Sunday, March 8, 2009

Reese's Run



My participation with the Joints in Motion Training Team is not new to most of you but now I can announce that I am officially participating in the Barbados event in December with Marci!  We are really excited to do this and I am extremely humbled that Marci has chosen this event to give back to running.  The fundraising is daunting but having already completed my first marathon, I feel more excited than ever for the event!  

March is Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness month so it fitting that we commence our campaign today.  For most people, arthritis in children is unheard of.  My husband and I didn't even know how to react when we first heard the diagnosis as we had no idea what that meant for a 2 year old who is growing every day.  We have had ups and downs and the future is unknown but as of today, we have a happy, busy little 3 year old thanks to the efforts of her doctors and treatments that didn't exist even a few years ago.  This is why I participant with Joints in Motion because it is all I can do to continue the research and advancements not only for Reese but all the other loved ones who suffer from chronic pain.  

Below is an article posted by the Arthritis Society of Canada:

Affecting about 1 in 1,000 Canadians under the age of 16, juvenile arthritis (JA) is a leading chronic disease among kids in this country. The Arthritis Society uses Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month in March to heighten awareness of this disease and to raise much-needed funds for research that will find better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.

“Arthritis is a crushing reality for many children in Canada; it’s not just their parents or grandparents who are at risk,” says Dr. Brian Feldman, Vice Chair of The Arthritis Society’s Medical Advisory Committee and a paediatric rheumatologist at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. “The course of juvenile arthritis is unpredictable. Painful flare-ups may occur without warning and the child has to undergo a rigorous, time-consuming and sometimes unpleasant treatment program.”

Juvenile arthritis is the result of the body’s immune system not working properly. The immune system fails to recognize healthy body tissue and attacks it. Symptoms include excruciating pain and inflammation in the joints. Depending on the severity of the arthritis, some children experience irregular growth or physical disability.

The rest of the article can be found at the following link.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

In order to kick off our fundraising for the marathon, Marci and I are hosting a virtual race to raise money for the Arthritis Society.

Here are the details:

What:  Reese Run:  4 Mile Virtual Race

When:  April 24th, 2009

Registration:  $10.00 minimum donation (feel free

 to donate more if you can!)

Prizes: Great prizes

Early bird prize (Register before March 24th)

First male

First female


On April 24th, Reese will turn 4 years old.  She has decided that for her 4th birthday she wants to have a Floor Hockey party!  This makes us very happy as less than 2 years ago she couldn't climb the stairs.  To celebrate this, we are hoping that everyone will participate in the event and pass the banner and link on to others that may want to so as well!  Below is the link for the fundraising page:


REGISTER HERE FOR REESE'S RUN


We hope to have great success with our event and welcome your thoughts.  Thank-you for posting on your blog if you can and we are excited to see the results!   

21 comments:

Kim said...

Before I read your blog-I saw it already posted on another's blog-and I haven't even gotten to Marci's yet.

What a great idea!

She is SUCH a cutie.

Denise said...

Great cause! I'll post a link on my next post.

Rookie on the Run said...

OK, first of all, your little girl is such a cutie!! Secondly, great idea to make a virtual race. Now, please tell me what a virtual race is. :D

I'm glad the medical world has made such great strides in treating JRA. It must be so difficult to see your child struggle with movement that the rest of us take for granted.

Mel-2nd Chances said...

she's such a cutie. i'll link to this this week!

Janice {Run Far} said...

I have a marathon the very next day, but an easy 4 miler the day before sounds good to me, especially if it is for a great cause.

Aron said...

sooo awesome! I will be linking it on my blog soon!

teacherwoman said...

Sounds like a wonderful race for a great cause!

RunToTheFinish said...

what a fantastic idea! I have been learning more about this disease in young people lately and I just didn't realize how much it truly effects.

Rookie on the Run said...

Thanks for the explanation. I'll be joining your virtual race- sounds fun and definitely for a great cause!

Carly said...

Awesome idea! I linked you. I wish you lots of luck training and fund raising. I think it is a great idea to have a virtual run to kick things off.

Reese is adorable!

Marcy said...

I saw this on Marci's blog earlier! You know I'll link ya!

AddictedToEndorphins said...

Very great Idea!!! Congrats on signing up for such a big event! I will definately be doing reese's run!!!

She's a beautiful little girl!!

Unknown said...

She is adorable. I will post this on my blog, good luck! I hope you make a lot of money for this cause.

RunnerMom said...

What a great idea! My marathon is April 25, are you flexible on the date the four miles are run? I'm thinking I'll be resting up on April 24!

Lindsay said...

she is so adorable! this is a great idea, even if i won't be able to vie for first female :)

i'm excited for you and her real birthday party and that she seems to be improving!

Kelly(M&M) said...

What a wonderful cause and you are a sweet mom. I will definitely be joining in this. I will figure out how to donate. You need to post this on Marathon Mommy.

Thanks for your comments on my blog. You are very inspiring to me.

Meg said...

What a great idea and great cause!!

Missy said...

OK, now I won't be swimming four miles but swimming a 5K on April 25...a day after your event. I won't be able to run four the day before my race BUT...can we call it even? Trade ya a 5K swim for a four mile run OR a four mile run another day..you pick! I'm in.

Lisa said...

Hey thanks for stopping by. I've been checking your blog as well as those in your blog list and have started following yours. Yeah, I don't see myself ever wanting to run a marathon, 13.1 seems plenty for me.

JP said...

I will see what I can do...what a great event!!!

Meg said...

Good Luck! I will x-post this to my blog and spread the word.

I am a physical therapy student and every year we do an all night volleyball tournament called "Joint Effort" to benefit the Arthritis Foundation. It's coming up in 2 short weeks!