Running For Victory!

Written and posted on Joe's FB Sept 29.
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 I had no idea that the Sentinel story regarding my running journey was going to run today, much less that it was going to get the play it got. I had planned on posting this note today anyway, but I thought, what the hell, let's ride the publicity.

 This Nov. 9, I'm going to do something I never thought I'd do again: Run the Churchill Half Marathon. It's the same race I ran the week before I got diagnosed with kidney cancer. Last time, I ran it for myself. This time, I'm running for something bigger.

 The Victory Center is a place that's helped me, and countless thousands of other cancer patients, deal with the physical, and especially, the mental battles that are a part of our larger war. Services like counseling, oncology massage, reiki, and countless other therapies have given people the strength to carry on. Over the past few weeks, a few more friends and relatives have gotten cancer diagnoses, and I have felt powerless to help, except to run, and pray. This is a way I feel I can help the people who help them.

TVC is completely funded through charitable giving; no tax dollars, no insurance contribution. And the services they provide are completely free - critical, because as we know too well, money starts flying out the window when you get a diagnosis, no matter how good your insurance is.

 So the easy way for me to fundraise would be to simply note that if 100 friends donate $10, I could reach my goal of raising $1000 for TVC. But let's be honest, that wouldn't be very Boyle. So instead, I'm asking you to choose a sponsorship level based on everything that makes it absurd that I'm running this race. The following sponsorships are available:

 - one $200 "Where the Hell Is My Kidney?" sponsorship
 - one $150 "Massive Left Leg Blood Clot" sponsorship
 - one $100 "Enormous, Suspicious, and Embarassing Testicular Mass" sponsorship
 - one $50 "Hey, That Was My Adrenal Gland!" sponsorship
 - seven $40 "(Let's Hope They Stay) Itty Bitty Lung Tumor" sponsorships
 - eleven $20 "Removed Lymph Node" sponsorships

 Of course, any amount you choose to sponsor is awesome! But I can guarantee you a fine little certificate that YOU and ONLY YOU, for instance, sponsored a giant, surgically-removed nut growth. It will, of course, be suitable for framing. Hurry now and sponsor before someone else claims one of my lung tumors! Lymph nodes may go flying off the shelves! I will post on Facebook every time a body part flies off the board!

 To donate, simply write a check to "The Victory Center," and mail it to me at 943 Fairview, BG OH, 43402. When we reach the goal, we'll compile all of the checks and submit them together.

 Thank you all for your support, whether you can contribute to this, or not! Your positive thoughts, prayers, and comments really do help all of us here get through this thing.

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 Since this was posted Sunday only lung tumor and a few lymph nodes sponsorships remain. Also sponsorships for "Scary sleepless nights" for $500 and "Interleukin2-Fueled-Hallucinations" for $200 were created by generious friends and family. -Katie