My 15 Minutes of Fame

I had such a great week! Dave nominated me to be one of Self Magazine's first ever "Women who Do Good". Self received thousands of applications yet they chose me! In addition to donating $10,000 to CycleForSurvival (the new name of our event - please check out cycleforsurvival.org), they held an awards ceremony at The Top of The Rock in New York City. Hoda Kotb from The Today Show was the host of the evening and she invited us to appear on her show to talk about our work (see link below). The evening was truly wonderful. Self held a photo shoot (video to come) and it was so much fun...I got my hair cut, my make-up done and had a stylist pick out all of my clothes. Now I just need to grow 8 inches and lose 30 pounds so I can look like Giselle Bundchen and make this my lifestyle :) I could get used to this!

Dave's Nomation
At the age of 33, my wife Jen was (and still is) a beautiful woman. It was 2004, and Jen was the picture of good health. She ate the right foods and exercised almost every day. We were newly married and both enjoying success in our careers after graduating from a prestigious business school. Everything seemed right in the world.

However, late that same year, Jen experienced persistent flu-like symptoms, constant night sweats, and a loss of appetite. She went through a range of tests before receiving the diagnosis – she had Sarcoma, a rare and often fatal form of cancer.

Rather than letting this diagnosis defeat her, Jen used it as an inspiration to make the world a better place. She is “doing good” each and every day by raising important funds for cancer research and by inspiring patients all over the world to fight against this deadly disease.

Even while undergoing 3 major surgeries and more than 24 months of chemotherapy which continues to this very day, Jen decided to help others in need. Starting completely from scratch, Jen created Spin4Survival (http://www.spin4survival.org/) to raise money directly for cancer research, with a particular focus on less common “orphan” cancers that don’t receive the funding they desperately require.

Jen is being treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. MSKCC is a leading cancer hospital with a long history that dates back to the 1800’s. However, they had never seen an event like Spin4Survival; they proudly told Jen that it was the most successful patient-organized fundraiser in its history!

In just two short years, this indoor “spin-a-thon” raised more than $850,000 for cancer research. Each day of indoor cycling was an inspirational day of sweat, emotions, and “doing good” for everyone whose lives have unfortunately been touched by cancer. The money raised by Spin4Survival goes directly into research studies, which already have benefited cancer patients through improved treatment protocols.

Furthermore, Jen has been an inspiration to people around the world. Her time is scarce as she juggles chemotherapy treatments, daily exercise, Spin4Survival, and a full-time career as a marketing executive. However, Jen always makes time to help those who reach out to her after reading her blog or hearing her story. Every week we receive calls and emails – cancer patients tell Jen how she inspires them to live without fear, and perfectly healthy people say that Jen reminds them of what is truly important in life. As just one example, a cancer patient recently wrote to Jen and said, “I find comfort in the fact that another young, vibrant person is going through this. Jen, you have truly helped and inspired me.”

Jen often says, “I have cancer, but cancer doesn’t have me.” With that positive attitude and desire to help others, she has made the world a better place by rallying people to raise funds for critical research and by inspiring them to live their lives to the fullest.

The Highs and the Lows of Remission

I have been meaning to catch up on my journal for a long time. The truth is that the last 4-6 weeks have been filled with lots of highs and lows.

The highs were that I got to see two of my very good friends get married. Dave and I travelled to Uitca, NY for our anniversary weekend (5 years already!) to see Vicky and Joey get married.

The next weekend, we flew to Gorgeous Aspen, Colorado to see Karen and Ian get married. Both weddings were so special and we had such a good time. The highlight of the Aspen weekend is that my friend Jen and I went on a really tough uphill hike that I never thought I could have done. It was straight uphill and my weakened lung capacity from the chemo with the change in elevation made it really challenging. But I did it and felt really great when I was done!

The lows have been that it has been a bit hard to readjust to the new "normal." On the whole, I am doing well although the fact that I still feel so much weaker than I did prior to my treatments really frustrates me.
I have been exeriencing a few days where I am very sad and just want to be alone. I have other days when I am just very tired and sleep a lot. The doctors at MSKCC tell me that this is completely natural and that often "there is so much focus on the body that the head is the last thing to really recover".
So, I find myself wanting to be by myself a lot. I am often completely happy staying in on the weekends rather than going out and being very social. Sometimes I think it is because I don't want the pressure of having to be "on" when I am going through so much internally. I know that when I am alone, I don't have to explain myself to anyone.
I am slowly but surely trying to get "out there" a bit more. I really enjoy my time at the gym exercising although my workouts are not as good as they used to be.
I am often my own worst enemy. I put so much pressure on myself to "feel better" or to "get back to fighting form". I really have to remember to listen to my body and that time will heal all wounds.