How it all started...

There was a point this past summer when I came to the realization that I needed something to do. Don't get me wrong, I had a job and I had friends in Boston, I had plenty going on. But did I really only want to be defined as a corporate actions processor at State Street, a lounger at the North End pool and a frequent shopper of Newbury Street? I needed something to do- a hobby, an activity, a sport... anything. I sat down at my desk one day at work and started searching the internet for something. I honestly have no recollection of what led me to the Dana-Farber website that day, much less the Marathon Challenge page, (I'd like to think there was some unknown force guiding me through the abyss of the internet) but as soon as I read what DFMC was all about, I knew I had my new activity. Applications weren't going to start being accepted for the 2008 team until September (yes, you read that right... not only did I sign myself up to run 26.2 miles, I applied to do it) but I immediately started drafting my application. (I know right now my dad is thinking "You didn't even plan that far ahead when you were applying to college," which, sadly, is true).

Anyways, it was a good thing I started so early because, as it turns out, I needed the extra time. As I think most people already know, my mom passed away from cancer in 2005, so I had a very personal reason for wanting to participate in the DFMC. Because of this, I thought it would be easy to convey why running the marathon for Dana-Farber was so important to me, but it turned out to be much more difficult than I expected to translate my thoughts and feelings into writing (I know, big surprise, it was hard for me to write about feelings... shocking). By the time I finally arrived at my final drafts of my application, I realized that I not only wanted to run the marathon for Dana-Farber in memory of my mom and her battle with cancer, but that I also wanted to participate in DFMC because it is something that I know my mom would have been proud of, and, though she probably wouldn't have chosen to run a marathon per se, it is the kind of thing that my mom would have participated in herself. I wanted to be a part of the marathon challenge because, in some small way, it would be following in my mother's footsteps.

Which brings me to yesterday. Yesterday, I received a donation from a woman who knew my mom through volunteering at my highschool along with an email. In the email she wrote, "I'm sure your mom is so proud of both you and Kat (my sister)... by your volunteer work with this project I can see that you, too, have that wonderful giving spirit that your mother exemplified." Of all the wonderful things people have said to me about my running the marathon for Dana-Farber, this one really struck me. It brought me right back to that day when I realized the reason I wanted to be a part of DFMC. It also made me feel as though maybe someday I will be able to have as big an impact on other's lives as my mom did. I'm at least off to a good start...