Welcome!!
Thanks for taking the time to visit my page! I am about to take on a potentially life-changing physical challenge, and I need your help to succeed! I will complete my first 13.1-mile race at the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon in California on July 19, 2009. I am participating through the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America's program, Team Challenge. My participation will raise funds and awareness for research leading to improved treatment options and a cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. These conditions are collectively known as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).
My Story
As some of you know, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in April of 2008, shortly before I turned 25. I was home from graduate school in January when my health problems started suddenly. In the first four months of 2008, I lost an unprecedented amount of weight. Trying to figure out what was wrong, I made more trips to doctors’ offices and emergency rooms in West Virginia and Massachusetts in four months than I had in my entire life. I barely slept due to overwhelming anxiety and depression related to my condition.
Though the course of Crohn's disease is ultimately unknowable, I have been extremely lucky. Thanks to a great doctor, an amazingly supportive family and group of friends and my own determination, I began to get better gradually beginning in May.
Who Needs Help
Yet, so many patients afflicted with inflammatory bowel disease are not as fortunate as I have been. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic (ongoing) disorders that cause inflammation of the digestive or GI (gastrointestinal) tracts in more than 1.4 million Americans. These conditions are unpredictable, embarrassing and have no medical cure. Some patients take more than 30 pills a day, endure multiple surgeries throughout their lives, and spend years trying to find a combination of drugs and lifestyle changes that will keep their disease at bay. Heartbreakingly, at least 100,000 people under age 18 must cope with IBD. When IBD occurs in children or adolescents, their growth may be delayed or stunted by flare-ups of the disease.
These are the people I want to help by doing something I couldn't physically do at this time last year: run. As a member of Team Challenge, I have a coach, a training program, and teammates to support me – not to mention a 56-year-old rock star of a father who has completed a couple marathons and one ultra-marathon in his life! I have committed to a training schedule, and I’ve promised to raise $4,600 in donations to The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America.
How To Donate
Please help me help others by contributing to this important cause! You can do so SAFELY AND SECURELY RIGHT HERE or by mailing your donation directly to me at RR 6 Box 257-EE, Buckhannon, WV 26201. A minimum of 82 cents per dollar raised by CCFA goes directly to research and patient support, and...***Your contribution is tax deductible.***
Need More Information?
If you would like to learn more about the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, inflammatory bowel disease or this event, please visit www.ccfa.org or www.ccteamchallenge.org.
Ms. Meg McShea inspired me to do this event by competing in a Team-in-Training marathon last year in Alaska to help patients with leukemia and lymphoma. |
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Total Donations: $4,719.97
Goal: $5,000
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| Me, my grandma Peggy, her favorite granddog, Mattie, and my dad, Mike, at the end of Summer 2008. |
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