At the ripe old age of 48, I have decided to run my first full Marathon! I want to raise money for families who either have no health insurance or who are having difficulties with their insurance. This summer I understood how helpless and desperate they must feel . While out on a bike ride, my boyfriend called me asking for help. He had an extremely rapid and irregular heart rate, was breathless, lightheaded and scared. My reaction was one that we would all have, “ We’re going to The ER, now!” Simple and obvious. But he refused. He refused because he knew that, owing to his pre-existing condition, Leukemia, the deductible would be around $8,000. He preferred to wait it out and see if his heart corrected itself ( which, mercifully , it did-that time). An $8,000 medical bill would have caused a great deal of financial hardship. It was 2009 and times were a little tough. As I lay there that night , terrified that he wouldn’t wake up in the morning, I cursed the insurance companies, the government and even God. And then I had a horrible and humbling realization. We are people who have jobs, families, a house, a reasonable income and who generally enjoy excellent health. We’ve paid our taxes, been honest and responsible. This kind of thing doesn’t happen to people like us, right? Wrong! This can happen to anyone at any time. Life just has to throw you a couple of its curve balls and there you are, just like that. Helpless. How must it feel for those who are less well off, who lose their jobs and houses have skyrocketing medical bills and little or no hope of recourse? I was stunned and ashamed of my arrogance and shortsightedness and made a decision to make a change. That’s when I decided to run the Pasadena Marathon for Maximum Hope Foundation. Maximum Hope raises money for the families of terminally ill children to help with medical bills, rent, groceries etc. 100% of the money raised goes to these families. I feel very fortunate to be able to use my God-given good health to raise money for those who are not so lucky. No pain that I will feel while running this marathon (and I WILL feel pain!) will be anything close to the pain felt by these families of sick and dying children. But I will embrace it, knowing that every painful step I take, I will be doing my best to run in their shoes. Please join me in spirit by making a donation, no matter how small, to Maximum Hope Foundation.

I will be running the Pasadena Marathon on Feb 21 2010. You can donate by clicking on the link below or sending a check to the address listed below. Thank you for your generosity.

Maximum Hope Foundation
10866 Wilshire Blvd, # 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(818) 438-8038
E-mail: info@maximumhopefoundation.org  
Website: http://www.maximumhopefoundation.org/events.htm