Our company philosophy is based in large part on service to others. Thatâs why we are beyond proud of our pet sitter and Office Coordinator, Beccie, for dedicating her time off to raising money with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. We hope you read her story, and consider donating to raise money for cancer research. Please share her story with your friends as well. Thank you!
My Experience with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Societyâs Team in Training
Like many folksâ New Yearâs resolutions, my resolution this year was to be healthier and, as a result, happier. As part of that initiative, I joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training to train for a half-marathon in April. I have never done anything like this, in terms of a physical challenge. In fact, even the idea that I could run 13.1 miles was completely alien to me.
I started off strong, with my coaches and teammates giving me the moniker “Speedy Gonzalez”. So happy and proud of my accomplishments, and starting to feel much healthier through all the training, I had never felt more motivated. I am currently suffering from a minor set-back with the onset of ITBS, or Iliotibial Band Syndrome, in which somewhere around the two mile mark, my knee siezes up. I had been seeing a chiropractor, and have now switched over to an athletic physical therapist in the hopes that I can correct the issue before the half-marathon. It has been a source of frustration for me, but I am not giving up.
My new physical therapist is wonderful, and totally optimistic that I will be able to run much more than two miles soon and get back on my training routine. Either way, I signed up to run and walk, so I know I can make the 13.1 miles, even if I can’t run the whole thing. I’ve made it through to the other side of the intense frustration and realized it’s the cause that truly matters to me.
I currently have a close, long-time friend receiving intense treatment at UM’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and Leukemia took my maternal grandmother in 2001. I think cancer is one of the most devastating diseases — it takes so many forms and does not discriminate. I have lost many of my family members to different cancers, but instead of living in fear of it, I have chosen to be proactive and to look for hope and share that hope with others. I have also resolved to lead a totally healthy and active life, which luckily walking and running with dogs has helped with! So far, I feel wonderful.
Would You Donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society?
Beccieâs fundraising initiative is drawing to a close and she has to meet her minimum goal to participate. At 74% she is close, but not close enough. Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society? $0.82 of every dollar goes directly to research, and to programs geared to help patients (and their family & friends) dealing with blood cancers. Please consider the impact even a small donation could make. She has, and that is why she is pushing herself to run this half-marathon for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Thanks so much for your support!
A founding member of the Equipaws family, Frankie can mostly be found working behind the scenes, helping co-create online branding, managing several social media accounts, designing brand collateral, writing copy, and managing events. She also fills in for pet sitters and dog walkers when needed in Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, and South Miami. Her own small pack consists of Boots the Shih Tzu mix and Nutmeg the Chiweenie.
