Coast to Coast for a Cure

Hey everyone!

I know it’s been a while since I’ve seen most of you but time seems to be flying by for me. This first year of medical school has been really fun, but fun in a retrospective way. It’s a ton of work and a lot to learn, but I really enjoy it and I’m amazed at how far I’ve come since I started. I still manage to run but of course not as much as I’d like, plus no group runs OR coffee after – just solo runs with lectures after (other things I miss: Ultra’s woo woo woo’s, Loopy’s giant smile, and Iggy’s quotes). My roommate has a big yellow lab who loves to run so I’ve got a great running partner to keep me company in the morning and pester, I mean, motivate me to run even if I was up late studying which is a huge help. But, while I’m running in the morning, I don’t have much time for good long runs so I’ve had to cut back on my ultra schedule which is perhaps the hardest part of med school. Luckily though, I found something to give me my endurance fix.

So, as you know, I like really tough challenges. I’ve run 100 mile races, I’ve run with the bulls in Spain, and I even lived at home after I graduated college!  Those experiences I did for myself, but now, I’ve found in my enthusiasm for the extreme, a way to make a significant impact in the lives of others. This summer, I will spend the better part of 8 weeks cycling across the US, from San Francisco all the way back to Farmington, CT. Three of my classmates will be joining me and our entire ride will be unsupported thus we will carry what we can on our bikes and rely on the generosity of those we meet for any additional care we may need.

We chose to do this to benefit Lea’s Foundation, a Hartford-based non-profit charity. In 1998, Lea Economos, a young woman dying at the age of 28 from leukemia, asked of her parents that they carry on her memory by searching for a cure so that no one else would have to suffer as she did. To that end, her parents created this foundation to fulfill Lea’s wish. Today, Lea’s Foundation takes an active role in finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and myeloma and helps better the lives of people living with these diseases. At the UCONN Health Center, the Lea’s Foundation Center for Hematologic Disorders sponsors research in this field and recently, a new program was started that covers the cost of bone-marrow testing to help recruit life-saving transplants for patients. Additionally, annual scholarships are given to children with leukemia who are planning to attend nursery school. For more information on other projects carried out by Lea’s Foundation, please visit their website.

So I hoping that the Bimble community will help me raise money to support this foundation. It’s a great cause and the foundation is structured so that every donation we collect goes directly to their research and support programs. That way, every dollar you donate has a direct impact on the lives of patients.

I’ve included our brochure with this post with the details on how to donate and it’s got some more info about the foundation, the riders and the ride.

Please pass this along to anyone else you may know that would want to donate and support our cause.  We are also looking for corporate sponsors so if your company can help, let me know.

Lastly, we are brainstorming fund raising ideas so if anyone has any good  ideas please let me know (I’d even take bad ideas right now)

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope you consider it a worthy cause.

See you out there soon,

-ET

Click here for brochure

Coast to Coast for a Cure Blog – The blog will be providing updates of our progress during the ride.