism in what sometimes feels like a cynical world? This is a big question and I am sure we all have different answers. For me, my experience running with Dana Farber as a member of the Marathon Challenge Team has helped me to answer this challenging question.
Possibility Exists with Action
I would begin my answer with it is a conscious choice and requires continuous effort. As Robin Roberts said, optimism is a muscle. Each day we are presented with opportunities to exercise it. Some days are easier than others and developing this muscle is not as easy as doing push ups every day so your arms get stronger. Optimism requires much more than that. I would also suggest that being optimistic does not require letting go of all cynicism we may have. It is not an either/or and sometimes life has given us every reason to be cynical. I see it more as having a willingness to dance with the dichotomy. Many of the people I have met through DFMC have every reason to be cynical, yet they are not. Or perhaps they are and just dance gracefully with the dichotomy of cynicism and optimism and they see possibility exists with action.
Many involved with DFMC continue to grieve and rightfully resent how cancer has forever changed life as they knew it; however they are fueled by a desire to work towards a world without cancer. I am so inspired by so many of their stories. This is why we run. Many of the DFMC runners and volunteers have lost parents, siblings, children, and friends. Some have watched friend lose loved ones to cancer. Some have faced cancer themselves. Yet, on Saturdays we all come together to log many miles because we collectively believe that a world without cancer is possible if we all work together to do what we can. We run to raise funds to support cancer research. With each step we take we honor the memory of those that have left us to early, we offer support to those who courageously engage in the fight, and we run to raise funds to support cancer research to support the ultimate goal: A world without cancer, in hopes that those who have not faced cancer will not have to.
Possibility exists with action. Thank you to all of you who have joined us in our efforts. “Right foot, left foot, breathe.” A world without cancer is only possible if we believe it is attainable and are all willing to show our collective Herculean strength to make it happen. One step, one mile and one dollar at a time we will get there. If you have not had a chance to donate, please remember that each donation is appreciated and supports this amazing effort. No donation is too small. Collectively it adds up to fund the research that is necessary to make a world without cancer a reality.
With gratitude,
Kerry D
