Breath4CF, competitions, running »

Who can believe that it is already the 1st of March? Where have the first 2 months of 2010 already gone?

I’ve been busy working on my house, working on some career goals, enjoying Master P and how much he is changing while in the background, my I Will List for 2010 seems to just be materializing. There is something about writing goals down, for me I get to see what is really important to me and my brain starts to think about how I can make it happen.

In October 2009, I got back to running and I am enjoying it immensely. But around that same time I started thinking about physical health more and how lucky I am to be able to make a choice to be healthy. How I can just go outside and run without fear of safety. I also started thinking about social media and all the friends/connections I have made from meeting people through Twitter, LinkedIN, Facebook and countless other online groups. In the back of my brain I was already thinking I would love to combine the 2 for good, but I still wasn’t sure how.

Things started to click into place when I read the autobiography of Kiwi mum Tracey Richardson. I stumbled across it at the library – it is such an inspiring read for mothers, you can read my book review of it here. From there my mind started putting the pieces together and one of my I Will List items is now looking as if it will be checked off.

I’ve decided to dedicate my Half Marathon run on May 1 to The Cystic Fibrosis Association of New Zealand by aiming to raise $4000 for the associated Breath4CF grant.

Here’s a little background….

Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited disorder. A baby can only be born with the disease if both parents carry the abnormal gene. This is what is known as an ‘autosomal recessive’ inheritance. Normally the mucus in our bodies is thin and slippery and works as a lubricant. In CF, however, the mucus becomes very thick and sticky, blocking the tiny tubes and ducts of various organs. In approximately 90 per cent of patients the ducts in the pancreas are blocked, and so digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas are unable to flow into the digestive tract. Mucus may also block the tiny bronchial tubes in the lungs causing shortness of breath and a chronic cough.

Recurrent respiratory infections, and malabsorption due to pancreatic insufficiency are the major clinical manifestations of the condition.

Imagine a child not being able to so desperately get the physical activity they need to survive? Cystic Fibrosis(CF) is New Zealand’s most common life-threatening inherited disease, and with regular physical activity, a child with CF can hope to live to an average of 30 years in New Zealand. But, with the high cost of medical treatments associated with CF, many parents find it difficult to also carry the cost of extras like sports team fees, a bicycle, horseback riding courses or the purchase of a trampoline.

This is where Breath4CF comes in. In association with the Cystic Fibrosis Association of New Zealand, Breath4CF manages a grant that allows families of children with CF to receive financial assistance to help them participate in life preserving physical activity.

Breath4CF was started by Kiwi mum Tracey Richardson. At the time she was a depressed and overweight mother of 2 children with CF. She went on to compete in 2 Ironman events in order to spread the message about CF and the positive effects physical activity had for people with CF. In the process she raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and started the Breath4CF Fund.

In the spirit of Breath4CF, I am training to complete my first ever Half Marathon in Hanmer Springs on May 1, 2010. I will be spreading the word about the charity through online fundraising and social media. If Tracey can do what she did, I believe I can raise at least $4000 through my efforts.

This is where you the readers come in. I will be holding a raffle and auction during the last week of March. Donations will be collected through GiveALittle and you will go in the draw to win prizes such as The Swift Mountain Buggy from Phil &Ted’s, tickets to The Canterbury Crusaders vs the Brumbies on May 15 at AMI Stadium and much more – sponsors are being added all the time.

So here is how you can help —>

1. Sign up to receive regular updates from this blog so that you can keep in the loop of when new sponsors are added and what great raffle/auction items are being added. You can sign up to the Facebook Fan Page or Follow through Google Connect from the sidebar on the right handside of this blog and keep up to date on Twitter where I will be using the #breath4cf hashtag.

2. Add March 22 to your calendar! That is when all the fun will begin

3. Start saving your pennies so that you can bid at auction or going in the draw for a prize. Items will start at $5-$10 and all proceeds will go to Breath4CF to help children enjoy much needed physical activity.

4. If you have a product that you would like to donate for raffle, please contact me. I can setup items for raffle from New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the US and items can be for mother, babies, dads or the whole family.

5. Follow me on my quest as I try to run my first Half Marathon. I need all the support I can get and I would appreciate your comments and words of encouragement here as I check in every week.

6. Use your influence to share my mission with your network. You can start by sharing this post by choosing your preferred network (Facebook, Twitter, etc) from under “Share and Enjoy” at the end of this post. And retweet my tweets.

Thanks for your help