Running for HOPE in the Boston Marathon

After many (ten!) marathon attempts over several (six!) years, I was able to reach my qualifying time for the Boston Marathon. Thousands of miles, thousands of hours, long distance running. Plenty of time to think about so many blessings, work out difficulties and reflect on the thousands of people (patients, family, friends) who are woven into life’s fabric.

We all have people in our lives who amaze and inspire us, who face adversity with grace and courage, who make us feel that we too can overcome whatever problems life may serve up. “If _____ can be strong, then surely I can too.” Or “my problems are nothing compared to what ______ is dealing with.” You and I can fill in the blank with so many (too many) names. Thousands of role models to help us through life’s valleys, to draw our eyes to life’s peaks, to give us hope. Is there anything stronger?

I am running the 2015 Boston Marathon for the Cancer Hope Network in honor of the (too) many people in my life who have fought the good fight against their disease. In doing,so they have touched and shaped the lives of many others, often unwittingly, always profoundly.

The Cancer Hope Network, a national non-profit organization, provides free and confidential one-on-one support to people undergoing treatment for cancer, as well as their caregivers and families, by matching patients to survivors who have undergone and recovered from a similar diagnosis and treatment experience. The Cancer Hope Network shares the successful experiences of cancer survivors, dispelling fears, myths, and uncertainty, and replaces those with the feeling of hope after diagnosis. To learn more, please visit their website (www.cancerhopenetwork.org) or click here, to learn why it holds an especially warm place in my heart (love you Mom!).

Please join me in supporting the Cancer Hope Network and in honoring those in our lives who give us hope. Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts. Many thanks for your support — and please forward this by email, Facebook or Twitter to anyone who you think might want to donate too!

Hope, and love, truly conquers all. God Bless.

With warmest regards,

Curtis Byrnes, D.O., Allentown Family Medicine