Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. Let me tell you a little bit about what I am raising funds for and why I am doing it.
I will be running a 1/2 marathon in January. At first I just thought it would be a fun experience. Plus, if I could actually finish the race, it would be a great accomplishment for somone who has had two total knee replacements. Then I got connected with Miracles in Motion, a marathon training team in conjunction with Phoenix Children's Hospital. This hospital does so many wonderful things towards providing healthcare for children (see "About our nonprofit" to the left). Just recently I met my honor patient, a 9 year old boy named Owen. Owen was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) when he was 7. He is such an amazingly strong young man. He has been fighting the disease for almost three years. Along with his chemotherapy treatments, Owen also had a total knee replacement (very similar to mine). While Owen has been off chemo for over a year now, he still battles with his prosthesis every day. He has to have regular physical therapy, and because he is still growing but his prosthesis won't grow with him, he needs to have regular "lengthening" surgeries as well.
After meeting Owen and his family, I no longer am running for my own glory and accomplishment. I am running for them, and for any other families like them. I am running to raise money to help any families in a similar situation get the best possible care.
Amazingly enough, I have an even more personal connection to Owen as his story shares many similarities with my own. For those of you who are not fully aware of my history, my story is below:
When I was 18 years old I was diagnosed with bone cancer, known as osteosarcoma, in my left femur. Over the next two years I was treated in the pediatric wards of two east coast hospitals. In order to remove the tumor safely, I had to have most of my femur, part of my tibia, and the entire knee joint removed and replaced with a metal prosthesis. I underwent 11 months of chemotherapy as well. After completing the treatments, I went into remission and all seemed well for about nine months. Unfortunately, on a routine CAT scan, it was discovered that the cancer had spread to my lungs. I had to have surgery to remove the tumor from my lungs and then I went through another five months of chemo. Finally, just over two years later, in December of 1995, I was declared cancer free. I am now 14 years removed from my last treatments and cancer is completely a thing of my past.
On the other hand, the effects of the knee replacement surgery still linger. Back in 1994, when I first had the operation, I was not willing to give up the lifestyle I was used to (I was a member of the varsity tennis team in high school and always tried to participate in other sports whenever possible). So, when I finally finished with the cheomtherapy treatments, I still tried to maintain an active lifestyle. However, it was to be short lived. In 2001, less than eight years after my first knee surgery (and actually the day after I proposed to my wife Stephanie), the metal prosthesis cracked in half. So, in late 2001, I had to endure my second total knee replacement. Since that day, I have been very tentative on my leg. Lately, I have been sorely missing the regular physical activity that I used to be so accustomed to. When Stephanie told me that she was interested in running the half marathon and that she would be raising money for Phoenix Chidren's Hospital in the process, I decided that I would train with her.
I am really looking forward to this opportunity to raise money for a cause that is very close to my heart. Plus, now that I've met Owen, I am really excited that I have this opportunity to prove that cancer and knee surgery can be overcome.
Thank you for visiting my page and for reading my story. Anything you can give for this terrific cause, from supportive words to a few dollars, would be greatly appreciated.
David J. Fishman
Thank you for visiting my Personal Fundraising Page. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to my fundraising efforts. Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!