To be continued...

Since my last post, my life has felt like a whirlwind. If you haven't read that last post, I talked about the desire that I have had for some time now to start a non-profit organization in honor of my father who passed away when I was fourteen. I had started reading Something That Matters written by Blake Mycoskie, the man who started TOMS. And sure enough, a few days later, I had finally found the perfect idea to start "something that matters"to me. It all started simply enough (although maybe I should rename my blog because that will most likely be the last time I use the word "simple" - its been much harder than I thought!). I was thinking about how I could finally start running again that day for the first time since my foot surgery that May. That's when it hit me - why not start an annual 5k? I immediately started emailing people I knew and some that I didn't on how to get this 5k started. Since then, there have been days where I have run my phone battery down simply from returning e-mails and researching 5ks. 

The 5k is meant to benefit a combination of my father and I's passions. While we both were given big hearts for children, that love is directed in different areas. For my father, it was the Iraqi children, while the children of Uganda hold a dear spot in my heart. A little background on this: I went to Uganda on a medical mission trip in the summer of 2010 and absolutely fell in love. It broke my heart when I had to watch the children run after our bus when it was time to leave. Those precious children radiate joy, even in the face of tremendous tragedies, poverty, and illness. Skip ahead to the summer of 2012: I am now two years into nursing school. I took the required microbiology course this summer. During one of the last lectures, we discussed malaria and learned some disturbing statistics. A child dies every 30 seconds of this horrid disease, a disease we rarely even think about here, a disease that is now an endemic in 109 countries and territories. Three-fourths of these children that die live in Africa. There are prophylactic drugs readily available in America for those traveling to areas where malaria is prevalent and there are a variety of standard drugs used to treat it. In March of 2007, the company Sanofi-Aventis produced a malaria medication designed mainly for the African population. They did not patent the drug in order to maximize its access. It is a three day treatment, costing $1.00 a day for adults and $.50 a day for children. Ok really - we could buy three gum balls for the same price that it would take to cure a child of malaria. How many times do we look at a dollar and think "oh its JUST a dollar"? Well yeah it is just a dollar - a dollar that could pay for  day of malaria treatment for an African adult. That dollar isn't JUST a dollar to them - it could be the difference between life or death. 

Enough of my ranting...obviously, I have decided that the proceeds from this race will go towards buying malaria medication for children in Africa - specifically Uganda. I have yet to work out many of the details, but so far things continue to unfold perfectly when I least expect it. I have a meeting at City Hall on Thursday to finalize the date and location as well as obtain additional information on just what I need, how many volunteers, etc. But for now, the date is set for Sunday, November 4, 2012 - MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Also, if you have any advice or ideas (especially if you are artistic or creative seeing as God did not give me those gifts) please please let me know - every bit of input is appreciated!! I will be posting more information as it is finalized. I am SO excited!