I am so excited to be running 4 miles in honor of my mother at this year’s Get Your Rear in Gear – Philadelphia. She bravely and triumphantly fought Stage IV Metastatic Colon Cancer several years ago and has luckily been cancer free for 2.5 years (which is a medical miracle). I participated in GYRIG Philly’s 2013 event for the first time last year and proudly trained and survived the 10k run. I have never run that far or trained so hard in my life. Running through the beautiful city streets of Philadelphia during training was so exhilarating. However, my mind loved the experience much more than my feet and knees did!
Although the run is much shorter this year, I am going to still train hard and try to get my minute/mile time down from last year. Unfortunately, training outside in the winter is going to be a challenge this year (the Polar Vortex is intense!). However, any pain and suffering that I might endure will not hold a candle to what my mother went through. She never let cancer defeat her will and spirit. I will try to not let this unbearable cold hinder my performance and drive.
My mother was treated at the Pennsylvania Hospital and the Joan Karnell Cancer Center in Philadelphia. The surgeons, doctors, and nurses that cared after my mother were all amazing and I truly thank them for helping my mother beat cancer. I am thrilled that the money raised for the Philadelphia Get Your Rear In Gear event will be benefiting the local community where my mother received her treatment, because I hope that everyone will be able to have the same type of stellar medical care. Her miraculous story was featured in the article that I wrote for Get Your Rear in Gear’s Faces of Blue series. Please click here to read it.
Last year, I was amazed by the outpouring of support that I received at the exercise related events that I organized at Gratitude Yoga, Dig Yoga, and T Cycle X! In just several months, Team Bonded Forever managed to raise $1,435.00! I hope I can match or beat the amount this year! I have some exciting fundraising events coming up in February. Stay tuned!
During the month of February and March, Bonded Forever will be donating a portion of its proceeds to Get Your Rear in Gear Philadelphia. Please shop to support!
If you would like to make a donation directly, please go to Bonded Forever’s GYRIG Team Page.
Tagged as:
colon cancer awareness,
colon cancer coalition,
dig yoga,
faces of blue,
get your rear in gear,
gratitude yoga,
GYRIG Philly,
t cycle x
Instagram: Dig Yoga yogis got their “Rears in Gear” for Team Bonded Forever’s GRYIG Fundraiser
Team Bonded Forever’s final Get Your Rear in Gear fundraiser took place at Dig Yoga Philadelphia on March 15th. The studio’s yoga superstar co-owners, Mariel Freeman and Sue Elkind, led a challenging and alignment based mixed levels yoga class that fed the body, mind, and soul. Sue and Mariel both have a great sense of humor, an insane understanding and knowledge of anatomy and alignment, the ability to give directions and break down each posture with precise articulation and imagery, and boundless amounts of positivity and grace. I always leave their classes with a better understanding of my posture and movement and a big smile on my face. Their positivity is so infectious!
I am so thankful for all of the people that showed up to support my cause, practice yoga with me, and donate money. Mariel and Sue were especially amazing that night and I loved their enthusiastic willingness to dedicate their time and studio space for this event. We ended up raising $425 dollars that night, which helped me exceed my team’s donation goal of $1000 by several hundred dollars!!! Money aside, I am also equally appreciative for the outpouring of love that I received that night. Everyone wished me good luck on my run and voiced that they hope my mother continues to stay healthy and cancer free. I definitely channeled their good wishes and happy vibes during the tougher parts of my 10k run on March 17th.
I also want to give a big thank you to Sweet Freedom Bakery. They donated a sizable amount of vegan/gluten-free/a lot of other stuff-free brownies and magic bars (which are super delicious despite the lack of traditional baking ingredients). The sweets were a big hit; everyone left the studio extra happy.
I will be posting a blog about my GYRIG 10k event soon. There are some great photographs of my team and I inside a large blow-up colon tunnel (it’s pretty hilarious). Stay tuned.
Tagged as:
colon cancer,
dig yoga,
get your rear in gear,
GYRIG,
mariel freeman,
sue elkind,
sweet freedom bakery
Bonded Forever has teamed up with Gratitude Yoga, T Cycle X, and Dig Yoga to help raise money for the Colon Cancer Coalition’s 2013 Get Your Rear in Gear Philadelphia run/walk event on March 17th. The suggested donation is $15 for all three events.
Bonded Forever will be raffling off a Hope Collection Stay Grounded Supporter Bracelet at all three locations. Please remember to sign up for the raffle when you arrive!
My favorite vegan/gluten-free bakery, Sweet Freedom, will be donating some yummy treats for Dig Yoga’s event. T Cycle X’s classes will both have a live DJ.
If you cannot attend one of these events and would still like to donate or sign up for the run/walk, please go to Bonded Forever’s team page.
Tagged as:
bonded forever jewelry,
dig yoga,
get your year in gear,
gratitude yoga,
GYRIG,
stay grounded supporter bracelet,
sweet freedom bakery,
t cycle x
