Can't be beat

So, it has been a while since I last posted. Last I left you I was preparing for a 12 hour mountain bike race. Well, the race went pretty well, our team got third in our class. But, my brother had a crash that cut his head so my concern for that far outweighed the podium finish. I skipped the ceremonies to go hang with my brother at Oak Ridge Methodist while he waited for a stitch job. He is doing much better and will hopefully not have too bad of a scar on his forehead. I won't go into details about the race, but if you want to know more, there is another blog you can read that will have a more in depth analysis of the competition and debauchery that took place. So check that in a few days for some fun stories.

Today is my birthday and of course I do have a run planned. Chris and I will be meeting up after work to hit the pavement for a few miles. Amanda got me some sweet new cold weather running gear for my birthday so if it gets nippy out, I'll be toasty. I probably won't be going for long distance today, or even a fast time for that matter. My legs just won't feel up to it after Saturday's race.

I have also decided on a charity to give all of your donations to. Several days after beginning this venture, I was thinking about how this money would be best served. I was thinking that there are a lot of cancer research facilities, but not all of them have programs to help folks pay for the expensive treatment. I've had extended stays in hospitals before and can tell you first hand that they are not cheap, and if you don't have insurance, there can be a LOT of zeroes attached to a bill. So I wanted your donations to go to help people who probably can't afford to pay for the treatment that could save their lives. I couldn't really find an organization that did only that, but I found a couple that were close to the mark.

Several years ago I learned that a girl I graduate high school with has a son who was diagnosed with cancer as an infant. She and her family spent lots of time at the St. Jude's Hospital and, from what I can tell, had only great things to say about it. St. Jude's not only treats children with cancer, but also finds ways to make the treatment as affordable as possible, so that is where your donations will go.

If you would like more information on St. Jude's, visit their website, and if you know someone who has first hand experiences with them, ask them about it.

This excerpt is pulled straight from their website:

St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay.

You can't beat that.