If you missed last week's announcement, once some gifts in process post I will have SURPASSED my initial goal of raising $10,000 for the Barr program and innovative basic cancer research! "Thank You" doesn't quite capture how grateful I am to the many donors who have generously helped me to not only reach but exceed my initial goal. And in true runner form, once you reach a goal, well...you set a new one! So I have extended my fundraising goal to $13,100 in honor of the half-marathon distance. With some exciting things on the horizon including my "Marthon March Madness" opportunity drawings- four weeks of prizes building each week in March- I am confident that we will not only reach but maybe even exceed my new goal, so keep checking back for more updates including how YOU can be a winner!
In a week where "18 miles" looms on the calendar for Saturday's long run and the snow continues to prove a challenge, I have found myself drawing strength from the tremendous support and encouragement many of you have offered throughout this journey thus far. And while I certainly could not do this without all of you, I knew early on that if I was going to train for and run 26.2 miles I would need all the inspiration and motivation I could get. There are many factors that I feel set the DFMC team apart in this area and which makes it a true and special honor to be a part of. By now you are well aware of our mission and that 100% of the funds raised by this team goes directly to supporting the vital Barr program research. And I need look no farther for inspiration than the teammates running in stride with me each week as they are themselves cancer survivors or (like me) running in honor and memory of parents, siblings, children, and loved ones who have bravely danced with this disease. But at the heart of the DFMC is a very special component, one which actually gave me the final "push" I needed to submit an application for this team back in August. It is called the Patient Partner Program, and it matches DFMC runners with children who are currently or previously treated at Dana-Farber's world-renowned Jimmy Fund Clinic. Just before the holidays I received word that I had been selected for the program and I eagerly awaited meeting my patient partner at the end of January for our "meet your match" party.
And so friends, meet all the Monday (and every day) Motivation you could ever need: five year old Darla Holloway.
My patient partner Darla Holloway at our "Meet Your Match" party
Darla is a whirlwind of energy, and from the outside you would find it hard to believe that this vivacious, funny, sassy kindergartner had spent nearly half of her life fighting Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Thankfully Darla has been in remission for a little over 8 months and will celebrate her one year remission anniversary on May 21st, though she still has to have blood tests every two months to monitor things. As I sat with Darla and her family at our welcome party, I learned more about her journey from her amazing parents Sherelle and Daryl. They showed me pictures and shared stories from the day Darla was diagnosed and throughout treatment. They spoke of countless trips to the clinic, of Darla losing her hair and then some teeth from chemo, and they spoke of the amazing care they received at Dana-Farber. And through it all there was one constant- a smile on Darla's face. She is the sort of kid who lights up a room the instant she enters it, and as I learned more about her story and watched her "work the room" and make the other kids - many of them still in treatment - laugh and smile, I realized that there wasn't anything I wouldn't do and no distance I wouldn't run to see that smile and hear that laugh.
And in the past few weeks as we have talked on the phone and went bowling (Darla's favorite), I am sure that Darla is just excited to have a new friend. She has sang me the ABC's, counted to 100, talked to me about her baby doll, styled my hair (she gave me quite the 'do), and we have discovered we have quite a few things in common - we are both singers, we both dislike when banana is mixed with other fruit, and as Darla is a cheerleader (and I a former one) we are working on a special cheer for when I see her at Mile 25 on Marathon Monday. But what Darla doesn't realize is she is a game changer. Because before I was training for a marathon and raising some money along the way. But now? I am running so that no family ever has to go through what this sweet girl and her family have had to endure. I am running to keep funding the research and investigators that have helped result in cure rates of more than 85 percent in pediatric ALL. And I am running to see that smile on Marathon Monday - along with all the other patient partners -because let me tell you, there is nothing more motivating than that!
Darla singing "God Bless America" at a Red Sox game last year while still in treatment
Bowling with Darla following her All-Star cheerleading competition where her team took first place (hence her "fancy makeup" as she calls it)