Monday, June 28, 2010

A Memory of Daniel

Often times when I'm running, I think about him. It's kinda like my alone time to connect to him through memories. Most of the memories are from when we were younger and our childhood. And sometimes I think about the last few days that I was able to spend with him. Today I was thinking about how great it was to have such a caring and loving brother. I've always been a "loner" when it comes to relationships so my brother didn't have to do too much protecting coming up. I was however reminded of a story that he and his friends told me. One time Daniel and his friends were hanging out at the house and for some reason I came over to drop off a pizza to them. His friend Byron began to talk about how "cute" the pizza girl was. I don't know exactly what was said but from what I was told Daniel got pretty heated, "that's my lil sister man!" His other friends that were present truly believed that there would be a physical fight. I am currently involved in a relationship and sometimes I wonder how Daniel would handle this situation. His baby sister with a boyfriend. LOL. My boyfriend is a good guy, so I'm sure he would be fine, but that 1st meeting would have been pretty hilarious to have seen.

Donation Update: I am now at $1875 in donations! I am approximately 38% to goal. Every little bit helps so thank you to all who are supporting. Please spread the word. Even if you are unable to help monetarily, please try to donate blood or platelets at your local blood bank. These are things that Daniel needed multiple times daily throughout his treatment. It doesn't take much to do, and it's free!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Week 3: 3 Miles

The decision to take on this feat happened pretty fast. I heard a radio commercial about team in training which is a segment of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society that helps fund-raising efforts for cancer research. I figured this would be a great opportunity to help get the word out to create some awareness, and ultimately help to end this dreaded disease. So I signed up and its been 3 weeks of training. I'm currently running 3 miles, 3 times a week. It's difficult in this New Orleans summer heat, but the cause is worth it. I highly recommend running to everyone. It's a great stress reliever. When I'm running, its just me, my music and my thoughts. Not to mention it promotes a healthier lifestyle...if only I could get better in my eating habits (I'm working on it).

My goal is to raise $5000 for the LLS. In doing so, I will be able to participate in the half marathon benefit on October 2 in Orlando, FL. Last year, I walked in the LLS Light the Night Walk in the name of Daniel. Our Teams name was "Daniel's Saints." and we raised over $4000 collectively.

As of today, I have raised $775.00. I am 16% of the way there! Thank you so much to ALL who have donated. Through this process I have been able to hear heart touching/wrenching stories from others who have Leukemia or know someone who does. Here is a story from one of my donors, Paula Whitlock:

"My brother, Edward, who just turned 46 is currently battling Leukemia. He began in Dec 2008 w/ Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML). Then in Nov 2009 it changed into a “Blast Crisis” and into Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). They had treated him with chemo and at the end of March this year, he got a bone marrow transplant. One of our older brothers was the donor. I just got an update on Edward yesterday and the blast cells are back and increasing. It is heart breaking. He has a wonderful wife and a beautiful 9 year old daughter. He has a strong faith in God and we know that God is in control of this whole situation."

Please keep Edward, Paula, and the family in your prayers. There are millions of stories like this. Your donation will help fund research that will help stories like this no longer exist.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Here's Why...

This blog is dedicated to the memory of my brother Daniel Prampin. I recently made the commitment to help raise funds to support research through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I am currently training to run a half marathon (half marathon = 13 miles) in October of this year. My goal is to raise $5000 for cancer research so that those with the disease have a better chance than he did. Through this blog I hope to create an awareness of who Daniel was and why I am running. I hope that those who knew Daniel will share their memories of him, so that he can remain solid in our hearts. I learn more and more about him everyday through the stories of others, so please tell us about him. Let's keep his memory alive :)