Oh yeah, I’ve got to raise money too
With less than three months left before the marathon, I’m feeling really good about my fitness and training. I ran the Boston Prep 16 miler last weekend and felt great; at this point I just need to maintain my health and run a few more long runs and I’ll be ready for the marathon. Now comes the second challenge - raising money again for the Barr Program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
I’ve been really hesitant to begin fundraising this year, primarily because I’ve been nervous about getting injured again. I can’t imagine how crappy it would be for this endeavor to get sidelined for a second year. The worst part would be to tell my sponsors that I failed to honor their donations yet again. However, I’ve committed to raising money for a good cause, and the running really is a secondary piece of the story. I drafted the letter below specifically for last year’s sponsors. While it was tough to go back to the well and ask them for money when I never actually earned their donations last year, I was reassured by many that they were thrilled to support me again this year. If you are so inclined, I’d certainly appreciate your support. I’ll be sending out a letter for other potential donors as well, hopefully early next week.
—————————————————————————————————————————-
First of all, I want to thank you again for your generous donation last year to my 2010 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge. Thanks in part to your sponsorship I was able to raise $5,612 for the Claudia Adams Barr Program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In sum, the 2010 DFMC Team raised over $4,000,000; it’s worth mentioning again that every single dollar of that total went directly to funding the world’s most innovative cancer research.
Continuing the theme of marathons and cancer research, two things of note did not happen last year: I didn’t run the 2010 Boston Marathon, and as far as I can tell, a cure for cancer was not discovered. That’s not intended to sound depressing or defeatist, it is simply a fact. At the most fundamental level, those two non-events are the reasons I’m back again this year. Of course, my Mom’s memory continues to command a large portion of my motivation as well.
As you know, my 2010 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge was derailed last February by a severe stress fracture that left me in a walking boot for 2 months. I was disappointed that I couldn’t run the marathon, but I was equally frustrated by the fact that I wouldn’t be honoring your sponsorship. Rationally speaking, I knew that your donation was ultimately intended for cancer research and not for me, but I still felt a sense of obligation. So in June - as soon as I got the doctor’s permission to begin running again - I signed up for two races to at least partially earn those sponsorship dollars. Fortunately, I was able to run both races: the B.A.A. Half Marathon and the Reach the Beach Relay, a 200 mile relay race that begins in Franconia Notch, NH and ends at Hampton Beach (I ran about 17 of those 200 miles). At the very least, I hope this effort demonstrates my commitment.
But enough about me. I want to tell you one specific story about how the Barr Program at the DFCI specifically impacted the fight against cancer. Fourteen years ago, Dr. William Sellers (a Barr Investigator) got a grant from the Barr Program that came directly from DFMC runners’ fundraising. Labeled the “Kinome Project”, Dr. Sellers and his colleagues discovered mutations in a family of genes called “kinases” that prevent cell growth stimulators from being turned off, resulting in cancer cells that replicate uncontrollably. This discovery enabled the development of drugs that specifically target these kinases and successfully eliminate or slow the growth of cancer cells. An example of widely-used drugs that resulted from insights gained in part from the Kinome Project includes Iressa and Taraceva for lung cancer. Maybe you know someone who was treated with these drugs. Now you know how where they came from. In 21 years of the DFMC and $47 million dollars raised, there are tens more stories just like this one. But there is always room for more.
In closing, I’d like to ask that you imagine a year – a single year – when you don’t hear about a family member, friend or colleague who has to deal with cancer. Wouldn’t that be nice? I’m only 31 and I can’t remember the last full year where there wasn’t someone I know who was fighting this disease. The reality is that we probably won’t cure cancer in our lifetimes, but I do believe that we can continue to make positive strides towards that ultimate goal. And maybe, in the near future, we’ll each have a year where we don’t have a friend or loved one who is affected by cancer.
On April 18th, 2011, I’ll be making my 2nd attempt at running the Boston Marathon for the DFMC. If you’d like to support me again this year, you can donate online at DFMC Link. To donate by check, please make it payable to the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge and mail it directly to my home address listed below. Feel free to call or email me with any questions or comments.
Sincerely,
Mark Loranger
