Team #BigMikeStrong Running for a Cure
Tax deductible
Around this time a year ago, I received a phone call that turned my world upside down. A hospital visit for back pain resulted in a diagnosis of stage 4 Cholangiocarcinoma- a cancer so aggressive that it only took but 9 months for it to metastasize throughout my dad's body.
For those of you who know my dad and his past, know that he is the definition of a fighter. He has stared death in the face many times in his life and walked away without a scratch. He is the one who taught me the definition of endurance and resilience and their importance especially when you are at your lowest. Well I watched him at his lowest. I watched him endure weekly rounds of heavy chemotherapy, I watched him shed weight, I watched the sparkle fade from his eyes, and I watched him get sick and struggle to walk 5 feet from his chair to the bathroom. In the 4 short months of his diagnosis, I watched this horrendous disease strip my dad of every last bit of his dignity. He finally went home to the Lord on December 18th 2018 after that 4 month war. While I will miss him with every single fiber in my body, I know he is finally able to rest and be at peace.
To honor my dad, Justin, David, Caroline and I will be running a 5k in his honor on September 29th. For those of you that know me, know that I absolutely dispise running, but my dad taught me to push your body to its limits no matter how much it hurts.
Our goal is to reach $1,000 in donations. The money will be donated to the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation and will be used to develop early detection strategies, treatments and ultimately a cure for this horrendous disease.
More information about Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation: Founded in 2006, the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF) is the ONLY non-profit in North America dedicated to finding a cure and improving the quality of life for those affected by bile duct cancer. More than 5,000 people are diagnosed with this hard-to-detect, difficult-to-treat, fatal type of cancer in the United States each year, and incidence is sharply increasing. The five-year relative survival rate for people diagnosed with early-stage bile duct cancer is approximately 30%. However, only about 20% of bile duct cancer is found at an early stage. The
five-year relative survival rate decreases if cancer has spread at the time of diagnosis. We MUST and we WILL find ways for early detection, improved therapies for prolonging life and ultimately a cure.
For those of you who know my dad and his past, know that he is the definition of a fighter. He has stared death in the face many times in his life and walked away without a scratch. He is the one who taught me the definition of endurance and resilience and their importance especially when you are at your lowest. Well I watched him at his lowest. I watched him endure weekly rounds of heavy chemotherapy, I watched him shed weight, I watched the sparkle fade from his eyes, and I watched him get sick and struggle to walk 5 feet from his chair to the bathroom. In the 4 short months of his diagnosis, I watched this horrendous disease strip my dad of every last bit of his dignity. He finally went home to the Lord on December 18th 2018 after that 4 month war. While I will miss him with every single fiber in my body, I know he is finally able to rest and be at peace.
To honor my dad, Justin, David, Caroline and I will be running a 5k in his honor on September 29th. For those of you that know me, know that I absolutely dispise running, but my dad taught me to push your body to its limits no matter how much it hurts.
Our goal is to reach $1,000 in donations. The money will be donated to the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation and will be used to develop early detection strategies, treatments and ultimately a cure for this horrendous disease.
More information about Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation: Founded in 2006, the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF) is the ONLY non-profit in North America dedicated to finding a cure and improving the quality of life for those affected by bile duct cancer. More than 5,000 people are diagnosed with this hard-to-detect, difficult-to-treat, fatal type of cancer in the United States each year, and incidence is sharply increasing. The five-year relative survival rate for people diagnosed with early-stage bile duct cancer is approximately 30%. However, only about 20% of bile duct cancer is found at an early stage. The
five-year relative survival rate decreases if cancer has spread at the time of diagnosis. We MUST and we WILL find ways for early detection, improved therapies for prolonging life and ultimately a cure.
Organizer
Amanda Fontana
Organizer
Funston, NC
Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
