Update 3 – 2017/10/26

Well it’s done.  I finished.  I did it.  And you did it!  Together we raised an amazing $4075 – more than double the original fundraising goal.  I am so proud and honored to have had the opportunity to support FPS along this incredible journey and humbled by those who supported the effort. 

For anyone interested, I wrote a post-race blog post here that captures my thoughts and details about the race.  It’s long…sorry.

Thank you to all those who gave generously - financially, prayerfully, with words of encouragement and support.  You have made a real difference in someone’s life.

Update 2 - 2017/08/29:

I am so happy to say that several days ago we exceeded our fundraising goal. Yay!

The current total includes a generous $630 match from my company, QuintilesIMS. Thank you, QuintilesIMS!

To all those who have donated or sent me encouraging letters: you guys are awesome! However, we still have a few more days to go until race day and I want to show For Pete’s Sake that just because we met goal, we're not going to give up… there's still time to donate!

Please consider a donation even though the original goal has been reached – no amount is too small.

To those of you who have donated, I and my family thank you from the bottom of our hearts. I am touched by your generosity – touched by the giving of many whom I have not even had the pleasure of meeting yet – touched by those whom I have not seen in a very long time – and of course by the many friends I see so often!

Update:  We're now less than a month out from the big day - Ironman Madison - and I'm really beginning to feel the gravity of this event!  I need your encouragement and support to finish strong.  When I think of the trials and pains cancer families endure, sometimes for years, it helps me put things in perspective that they really need a break in the fight to enjoy and appreciate life and loved ones.

Friends - we're very close to our goal - I know we can do it and even more!  Please help support this great cause.  Every dollar counts, and for QI folks, they count twice as much!  

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Welcome!

I'm participating in small sporting event on Sept 10 and will be raising funds to benefit “For Pete's Sake Cancer Respite Foundation.”  Today, I'm challenging my friends, family, and colleagues to think about fighting cancer a little differently.  Most cancer fundraising efforts focus on funding research to develop better treatments and hopefully, cures, and that’s super important.  For Petes Sake addresses cancer from a different, and very human side.  They help families take a little break from the battle.   

Anyone who has battled this disease themselves, or been close to someone who has knows that it takes every ounce of attention and time and energy.  It’s exhausting.  Often, that laser focus can come at the expense of taking any time to do special things with loved ones that just don't seem possible or even important at the time.  The truth, however, is that sometimes you need a break from the full-time intensity of dealing with cancer. 

For Pete's Sake Cancer Respite Foundation has helped over 6,000 people since 1999 and fundraisers like this will help them impact many more lives.  I can speak firsthand of the joy that taking a break provided our family before losing my wife’s father, Clem, in 2015.  We fulfilled a dream of his… we got to take our family, including his two granddaughters, to Disney.  It was the trip of lifetime, and we will treasure every moment we got to spend together. Though ours was not funded by For Pete’s Sake, I personally know of others who have had similar life-changing experiences because of the generosity of this group and the efforts of their generous donors.  Trust me, these moments with family are worth fighting for!

Please consider making a donation to support me in my fundraising efforts - any amount helps!  I have chosen a goal of $2015 dollars in honor of my wife’s father, Clem Parulis.  A great man, lost too soon to cancer, like so many others.  I have no doubt together we will reach this goal by race day.

If you would like to learn more about my journey to Ironman in Madison, WI on Sept 10, I’ll be writing a little about it here.  I’d be honored if you visited, and would love to hear from you.