5K To Honor A Loved One

A quick summary of this post: cancer sucks.


I won't get into too many details, but I was very close to my Grandpa. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year and it was the worst thing I've ever seen.  He died in January, and it's still extremely hard to deal with. For me, the best way to honor his memory is to do two things: spend more time with family, and fight against cancer in any way I can.


My family and I spend a lot of time together, but I always try to let them know I'm thinking of them. It's not easy because I moved away from everyone for work, but I do my best. So that first goal is always something I'm working on. But I've started on this second way to honor my Grandpa. I signed up for the American Brain Tumor Association's BT5K. I've tried to do my research and it looks legitimate. The BT5K is a 5K race you can run or walk, and the organization says the fundraising efforts go towards research, brain tumor education programs, and give resources to patients and their families. It's coming up in November, and I've created a team goal of $1,000. I'm asking my family and friends to join my team, and trying to fundraise to meet that goal. 

Grandpa was a selfless man. He had a heart of gold, he was patient and kind,  so giving, and smart. He had his quirks like we all do, but that never changed the way I felt about him. My Grandpa always encouraged me to work hard, and I do that with my job. But on my off time, I want to find a way to keep his memories alive. Anyone who would like to help in some way, please consider working with the organization- taking part in the race, volunteering your time, etc.  If you can donate money to help me reach my goal, that would be fantastic. But I certainly understand that it's not so easy to give, so even sharing this post, or sharing the Instagram and Facebook posts I've put up would be so helpful.

This isn't about helping me, this is about helping the other people who will go through this terrible diseases, who will slowly lose their independence and face the same struggles my Grandpa went through. I couldn't bear to watch someone I love go through that again.  The ABTA estimates nearly 700,000 people are living with a brain tumor diagnosis. That's 700,000 too many.