Running for Team Camden
Donation protected
At the end of January 2015 I was diagnosed with a form of leukemia called CML. It was a pretty shocking discovery. It brought about a ton of pretty major lifestyle changes, one of which was my lack of ability to be as active as I previously had. I started to run with a little more frequency when I decided that I would take charge of this disease and not let it tell me what I could or couldn’t do. This is when I decided that I was going to run my first marathon. My first thought was that I would run it in an effort to raise money for CML. After a few days, I quickly realized that there was a much more obvious answer.
With my job, I have a very unique opportunity to work with some pretty incredible people that anyone would be hard pressed to argue with me in calling them heroes. These men and women are constantly putting their life on the line to protect our freedom. To me, it is hard to live up to this type of heroism, but through an old friend of mine from school, I found a new hero. Through my work, I was able to reconnect with Matt McAlpine, an old friend from high school, who is currently serving in the US Army. In being able to reconnect with him, I was also able to learn about his beautiful family; his wife Lindsey (Veteran of the US Army) and their 4 Children.
One of Matt & Lindsey’s children also fits the description of a hero - a hero whom I have never met, yet inspires me to lengths that is hard to explain. With Matt and Lindsey’s permission, I have decided to run Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach, California in February 2016 in order to raise money for their son, Camden. Camden is an 8 year old boy who was diagnosed with a rare form of JM (Juvenile Myositis – a very rare and life threatening auto-immune disease). Camden has a form known as SRP Juvenile Polymyositis. He is the sixth case ever reported in the United States. It is an inflammatory muscle disease, where the body’s own antibodies attack every muscle in his body. In Camden's case, it has caused muscle wasting and weakness in all muscles including his lungs and inflammation of his inner heart wall. It took away his ability to run, jump, climb stairs, lift most objects, walk distances, as well as zapping all his energy that every little 8-year-old boy should have. He is currently undergoing treatment that consist of weekly chemotherapy injections, IVIG infusions, daily high dose steroids and other harsh immunosuppressive medications. These deplete his immune system, attempting to stop his body from attacking itself.
The way this young boy approaches life and his current diagnoses is truly inspiring.
As I said, I have never met Camden, but I have been following his story through a Facebook page they have set up called Team Camden. Camden’s approach to every challenge and opportunity has changed the way I approach my life. Who would know that you could learn from such a young child? During some hard days for me, I take a look at the way Camden carries himself and the attitude he portrays and it inspires me.
After what I would imagine would be a hellish week of testing recently in Maryland, Camden found out that he had to stay a little extra longer and take another dreaded MRI/Cat scan. At first he became upset because he does not like these scans. This is where his true heart of gold came out. After he was told he could go home, Camden told his mom that "he was glad he went through the tests so it could help other children like him.” That selflessness and pure heroism is a trait that many grown men and women wish they could have. While Camden is truly the one who is portraying all this courage, this also shows the phenomenal job that Matt and Lindsey have done raising this young boy. I am a firm believer that we are never given more than we can handle, either alone or with our loved ones. This is why I want to run for Camden and his family, as well as to raise awareness for this disease.
Whether this money is used to check off another opportunity from his list of things he would like to do with his family at his side, or to help with their recent move to Maryland to be closer to his doctor, I hope that the money I am able to raise will give Camden and his family at least a few moments of peace and happiness.
I will be running Febuary 7 in LA with a good friend of mine, Pat Heintz, whose sister Katie tragically passed of Leukemia back in 2005 at the age of 16. We both will be running and donating this money in her memory.
This is something I have never done before, but I strongly believe in doing your part in helping out those who inspire you. I am not asking for a lot, but if you can, please donate to my run or share this post to help support someone that has been quietly inspiring a person he has never met. I encourage you to visit their Facebook page at “Team Camden” (https://www.facebook.com/camdenthestrong)
and read about Camden and his fight. No matter who you are or what you are going through, I am sure that we can all learn something from Camden. #teamCamden #fightforaCure
With my job, I have a very unique opportunity to work with some pretty incredible people that anyone would be hard pressed to argue with me in calling them heroes. These men and women are constantly putting their life on the line to protect our freedom. To me, it is hard to live up to this type of heroism, but through an old friend of mine from school, I found a new hero. Through my work, I was able to reconnect with Matt McAlpine, an old friend from high school, who is currently serving in the US Army. In being able to reconnect with him, I was also able to learn about his beautiful family; his wife Lindsey (Veteran of the US Army) and their 4 Children.
One of Matt & Lindsey’s children also fits the description of a hero - a hero whom I have never met, yet inspires me to lengths that is hard to explain. With Matt and Lindsey’s permission, I have decided to run Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach, California in February 2016 in order to raise money for their son, Camden. Camden is an 8 year old boy who was diagnosed with a rare form of JM (Juvenile Myositis – a very rare and life threatening auto-immune disease). Camden has a form known as SRP Juvenile Polymyositis. He is the sixth case ever reported in the United States. It is an inflammatory muscle disease, where the body’s own antibodies attack every muscle in his body. In Camden's case, it has caused muscle wasting and weakness in all muscles including his lungs and inflammation of his inner heart wall. It took away his ability to run, jump, climb stairs, lift most objects, walk distances, as well as zapping all his energy that every little 8-year-old boy should have. He is currently undergoing treatment that consist of weekly chemotherapy injections, IVIG infusions, daily high dose steroids and other harsh immunosuppressive medications. These deplete his immune system, attempting to stop his body from attacking itself.
The way this young boy approaches life and his current diagnoses is truly inspiring.
As I said, I have never met Camden, but I have been following his story through a Facebook page they have set up called Team Camden. Camden’s approach to every challenge and opportunity has changed the way I approach my life. Who would know that you could learn from such a young child? During some hard days for me, I take a look at the way Camden carries himself and the attitude he portrays and it inspires me.
After what I would imagine would be a hellish week of testing recently in Maryland, Camden found out that he had to stay a little extra longer and take another dreaded MRI/Cat scan. At first he became upset because he does not like these scans. This is where his true heart of gold came out. After he was told he could go home, Camden told his mom that "he was glad he went through the tests so it could help other children like him.” That selflessness and pure heroism is a trait that many grown men and women wish they could have. While Camden is truly the one who is portraying all this courage, this also shows the phenomenal job that Matt and Lindsey have done raising this young boy. I am a firm believer that we are never given more than we can handle, either alone or with our loved ones. This is why I want to run for Camden and his family, as well as to raise awareness for this disease.
Whether this money is used to check off another opportunity from his list of things he would like to do with his family at his side, or to help with their recent move to Maryland to be closer to his doctor, I hope that the money I am able to raise will give Camden and his family at least a few moments of peace and happiness.
I will be running Febuary 7 in LA with a good friend of mine, Pat Heintz, whose sister Katie tragically passed of Leukemia back in 2005 at the age of 16. We both will be running and donating this money in her memory.
This is something I have never done before, but I strongly believe in doing your part in helping out those who inspire you. I am not asking for a lot, but if you can, please donate to my run or share this post to help support someone that has been quietly inspiring a person he has never met. I encourage you to visit their Facebook page at “Team Camden” (https://www.facebook.com/camdenthestrong)
and read about Camden and his fight. No matter who you are or what you are going through, I am sure that we can all learn something from Camden. #teamCamden #fightforaCure
Organizer and beneficiary
Brian Banducci
Organizer
Chicago, IL
Matt McAlpine
Beneficiary