Why I run, take two

This week, a more serious note, about why I'm running for Dana-Farber and raising money for cancer research. (We'll get back to the running update next week)

My 5-year-old was sick earlier this week. Nothing serious, nothing to be alarmed about -- just a stomach bug that's going around.  He was sleeping restlessly on the couch downstairs when I wrote this and my wife was downstairs with him doing what moms do, making sure he's okay.  The next morning, he was back to his energetic, talkative, happy self. But at the time, there was little we can do but try to comfort him.

Those are the times that really try parents. It's not when your kids are acting up, or fighting over who sits where in the car, or who gets which color plate, or leaving their baseball mitt out in the rain No, those times are a pain to be sure, but they're part of the parenting experience. But when your child is sick and not himself, and there's little you can do but hold a bucket for him, or wipe his forehead, or give him a hug; those are the times that are hardest for a parent.

But for my son, this was only a bout of the stomach bug. A 24 ordeal that passed before he returned to his normal self. The fact that we knew it would be over soon gave us some solace, but it didn't do much to ease his pain or discomfort. And at times like that I think about how we, as parents struggle with this helplessness, and then, I think of what real struggle is -- of what parents of pediatric cancer patients must go through; what the kids themselves must go through. When nausea and vomiting aren't the illness, but part of the cure -- the side effects of powerful drugs designed to destroy the cancer.

We're making great progress in our understanding of cancer, and in the development of better treatments with less side effects and improved outcomes. But kids (and adults) are still getting sick, and parents are still struggling to ease their pain.

Can you imagine a time when that's no longer the case? I can. 

We're not there yet, but that's why I run.  That's why I'm raising funds for cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. With every dollar raised, we're one baby step closer to that day. To help support this cause, please consider a donation.