Why LIVESTRONG?

My senior year in high school I took physics.  My teacher's name was Mr. Sanchez.  I remember that it started out easy enough - "An object in motion tends to stay in motion. An object at rest tends to stay at rest." - but it quickly became much more difficult.  Mr. Sanchez had told us that our final exam would be an essay format and that we should bring a blue book (Well, I might have that blue book thing mixed up with college, I'm not sure.  But it was definitely essay format).

Our class had spent the days before talking over what might the essay exam be for physics, with many different suggestions and opinions.  But I think it's probably fair to say, none of us were totally prepared for what Mr. Sanchez had prepared.  The essay exam consisted of a single question - "Why physics?"  I'm pretty sure I rambled on for several pages about how physics was the foundation for understanding all things in the universe.  I think one kid may have answered "Why not?"  I don't remember what I got on that exam - but I remember that moment when I was faced with that question.  "Why?" is probably the first question we ask as a kid.  With answers that never seem entirely satisfying.  And, it seems, the answers never get any easier.  "Why?" is a tough question.

Which brings me to my point (and yes I do have one).  I've done fundraisers in the past - three in fact - for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through their Team In Training program.  You could say this is how I got bit by the fundraising bug.  I did that first event to honor my friend and mentor John Sloan.  That first experience with TNT was so overwhelmingly positive that I wanted to do it again.  And then add to that, more people I know kept getting cancer, and so I did two more fundraisers - both with TNT.

This time I'm doing an event for LIVESTRONG.  And here comes the question: "Why LIVESTRONG?" Well, the answer to this "Why?" is actually fairly easy.  My Mom was diagnosed and treated for a rather rare form of cancer - anal cancer.  It's the same cancer that Farrah Fawcett had.  It has a rather aggressive and difficult treatment program.  But it in my Mom's case it was successful.  There's no official cancer organization affiliated with anal cancer.  So my Mom adopted LIVESTRONG as her organization.  So the answer to "Why LIVESTRONG?" is because it's the organization that represents my Mom.

LIVESTRONG actually represents many, many cancer patients, families and caregivers.  Now, I know there's been a LOT in the press recently about Lance Armstrong.  I've got my opinions, but I'm going to save them.  Because this isn't about Lance.  It's about LIVESTRONG - an organization that for 15 years has been funding programs, helping patients get access to care, and maybe most importantly, raising the collective consciousness of cancer.  I think it's fair to say that LIVESTRONG has elevated the conversation and drawn more attention to this crummy, awful disease.  And to me, that's a very good thing.

I hope you'll help me, help LIVESTRONG fight cancer.