That sweet little face you see to the right of this page is Riley. Riley is incredible and in that precious pink face you will find all the reasons why me and two other amazing women, Jen Knight and Lisa Blaser, have decided to run a 50k ultramarathon for Farm Sanctuary. 

You see, Riley's been my little buddy since October of last year and even though I've never met him his story speaks volumes about why I love and adore animals, why I've always been an animal welfare advocate and why I've gone vegan. More than anything else, sponsoring him has brought me so much joy. He reminds me that animals are so much like us. They love, they hurt, they feel, and most of all - given the chance - they persevere. 

Here is an excerpt from Farm Sanctuary's website on little Riley's journey:

Of all the tiny piglets in a crowded pen at a busy New York stockyard, Riley was the smallest and visibly suffering from multiple ailments. At only seven pounds, he was too sick to even stand, his head tilted awkwardly to the side, and one of his eyes was nearly swollen shut due to severe infection. As the auction went on, Riley’s plight only continued to be ignored, and no one in the crowd stepped up to help him. Sadly, his survival meant nothing to those in attendance as his pitiful condition made him unfit for sale and of no use to any potential buyer.

Thankfully, our Emergency Rescue Team arrived on the scene just in time to change Riley’s fate, lifting the helpless piglet out of this cruel environment and providing the help he so desperately needed. In critical condition, Riley was rushed to the Cornell University Hospital for Animals, where he underwent immediate surgery to relieve the pressure in his ear. When he was well enough to come home, our caregivers continued to nurse him to health, feeding him a special diet and administering antibiotics to treat his painful ear, eye and sinus infections until finally, little by little, his prognosis looked brighter and his chances for rehabilitation improved.

Although the neglect Riley endured left him blind in one eye and his head permanently tilted, this brave boy is well on his way to recovery. He no longer shows any balance issues and is playful, happy and growing steadily.

I've always been an animal lover. From our family pets to my dreams of becoming a veterinarian - which I found only worked if you could handle lots of school and lots of blood - to my fleeting dance with vegetarianism when I was in my early teens, loving animals has always come natural to me. In fact, my parents used to lovingly refer to me as the vegetarian veterinarian. No joke. 

However, my vegetarian lifestyle was short-lived, as were my dreams of becoming a vet. In fact it wasn't until after college, after I'd struggled through numerous stomach issues and case after case of bronchitis accompanied by sinus infections, that someone finally mentioned changing my diet. After our move to Florida, Jen Knight recommended The Kind Diet, by Alicia Silverstone, and it all started to make sense. 

Since then I've read lots of books on vegan living, seen documentaries, and heard numerous tales of people who changed the way they felt by switching to a plant based diet. This search for new information led me to Farm Sanctuary and I am so very glad it did. 

In April I ran my first marathon, and while I swore up and down that it would be my last I have to say that I'm hooked. Running gives me a great outlet for my newfound energy and helps me continue to push myself. To couple my love of running with my innate love for animals just makes sense to me. They are God's creation too and they absolutely deserve our protection.

Please consider standing with us as we raise money for this incredible organization. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to our fundraising efforts.

To learn more about Farm Sanctuary's mission to help abused, neglected, and downed farm animals please visit  www.farmsanctuary.org. If you're looking for a great read please consider Farm Sanctuary, by Gene Baur. You can find more information about his book at www.genebaur.org. It's available in paperback and also on Nook and Kindle. 

I cannot say thank you enough for your prayers, donations, and encouragement. We are so grateful to you all!

For the animals,

Taylor