What a year!
Wow! What a difference a year makes! If you’re on this page, and don’t know why I raise money for Fisher House, please read below. For those of you who have donated in the past, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you!
This year has been hard for everyone in one way or another, it’s been a really tough year for me too. Anniversaries have been especially tough. I put a lot of thought into deciding whether or not to ask for donations this year. In my heart, I know I have to, there are service members and families that need this. If you can donate, thank you, if not, I hope you continue reading to see why I choose this charity.
This will be my fourth year participating in the Marine Corps Marathon and I’m sure this will be the most challenging year yet. This will be a virtual 26.2 miles, no official course, no historic landmarks, no crowd support...a true challenge! A few lines from one of the songs that help me do this...”if you’re reading this”....
2019
My story doesn't change
2018
Last October I ran the Marine Corps Marathon for the first time...maybe saying I ran is a bit of a stretch...let's say I completed the marathon! It was such an emotional experience for me, crying most of the way! With tears in my eyes and tissues in my hand, I crossed the finish line, got my medal and cried even more! My story will never change. The reason the race is so emotional for me (on so many levels) will never change. And, the reason I will continue to raise money for this foundation remains the same.
2017
I've been running for a few years now, last year I ran my first marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon then became a goal for me. I signed up for the lottery...I got in! I can't explain the feeling, I was a overcome with so many emotions, for so many reasons. I'm going to be one of the thousands running through Arlington past all of the monuments (I'm not fast so I can enjoy them) and conquering the hills (I hear there are hills) in October! I was selected through the lottery, I didn't need to join a team or raise money for a charity...but I did, and here is why...
In 1994 we were stationed in California and my husband, a Marine, was preparing for a one year unaccompanied deployment. My daughter was 3, I was pregnant and my husband was leaving for a year. The plan was for my daughter and I to return home to Pennsylvania while he was overseas. The three of us came back home to PA, my daughter and I to stay and my husband to visit before before he left. While in PA, my husband hadn't been feeling well, went to the doctor and ended up in the hospital. They did a bone marrow aspiration. My husband was diagnosed with lukemia. Since he was active duty, he had to go to the Naval Station in Philadelphia to find out about treatment. We were told he had to go to a military hospital, the closest one was in Bethesda, Maryland. I remember saying to the person we met with..."so you expect him to go to another state, away from family and go through this alone? I was overwhelmed with so many thoughts and emotions... how are we going to do this, how can we afford a hotel, I need to be close to the hospital..." and the list goes on! The answer I got was "No ma'am, we don't expect him to go through this alone, we will make arrangements for you and your daughter to stay at a place close to the hospital to be near him." Within a few days, we left for Bethesda. My husband was going for treatment and my daughter and I would be close by. The house they made arrangements for us to stay in, was Fisher House. I can't express how much it meant for us to be close to the hospital and not have to worry about a place to stay or being able to afford it.
