Texas for St Paddy's Day

Looks like race #1 for the 2011 season will be in Texas and in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Sights are set for March 13 and I will be racing with the Highland Park Fire Department. They heard about my campaign and want to join in the efforts. How fun is that? One of the guys in the house has a wife who is battling ovarian cancer and he wants to rally the troops in support of this important cause. He and I have been going back and forth trying to find a date and a location and it looks like Keller, Texas is the spot. Complete with Irish jigs and bagpipes at the finish line, this event seems like a perfect way to start the 2011 season. Only 5 months away.... already excited!

Learning A Lesson From A Younger Athlete

This young athlete, Gracie Morris, embodies everything triathlon. She races for the pure joy of it but also combines a charity close to her heart when she trains and competes. We can all learn a lesson from Gracie. 

Well + Good NYC and Me

It's all about getting the message to as many people as possible and today's post on the Well + Good NYC blog did just that. A special shout out to Lisa Held who contacted me about my campaign. She was in the audience for a speech I did recently at a L'Oreal employee breakfast. Although I really hate this spotlight and am actually feeling pretty uncomfortable by it, I am reminded constantly of why I do this.

I received an email recently from someone who had read my blog. She said she had been experiencing some of the symptoms I described and had never even considered ovarian cancer. Armed with more information about this disease, she asked her doctor to "prove that she didn't have ovarian cancer". A pelvic ultrasound confirmed her worst nightmare.... ovarian cancer..... BUT stage I.

Treatments exist for ovarian cancer and if caught in early stages, it is 92% curable. For all intents and purposes, my email friend will be fine. She caught it early because of something she read. This is why I race. This is why I campaign. This is why you need to donate $5 to help find a method of early detection. Enough said.

Gearing Up For 2011

With the release of my piece in Triathlete Magazine, I got some great emails. Two in particular came from race directors, inviting me to race in their states and their races. So it looks like I am bound for Kansas in July and Oregon in August. How exciting that my race calendar is filling in only a week after my 2010 season ended.
Another email came from a firefighter in Dallas, Texas whose wife is battling ovarian cancer. He has wanted to do something for this "teal" cause but didn't know if anything existed. He has raced for other charities and thought it would benefit many people if he could spread the word about ovarian cancer. Resigned to take on the task himself, he read about my 50x50x100 campaign and contacted me. We have been emailing ever since and it looks like he and his triathlon/fire fighter buddies are going to join my campaign this year. They will don the teal colors and race to raise funds for OCRF. So it looks like Dallas, Texas will also be on my list for 2011.
I am thrilled this campaign is becoming viral. That is the only way we will save lives, one person at a time. Spreading the message and getting donations into the hands of researchers is how we will conquer ovarian cancer. I am doing my part. Would you consider helping with a $5 donation?

Hot Off The Presses

Just back from Mississippi and treated with more southern hospitality than I thought possible, I made it in the papers. Click on the link here for the Hattiesburg American and check out my results. It was a great race and because the race director had put my story on the race website, lots of folks knew me before I arrived and approached me during the event. That made my grass-roots effort of talking to people about signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer easier. I already had to "opener" with the story of my campaign and as a result, I was able to talk to many more people about this disease. The weather was perfect and conditions were beautiful. I'm pretty happy with my results too. A great way to end my 2010 season. Recap of the season in my next blog post.

Where It All Began

When I was receiving chemo, I saw an ad for a triathlon series in 3 states, benefitting ovarian cancer. I committed to participate in the entire series when I got better. That ad was in Triathlete Magazine and it started my journey and my current campaign.

This month I am the featured triathlete in the same magazine. It is pretty exciting and my hope is that it reaches many people and saves some lives. Click on the link below to read the article. Triathlete Magazine

And while you are at it.... would you be willing to donate $5? Even if you have already donated, can you donate another $5? Thanks so much for your support!