Running For Dad

On December 14, 2009 my Dad (Charles Stofel Sr.) passed away after a short battle with esophageal cancer (EC). He had been diagnosed with EC in the summer of that year and was told that he had only five months to live. Unfortunately the doctor was right.

But during those five months he became more of a father and husband than he had ever been. I was able to experience what a real dad was like. I say this because up until this point he had not been around very much and was not necessarily the model citizen. He was hardly ever around and was only around when he needed something. But after he was diagnosed and was told how much time he had, he did a one hundred eighty degree turn. He went out of his way to be with us and to take care of us. He began getting back into God\'s word and became a true man of God. It was awesome that he had made these changes but sad that it took such a traumatic turn of events to make this change occur. Anyway, the point is that my favorite memories of him were made during those few short months.

After his death I began running to relieve the stress that had been snowballing. I quickly learned that I have a gift in running. Now, over two years later, I have decided that i want to use that gift to help others who are struggling with similar situations to the one we had.

On May 19, 2012 I am running the Keys 100 Ultramarathon. This is a 100 mile footrace that stretches from Key Largo to Key West. I will be running the whole thing solo with support from my family and friends. I am running in memory of my dad and to raise money for esophageal cancer research and education. The money I raise will be donated to www.ecaware.org

Please consider donating, not because you knew my dad or becuase you know my family, but because of the seriousness of this disease. EC is the fastest growing form of cancer in North America and is amongst the most aggressive. Survival rates can be as high as 37% but as low as 3%. Thank you for your time and consideration.