Call me crazy...

...but I just registered to go to the informational meeting for a fundraising half-marathon for CCFA.

It's weird because when I had breast cancer I had zero interest in fundraising or doing anything to raise awareness other than being a personal resource for friends. I feel like breast cancer is on the tip of everyone's tongue. But UC is a whole different story. People don't know what it is. I didn't know until I had it. And people really don't get how awful it is. And I feel like it's totally underfunded.

So I told them in my email that I'm a novice runner and that I can't train or run if I go into a flare, but I'm going to the info meeting anyway.

It is true that running has been the thing that makes me feel most powerful, even though I didn't start it until last year, at 51. LOL

This is scary for me, but it's an exciting idea. Good vibes appreciated!

They have chapters all over the country and if you raise enough pledges they pay for your transportation & lodging at the race site. I gather that walking is acceptable too ;-) I really am a novice at running. I think the longest I've yet run without a walk break is like 2.5 miles.

which race is it? i want to do the one on june 2 in virginia. i am going to the next meeting about it.

That's so great janey. I can't run at all, I wish I could. I did the CCFA walk once. It felt good to do something positive.

That's great that you can run that far and I wish you the best whoever does it.

I just wonder what kind of message a marathon for UC sends to people who don't know anything about UC.
That it can't be that bad? I mean if they can run a 1/2 marathon how bad can it be?
I spent years travelling between known bathroom stops until I got mine controlled at last. That is the reality for many UC'ers. Losing days from work. Cancelling appointments and dinner dates.

I'm not trying to be a spoilsport but I'd love some public education about what life is like for many UC'ers.
A more realistic public event would be a mall walk with bathrooms available.

Again, best wishes and this is just my 2 cents.

imagardner -- the idea is that everyone who is in it is raising awareness for the people from whom they solicit donations. When signing up for the informational meeting, they ask you whether you have a personal connection to UC or Crohn's and, if so, what it is -- family, friend... or self. I suspect that a relatively small number of participants actually are sufferers. As far as the event itself, I've donated to a lot of walks and I've only ever seen one in progress, so the walk itself isn't very informative irrespective of the venue.

From the CCFA website (they sponsor the runs & walks) -- last year the money they raised in their various events did the following:
- Providing over $19 million in research funds
- Serving over 715,000 patients and families with our nationwide education and support programs
- Educating over 72,000 medical professionals to help foster better care for all IBD patients
- Providing a safe space for over 1,220 pediatric IBD patients to “just be kids” rather then being “sick kids” at Camp Oasis

I mean, I hear you. When I first saw the flyer in my mailbox, I kind of snorted. After all, I have UC -- I'm no marathon runner. But then I thought, well, maybe I am. I like it that one of their projects is to educate medical professionals, you know?

Also, back when I had a bit more free time, I did hospice volunteer work. Man, I love that work. That is so clearly the right volunteer work for me. And people would say all the time "You must be a very special person to do that work. That's so hard -- to be around dying people! I would just be sad and depressed the whole time. I admire you for it." The answer to those comments, of course, is that I could afford the time to do it but equally important are the donations to make the hospice continue. Doing the volunteer work was easy for me. It would have been hard for me to give money. So the situation was complementary. I feel like these events are the same thing. Some people can donate time to run (and raise money). Some people can donate money. And some people are the beneficiaries of both.

Does that make sense?