Many of you know Dan Shaughnessy as a family member, friend, co-worker or business partner.  I met Dan back in 1996 when he started working for Fiserv.  Through all of these years, he has become a wonderful friend of mine.  Since 2007, Dan has been battling Lymphoma and at this point I am very proud to say he is winning!  His perserverence and winning attitude is an inspiration to everyone!

For many years I have held true to the belief that I would NEVER run a marathon (26.2 miles is an insane distance to run in a few hours and anyone who ran a marathon is crazy), but as the saying goes "never say never".  Here is what changed my mind:

In March 2011, Dan checked into the hospital to receive a stem cell transplant in order to have the chance of ridding his body of the lymphoma once and for all.  One of his requirements upon checking into the hospital was to have a treadmill brought into his room so he could continue to exercise.  Wow.  Despite days of treatments and mega doses of chemo and radiation, Dan walked for miles at a time on his treadmill.  I was amazed and inspired.  Here was a man who was going through the worst of the worst and he still was strong willed enough to get up out of bed and "move".  I don't know about you, but when I'm sick, I will find every excuse in the book to not exercise!  And then I thought, if Dan can continue to excercise through all of these draining treatments, what is wrong with me?  So I decided to conquer my fears and take on the one thing that I felt was impossible, the marathon.  

And that is what drove me from being a person who was never going to do anything more than a half marathon to signing up for the whole enchilada...yep, all 26.2 miles of it (does this mean I too am crazy??). And since I live in Orlando, I felt it was only fitting that I run my first marathon at Disney World on January 8, 2012. How bad can it be to run with mice, ducks and princesses?  While I felt that running a marathon was doing something for me, I felt I needed to do more.  Since Dan was my inspiration for signing up for this in the first place, I decided to dedicate my run to him.   And while I was at it, why not raise funds for a great cause?  So, I talked with Dan about it and he felt that CaringBridge has been the most help to him and his family through all of this. 
 

Now, this is where I need your help.  Will you consider supporting me in my marathon as I honor a great man, Dan Shaughnessy?  Even if you don't know Dan, maybe you know of another family member, friend or co-worker who has used CaringBridge to keep everyone informed of their battle.  CaringBridge may not be in the labs fighting terrible diseases and health problems directly, but they are no less important.  Having the support and prayers of many is sometimes the best medicine of all.   It would mean a lot.

This one is for you, Dan!

Thanks,

Deb Shell