The Comeback is ALWAYS greater than the Setback

Hey all!

I wish I could personalize this to each and everyone of you as I cannot emphasize how  grateful I am for all of your support. Not many of you know this, however my mantra from a young age was very simply put "to break barriers." This took form in many ways over my lifetime, whether it was socially, academically, professionally, or on the playing field. Some might say I like to make things harder than they should be and maybe they're right because I do thrive on the challenge, I sniff it out and I embrace it. This foundation was instilled at a very young age as I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). I was subsequently treated for ALL and underwent several years of chemo and radiation therapy and I am fortuate to say I made it. I am even blessed to say that the struggle only instilled strength.

Many of you may not have known much about my battle and that's ok because today this is not about me. I had a world class support system led by my parents who uprooted themselves across oceans to ensure I got the best treatment from the best physicians at the best facilities. Over 25 years since I came into remission I still abide by my mantra; I wouldn't allow myself to be stopped no matter how daunting the goal, I will put my head down and I will get to my final destination and I will be patient about it and I will accept failure along the way, in fact I welcome it. And the reason for that is because that was my foundation, when you are a child with a disease such as ALL you are taught to keep fighting, you are humbled by setbacks but you are told to keep your head up, and lastly you must be patient becuse you never know when or if you will have that normal life you saw on TV or you heard your peers talk about. (If you get one takeaway from this message - NEVER tell someone who has fought or is fighting a battle with cancer that they "can't" because they are most likely to show up when others would quit)

This message is to bring awareness to a cause that is helping people battle what I survived. In June of 2017, I completed a Half-Iron Man and for those of you who are unaware of what that entails, it is essentially a 70 mile trek across swimming, biking, and running. Leading up to that race in the midst of 5 months of rigorous training, the top question I would get from people is "Why are you doing this?" and quite frankly I didn't have an answer. During the race itself, I had one or two physical and mental setbacks on the bike portion and it was 93 degrees outside without a competitor or water station in sight with salt pouring out my skin and I remember thinking to myself "Why am I doing this?" and again in the thick of it all I did not have an answer. And that's when it hit me that it's ok to continue chasing your "why" and embracing the value of patience under the toughest circumstances cannot be undermined. One of my favorite quotes growing up- "He that can have patience, can have what he will"- Benjamin Franklin. 

On November 5, 2017 I ran the New York City Marathon (my first marathon) as part of Team in Training with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the experience was exhilerating, as they say "it will move you", it shook me to my core. My "why" was much more clear and I acknowledged I had to do more to help, I want to do anything I can to inspire others to never give up. They are fighting a battle I am all too familiar with, they are enduring physically and mentally and they are the real heroes. As I take on my next challenge, I am training with others who have been directly affected by the disease and I am overly humbled by the commitment to the cause. I kindly ask you to help my cause and help me shatter this goal.

By participating as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) TNT, I am raising funds to help find cures and ensure access to treatments for blood cancer patients.

Your donation will help fund treatments that save lives every day; like immunotherapies that use a person’s own immune system to kill cancer. You may not know it, but every single donation helps save a life with breakthrough therapies such as these.

Thank you,

Bishoy