What do you believe in?

December 29th 2009 there wasn't much I believed in. I was 100 pounds overweight. I was depressed and I thought life wasn't going to get any better. In an instance I made a choice that would send me down a journey that would not only change my life but begin to change the lives of other people as well.

I'd had enough. I didn't want to be the person I saw looking back from the mirror any longer. This was not the life I wanted to live, not even for a second more. I needed to lose 100 pounds and had no idea where to start.

I started small.

Taking a flight of steps, led to parking my car a little further away from my intended destination. Parking farther away led me to walking during my lunch break. Walking during my lunch break led me to walking in the mornings and in the evenings, which all led me doing what eventually saved my life.

Running.

When I started running at the end of January I couldn't run a half of a block without feeling like I was going to literally pass out from the pain in my lungs, legs and feet. I could run for 30 seconds tops. I didn't give up. I kept at it as much as I physically could. I wasn't running fast but I was running. It didn't just help me lose weight. It helped me to believe in something: Myself. I've learned a lot about myself since I started running. I've learned that I am capable of setting goals and achieving them. I've learned I'm capable of losing weight and keeping it off. I've learned that I am a worthwhile person, with a lot to give this world. I've learned that while running can save my life, it can also save the life of someone else.

Someone with Leukemia / Lymphoma.

This will be one of the biggest challenges of my life. Not only have I set a goal to run a half marathon on November 28th; I've also set a goal to raise $1800.00 to help research a cure for Leukemia / Lymphoma. My grandmother died in 2002 from Leukemia. She was 86 years old. It came and took her very quickly. I consider my gramma lucky. She had lived a full and beautiful life. I was very close to her and miss her more today that I ever could imagine.

Other families are not as lucky. Young children and adults alike are being afflicted by this disease long before their 86th birthday. Their lives are full of confusion, sadness and disarray as they try to make their way through doctor appointments, chemotherapy and stem cell transplants. I want to help them reach their 86th birthday. I'm about to start today.

Running saved my life.

Now I run to save the life of someone else.

Please follow my journey over at 263andcounting as I move toward the finish line.