20 Years of Life Outside of My Comfort Zone

The one good thing about having cancer is that it forced me to kick aside routines and leave my comfort zone. I was diagnosed at Stage II and having been young and in good shape, I prepared for the doctors to be overly aggressive in my treatments. For several months, I had no idea what a comfort zone was. 

Nowadays I try my best to live outside my comfort zone as much as possible. Since October 27, 1999, the date of my diagnosis, I've traveled to 40 countries, SCUBA dived the Great Barrier Reef, jumped out of an airplane at 17,000 feet and ran with the bulls in Pamplona. I continue to add and check things off of my bucket list in an effort to make as many memories as I can because memories aren't guaranteed. 

One thing that has always been on my bucket list, and had no intention of ever checking off, was to run a marathon. Years ago, people encouraged me to and I said I'd do one in 2019. It was a knee-jerk answer, but subconsciously there was a reason for the year. 

The lottery for the 2019 Chicago Marathon was approaching and a few friends reminded me of my 2019 claim. So I entered and got selected. I had the option to join an affiliated charity team, but I opted to do it on my own because of 2019 –the 20th anniversary of my diagnosis. 

Once again, I’m choosing to leave my comfort zone and run the Chicago Marathon. While commemorating the 20th anniversary of my diagnosis, my goal is to raise funds in order to continue the life changing research that will help others facing the same ordeal I did. This will be to honor and thank my oncologist, Dr. Lawrence Einhorn, and the team who cared for me.

As I seek to push my body beyond my comfort zone again, please consider making a gift while playing with the “20” theme in the amount. Your support will be the added motivation needed to get out and train on a rainy day, and to cross that finish line on race day. Many thanks in advance for your support and generosity!