together without limits!

There is so much I want to write, so many thoughts running through my head, that I need time to sort through, so there will be certainly be a follow-up to this attempt at a coherent post. Nevertheless, I wanted to write down SOMETHING about what an amazing weekend I had!

It seems all too perfect that the theme for this year's THON was "Together Without Limits." What the Hope Express team did this past week proved just that. When people come together with the same passion and drive to achieve something, it's unbelievable what can be accomplished. Leading up to this weekend, I spoke countless times about the 135-miles that separated the kids at Hershey Medical that wouldn't be attending THON and the 46-hour Dance MaraTHON at Penn State, and the journey I would take with 14 other runners to bridge the gap between the two special places. I thought about it again and again, but until it was done, until I covered those 135-miles, did I realize how crazy of a dream it was for it to ever even be dreamt. I am SO PROUD of my teammates for how hard they pushed, both themselves and each other, to make sure we did our part in bringing hope to these incredible families who fight every day against pediatric cancer. The journey was amazing, and I feel so fortunate to not only have been a part of this incredible experience with them, but to now know them and be part of a family with them. What we shared in those 24+ hours will forever be etched in my heart, and will certainly push me, all the rest of my days, to be the best I can be. You inspire me and I hope that I can touch lives the way you have touched mine.

Charles Millard, the father of Christopher Millard whose loss in his fight against cancer began the Four Diamonds Fund, spoke in the last hours of THON today and he shared the quote: "When we do things for ourselves, they die with us. When we do things for humanity, they live on forever." There's nothing I can even say in response to that...those words say it all right there.