I've posted a few diaries on the subject before. Mostly just to jot down my thoughts on my brother's cancer journey over the last few months. Tonight's diary is more of the same. Nothing political, nothing to do with current events, just me jotting down thoughts and sharing with the awesome community we have here.
It's 10:30 on a Friday night in Austin and the weather is PERFECT for hitting the town and doing all the crazy stuff people do around here. (You were here for Netroots Nation, so you know how crazy the town can get, right?) There are thousands of people downtown enjoying the night.
Me? I'm at home, mentally prepping for tomorrow's training run. I've decided to be good and stay home. Tomorrow's a big day and I need to be ready. What am I doing? Find out below, but first a little background...
About 9 months ago, my brother's doctors made a shocking discovery. A little numbness in his leg was being caused by a small cancerous tumor pressing against a nerve in his spine. Talk about a shock! Further tests and scans revealed a MUCH larger tumor in his chest. An 18-centimeter tumor (about the size of a small cantaloupe) was growing! Talk about a life changing discovery. My family pulled together and we all chipped in to help out.
We reached out to as many places for help and one of the groups we found was the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Talk about a life-saving organization. I'll let you find out more info on them on your own, but they are awesome. One of their fundraising organizations is Team in Training. Basically, they prepare people for running a marathon. Initially, I thought "That's cool, but I'd never be able to do that!"
But here I am, 6 months later, preparing to go on my longest training run of the season. Twenty miles is a crazy long distance! But I'm ready.
I've put in the time training for this and tomorrow is the longest distance we'll go before I run a full marathon on April 24th. Getting here hasn't been easy, but it's finally coming together.
My Team started out with short little jogs around parks and neighborhoods. We've gradually upped the ante and gone from a "long" 5 mile run to a half marathon (Austin Half Marathon on Feb 14th) to tomorrow's 20 mile trek. It's not quite a full marathon, but I feel I'm ready for it. I've had great support from the team mentors/trainers, but more importantly, support from my friends and family.
My brother has obviously been awesome through his cancer treatments and through my own training. He was there to see me finish my first half marathon. I know his chemo therapy, bone marrow transplant, and his current radiation treatments have taken a major toll on him, but through all of it, he's remained strong. That strength has helped me so much through my own training.
I know this has been a bit of a rambling diary, but it's late and I need to rest up for tomorrow.
I can't say enough about LLS and Team in Training. I'm leaving you with a link to visit if you'd like to help support this amazing organization and help me reach my own personal fundraising goal. If you can help out, I'd appreciate it more than any diary could ever express!
To help out, please visit my Team in Training Page.
Oh, and I can't forget to include a pic. This is me, hamming it up for the camera with my mom, brother, and youngest brother (patient) after the Austin Half Marathon back in February.