Race for the Cure

Hi Everyone!

After completing my first half marathon in May of this year, I have decided to run the Chicago Marathon, which will be held on October 11, 2009.

In addition to running the marathon for my own personal goal, I have decided to join a charity group and run for charity. I chose to run for the Chicago Diabetes Project.

Why did I choose the Chicago Diabetes Project?

When I was in high school my dad always bugged me to run and told me I should join track. I pretty much thought he was crazy and I hated running then. However, in the last year and a half I have started running and now I really enjoy it. As some of you may know, my dad is a Type I diabetic and he has struggled and controlled the disease since was 14 years old. Prior to the disease, he enjoyed running and track but was not able to compete in these sports when he was diagnosed. With less technology back then it was harder to control. With the research that has been done in more recent years it is easier to control diabetes if you have the self discipline. So, I picked the diabetes charity because I have seen the ups and downs and my dad is the one who always bugged me about runningJ

Diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions. In 1985 there were 30 million diabetics. Today the number has skyrocketed to more than 197 million. By the year 2025, diabetes will affect more than 300 million people worldwide if the epidemic isn’t stopped.

The mission of the Chicago Diabetes Project is to make islet cell transplantation the most viable option for diabetes treatment. This international collaboration of qualified researchers and physicians is dedicated to finding a functional cure. To learn more, visit ChicagoDiabetesProject.org.

My goal is to raise $800 in donations and every little bit counts! If you are able, I would greatly appreciate your help in the race for the cure!

To donate please go to the website below.
www.active.com/donate/cellmatesontherun/staciwagnerchicagoma

And spectators are greatly appreciated throughout this run, so if you would like to attend, please let me know!

Love
Staci