... and the adult in me, would like for Cancer to be less painful socially as well as a less physically devestating diagnosis.
I recently remembered that I signed up for a charity ride called the Dempsey Challenge. I will be riding 50 miles on my bike as well as raising funds. This time it is to support The Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing in Lewiston, Maine. This place provides free support, education and wellness services to cancer patients and caregivers. I particularly appreciate the fact that caregivers were included in their programming, as Cancer does not only affect the individual who receives the diagnosis but also their family, and the whole community that supports them throughout the rest of their treatment and in some cases for the remainder of their lives.
I have been directly impacted by Cancer twice in my life. One was a member of my immediate family, who thankfully recovered quite quickly, and has been cancer free for 11 years now. The other was Raylene Salisbury, a dear family friend, who was more like a family member than just a friend of the family. Raylene died when I was only 14, but between spending holidays together, every weekend, as well as hanging around while she and my mom quilted and crafted several nights a week, she was like a second mom to me. That is why I will ride this ride in her honor. I also would like to thank her niece Shelly and her sister Charlotte for their support of my ride.
I will, I think, need to update my fundraising goal, because I'm not in the United States and therefore am unlikely to be able to hold any large fundraisers ... however, if you're able to contribute in any way, I'll greatly appreciate it. Maybe I'll even figure out how to change the picture on the website, as it is no longer snowy. The website is: http://dempseychallenge2011.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=435102&supid=322712651 I should also note that I've raised $5 more than my total indicates, and owe Celeste a great big thank you!
The website is also listed under my profile on the left hand side of this page as "my latest charity ride" or something like that.
So, now that I'm focused and preparing for the ride, I find myself in Kenya .... no problem! I've overcome bigger obstacles I'm sure. So I've increased my daily yoga, and added some lunges to strengthen more ... biking related muscles. If anyone has any ideas for other ways I can prepare myself from the comfort of my room, I welcome your input. A real difficulty is that I need to get strong, but I don't want to appear sore in public. Sore muscles seem to confuse and worry people here. You should have seen how worried people became when a physical therapist came limping into the office where I work the other day. Turns out he was just sitting funny and his leg fell asleep (wuss), but people were VERY concerned for him, so I'm sure if the strange white girl from America came into work hobbling because of Yoga that would be a bit of an awkward conversation ... repeated MANY times throughout the day. Anywho, wish me luck.
- A special thanks to Beth Dimond for making me aware of this ride. See you there October 8th &9th!
I recently remembered that I signed up for a charity ride called the Dempsey Challenge. I will be riding 50 miles on my bike as well as raising funds. This time it is to support The Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing in Lewiston, Maine. This place provides free support, education and wellness services to cancer patients and caregivers. I particularly appreciate the fact that caregivers were included in their programming, as Cancer does not only affect the individual who receives the diagnosis but also their family, and the whole community that supports them throughout the rest of their treatment and in some cases for the remainder of their lives.
I have been directly impacted by Cancer twice in my life. One was a member of my immediate family, who thankfully recovered quite quickly, and has been cancer free for 11 years now. The other was Raylene Salisbury, a dear family friend, who was more like a family member than just a friend of the family. Raylene died when I was only 14, but between spending holidays together, every weekend, as well as hanging around while she and my mom quilted and crafted several nights a week, she was like a second mom to me. That is why I will ride this ride in her honor. I also would like to thank her niece Shelly and her sister Charlotte for their support of my ride.
I will, I think, need to update my fundraising goal, because I'm not in the United States and therefore am unlikely to be able to hold any large fundraisers ... however, if you're able to contribute in any way, I'll greatly appreciate it. Maybe I'll even figure out how to change the picture on the website, as it is no longer snowy. The website is: http://dempseychallenge2011.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=435102&supid=322712651 I should also note that I've raised $5 more than my total indicates, and owe Celeste a great big thank you!
The website is also listed under my profile on the left hand side of this page as "my latest charity ride" or something like that.
So, now that I'm focused and preparing for the ride, I find myself in Kenya .... no problem! I've overcome bigger obstacles I'm sure. So I've increased my daily yoga, and added some lunges to strengthen more ... biking related muscles. If anyone has any ideas for other ways I can prepare myself from the comfort of my room, I welcome your input. A real difficulty is that I need to get strong, but I don't want to appear sore in public. Sore muscles seem to confuse and worry people here. You should have seen how worried people became when a physical therapist came limping into the office where I work the other day. Turns out he was just sitting funny and his leg fell asleep (wuss), but people were VERY concerned for him, so I'm sure if the strange white girl from America came into work hobbling because of Yoga that would be a bit of an awkward conversation ... repeated MANY times throughout the day. Anywho, wish me luck.
- A special thanks to Beth Dimond for making me aware of this ride. See you there October 8th &9th!
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