***UPDATE! 11/18/2008

Unbelieveably, I have already met my initial goal of $6,200. I was 'gifted' a check by a friend who had raised over the amount necessary, so now it is for sure that I will be able to go to Rome. I am so happy!

All of that aside, I didn't begin this journey to go to Rome. It is a perk for sure, but I did this to raise a huge amount of money for this cause. So I have decided to raise my goal to $10,000. I know I can do it!! To those who have already donated, thank you so much!

Health (noun): the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit; especially: freedom from physical disease or pain.

Friends and Family,

Health is a funny thing. When it’s good, it’s something that almost never crosses your mind. When it’s bad, especially when it’s real bad, it is life consuming. Most of you know that almost exactly two years ago I had a run in with my health. I have a disease called Ulcerative Colitis that affects my digestive system in a not-so-good way (in a nutshell). After Parker’s birth I started to get sick, and 5 months later I was lying in a hospital bed, almost unable to move. I had lost half of my blood supply and thought I was going to die. It sounds pretty melodramatic, but it’s true. I didn’t have enough “oomph” in me to even want to feel better. I just wanted to close my eyes and lay there. I was admitted on a Wednesday and by Sunday I was still in a pretty semi-comatose state. For some reason that morning, I decided to turn on the TV; something that I hadn’t done thus far because I didn’t even have the energy to turn my head to look at it. On TV that morning was the New York Marathon. Lance Armstrong ran for the first time that year so there was lots of coverage and media attention. As I watched, I started to feel tingly, like some kind of spark had been lit inside me. I imagined myself running and reminded myself of how good I felt when I crossed the finish line at the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco only a year prior. I decided then and there that I *was* going to get better; whether my body liked it or not. And the rest is history……

I haven’t done a race since then. I allowed myself some time off to get better, we built and moved into a new house and then we welcomed baby Eden, the ‘caboose’ to our family, back in July. All the while though, I have been reminded of that fateful day in the hospital. I knew I would go back and run another race; I just had to.

This seasons’ race is in Rome, Italy (how cool is that!?), but the minimum fundraising amount is $6200. At first I thought, “No way could I raise that much money, but that race would be so cool!” Then I reminded myself of the kind of research The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is doing and how our money helps. I thought of my friend’s child who has Leukemia and is enduring 130 weeks of chemo. That is more than 2.5 YEARS of chemo on a four year old’s little tiny body. It is heartbreaking. All of a sudden, I decided I had to do Rome. I had to raise money for all of these poor children (among everyone else effected by these terrible diseases). We have GOT to cure these things, we just have to. It destroys the lives of so many people and families and it just isn’t fair. I cannot even imagine if one of my children had to go through what these children are going through EVERY SINGLE DAY. While my kids are at school, on the playground and at football practice, these poor, sick children are receiving spinal taps and enduring countless hours of chemotherapy.

Did you know that every ten minutes, another child or adult is expected to die from leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma? This statistic represents nearly 145 people each day, or six people every hour. An estimated 894,543 Americans are currently living with blood cancers. 138,530 people in the United States will be diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma this year alone, and 52,910 people will die. It is absolutely heartbreaking. I feel so lucky that even with the disease I have, I am healthy enough to make a difference. I am forbidden, per my doctors orders, to run another whole marathon, so I plan to run/walk. The way I get to the finish line isn’t my worry though; it is getting there. Raising the money and getting there.

With the state of our economy and the upcoming election looming over us, we all feel like mere specks in the universe…like our opinions and votes won’t matter much. But they will. Each and every one of us has the power to change the world…if we all ban together and do it, great things can be done. So let’s do this; let’s help make a difference in fighting blood cancers. If every one of you gave a donation, we together could raise over FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS for cancer research. Do you realize that if everyone in the world raised this much…we could probably wipe out cancer altogether!? I am so passionate about this and I truly hope you can help me help. If I could give every penny we make, I would. At the end of my life, I want to know that I made a difference; to know that I helped a cause much greater than myself, just because I wanted to. We are all so very fortunate….so together, let’s give back. I promise you, you won’t regret it!

If you are interested in helping me, you can donate right here on this page. Just click the "make a donation" link to your left.

Or if you'd rather pay by check, let me know and I will send you my address.

It is a tax deductable donation for 2008, and since the race is March 22, 2009 (if you are so inclined)…you can donate again and also get a 2009 deduction! ;) If you would please pass this along to any of your friends or family, I would really appreciate it. A lot of people really want to help, they just don’t know how.

I also have a family blog at www.thejourneytoeden.blogspot.com that I frequently update. I will also be updating the website with tales of my training (in the bitter Texas cold!) if you would like to follow me through this journey. Like I mentioned before, I promise you won’t regret it. Together, you and I can do this.

Thanks so much.

XOXO, Jessica Devenny