When I ran (okay, make that walked …. crawled) my first half marathon at Walt Disney World in January 2006 it was full of meaning for me. Not only was it a personal milestone, but it also held a very poignant significance because I wasn’t just there to reach my own goals, but was also there to help a dear friend reach her goals.

I had the honored task of cheering, dragging and even bribing her along the way – all the way to the finish line. She had endured a life threatening illness in the 2-3 years before the race that should have prevented her from even being at the start of that race. Making it to the finish could have easily been considered an impossible dream.

So when we stepped over that finish line together - limping, laughing, and crying - it was a wonderful moment that I will never forget for as long as I live.

But my friend doesn’t need my help this year. In fact, she may be the one doing the cheering, dragging, and bribing on January 6, 2007 when I go for my next WDW Half Marathon. But I still feel the need to make the race about more than just my own goals, more than just what I can accomplish alone. I want, again, to make it about taking people with me when I cross that finish line, and knowing that it will make a difference in someone else’s life.

I found the perfect way to do that by making my 2007 race about raising money, awareness, and hope for a cause that it is very near and dear to my heart. I lost my Mom and my sister, Lisa, to a devastating disease called Neurofibromatosis – or NF. They suffered terribly from its disabling effects, and both lost their battle to the disease in what should have been the prime of their lives.

NF is not a rare disorder. In fact, it’s the most common neurological disorder caused by a single gene. It affects more Americans than Cystic Fibrosis, hereditary Muscular Dystrophy, and Huntington’s Disease combined!

Thank you for supporting me in my effort to help find a cure for this disease. When I cross the finish line this year, I will get my wish of taking people with me across that finish line. I’ll carry my Mom, my sister, and the more than 100,000 Americans who are asking us to help them find a cure.

Wow! Looks like they better widen that finish line! ; )