2009 Jingle Bell Run/Walk - Malvern, PA

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My Personal Page

Arthritis Awareness Quiz

Run for It!
Aiming for the Philly Marathon

My Team Page

	$250 Winter Wonderland
	$100 Snowman
	$50 Snowball
	$25 Snowflake
	Other (minimum $10 Flurry)

Enter Donation Amount Here: *Currency shown: US Dollar $

My Fundraising Goal:
$2,620.00

Money Raised to Date:
$4,340.00

If you are unable to donate online, please print out a donation form.

Here we go!

I've taken on a big goal, and I need my friends and family's support now more than ever to get there!

I was diagnosed with juvenile dermatomyositis at age 6. It's an auto-immune condition where my body attacks its own muscle fibers. For some reason there's gang warfare between my white blood cells (the bloods) and my muscles (the crips). What's left behind is inflammation, muscle weakness and atrophy, fatigue, pain, extreme handsomeness, and skin rash.

It's shaped my life in many ways. I know about meds and surgeries and unexpected disease flares. I've had to pass on opportunities and given up goals because they were outside my physical boundaries.

Not anymore.

I've signed-up to take part in the Philadelphia Marathon... a 26.2 mile course that zips through the City of Brotherly Love. November 22nd is D-day.

I've done four half-marathons before now, which have each taught me lessons I needed to get to this point. The Walt Disney World Half-Marathon (and Team Wadey and the Ladies) showed me I could finish a race. 2006's Big Sur Half-Marathon (with my friends on Team JRA) came after a long post-surgery recovery that sidelined me in 2005. The 2007 Country Music Half-Marathon proved that I could even improve my time if I worked hard enough. And just this September the Virginia Beach Half-Marathon gave me the opportunity to learn that if I trained properly, I could somehow run (not walk) an entire half-marathon.

Now 13.1 new miles lay ahead of me... 13.1 miles further than I've ever gone before.

I need help. I am scared of what lies before me. Terrified, to be honest. I don't know if I'll be able to do this. Every day requires some sort of training so I can do this thing right, take care of my body and be ready to make my friends and family proud on race day. To do it right means passing up things like buffalo wings and delicious cheese, enforcing self-curfews to allow for plenty of shut-eye, arguing with myself to get out of bed for sunrise trainings and committing long, long hours to 14, 16, 18 or 20 miles runs on the weekends.

I'm doing this race to benefit the Arthritis Foundation. The Foundation has been a friend to me for many long years. As a young adult, the Arthritis Foundation's Camp JRA program exposed me to role-models who showed me how to live, and thrive, with my disease. The Arthritis Foundation gave me focus, introduced me to a life-long support system and even gave me a career.

Beyond Camp JRA, the Arthritis Foundation's work includes vital programs and services for people of all ages with arthritis. The Foundation also funds critical, cutting-edge research that is improving the lives of those with arthritis.

We are close, people... really close to making major breakthroughs with juvenile arthritis research. Take my friend Dr. Ed Behrens, for example, whose work at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has helped to identify the genetic markers associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The idea being that if you can identify these genes, you'll be able to figure out a way to turn them off. This could be huge. What makes me especially proud is that Ed is an Arthritis Foundation funded researcher... proof that public support for the Arthritis Foundation and research like this is truly getting us closer to a pain-free tomorrow.

My goal is $2,620... tied to the 26.2 miles I will be running further than ever before in this marathon. Your support will be sponsoring each and every footstep I run to make it to the finish.

Let's do this thing together. Join me by donating to the cause. Come out on race day and see a sweaty Wade gallop across Philadelphia. Whatever your form of support may be, I will be forever grateful for your help to get me stronger and farther.

Let's do this thing!

Special Thanks to: