Hope is our Strength

We have arrived. While I cannot believe it, there is not space and time to lament about the passage of time and wondering how we got here. The time is now and we are here. At this time tomorrow, wave three will be departing Hopkinton, MA for our 26.2 journey to Boston. Wow! Hope will be our strength.

We have our numbers. We have arrived!

Fundraising Update:

I am incredibly excited to share that once again we continue to exceed the goals I set! We started conservatively at $10,000 which is a lot of money. Then we moved it to $13,100 and we crushed that goal too. In the spirit of matching last year, I then raised the goal again to $15,000. Can you tell I like to push the capacity of what I think is possible? I have amazing friends, family and coworkers that make this possible. The only way we can know our limits is to push them. So as I get ready to lace up my sneakers, we are pushing the capacity on the fundraising front. As of today, my fundraising page has $14,418.45 posted to it. I am in the process of sending in $300 in checks. This brings us to a $14,718.45. WOW! Keep it coming!

Team Hoyt at the Expo "YES YOU CAN!"

Hope is our Strength

Later today I will be heading into to Boston to attend the Dana Farber Pasta Party. This will be my second year attending this event and packaged within two hours or so is enough inspiration to carry me from Hopkinton to Boston with a smile on my face. We will get a chance to meet many of the children who are in treatment at the Jimmy Fund and their families who are part of the patient partner program. We will also be with many of the “In Memory” of families which includes the Dubuc Family who are very dear friends. If you have read this blog, the Dubuc’s are also Team Matty and very dear friends of mine. You see it is the reminder that while we have been training for 18 weeks to run a marathon this is only a small part of what we are actually doing. In fact, it is the easy part. We trained through the winter months to have our bodies prepared as best we can to run the marathon with one purpose in mind-raising fund to support cancer research and with the hope that one day we will live in a world without cancer. 

Hope is not a pie in the sky idealization that things will just get better because we want it to. The Dana Farber Team is hope in action and recognizes that a world without cancer is only possible through research and innovation. It is that simple and this requires funds.  Like many of you, I have come to know far too many people whose lives have been ravaged by this horrible disease. I often found myself feeling powerless and thinking “somebody has got to find a cure for this disease.” We live in a world where we have put a man on the moon and I can talk to my nieces through my IPad but we still cannot beat this horrific disease. Then it dawned on me. I am that somebody and I need to do my part. So while I do not love to run 26.2 miles, I love that by committing to train and run a marathon with the help of many, I have been able to raise over $30,000 to support cancer research in just two years. This is why I do it and I could not do it without your help.So thank you!

As an example of the many inspiration people I have come to know through my experience with Dana Farber I wanted to share a video of my teammate Jennie. Please take the two minutes to watch her video. She exemplifies why I run and why hope is so important. As Jennie would say, “Be good, Be strong.”

If you are out on the course tomorrow, please give all the runners lots of support. We are stronger because of why we run, but we can certainly use your help along the way. My BIB # is 23198. If you are interested in tracking me you can do so by signing up for text message updates. All you need to do is:

1) Text the word RUNNER to the number 345-678
2.) When prompted enter my BIB # 23198

Then you will be all signed up and will get a text when I cross the 10K (6.2 mile), Half Marathon (13.1 miles), 30K (18.6 Miles) and the finish line (26.2 miles).

Thanks again for all the support! 

With Gratitude,

Kerry D