Yesterday, I decided that it’s really too bad that I don’t live in Massachusetts – more specifically, Boston, Massachusetts.
It’s not that I like really cold weather or cities that have a river flowing through it or places with a lot of historical significance… no, it’s quite simple, really: Boston is home to a really cool non-profit that is doing some serious (and innovative) fundraising for Narcolepsy research. In case you haven’t heard (I hadn’t!), Boston is home to Wake Up Narcolepsy.
Although Wake Up Narcolepsy has only been around since 2008, it has already managed to raise a significant amount of money, enough to have the Narcolepsy Network give Founder Kevin Cosgrove its “Public Outreach Award” this past October.
This organization raised $35,000 through charitable fundraising events in 2009, which in and of itself is a remarkable achievement. :-)
Wake Up Narcolepsy is currently involved in an effort that I thought was really cool: they have four runners participating in the Boston Marathon 2010 (which takes place in mid-April), with each runner working to raise money for Narcolepsy.
Yesterday, one of the runners e-mailed me and mentioned their effort to raise money for Narcolepsy research, which is how I was privileged to find out about this (thanks, Julie!). You can find out more about the four runners and how much money they have raised by visiting this page. You can also follow Julie Flygare’s experience training for a marathon while having classic Narcolepsy at her blog.
As of today, Julie has raised $780 for Narcolepsy research, which I think is quite impressive. It’s no small feat to train for a marathon, and I think it’s great that four people are doing it to help the cause of Narcolepsy research (and in turn, Narcolepsy awareness).
It is only because of the Narcolepsy research of the past that we have the medications we have today, and we’re going to have to invest in a lot more research to find the medications of the future. The Narcolepsy research for today is, in essence, our hope for a better future for Narcoleptics – and maybe someday, a cure for Narcolepsy.
If you are interested in giving money to Narcolepsy research, you can do so through Wake Up Narcolepsy on their website.
Good luck to Julie and the other runners, and keep up the good work, Wake Up Narcolepsy!
Now you understand why Boston is awesome… :-)
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3 comments:
Thanks, Ellie! Your support means so much to me. This inspires me get out and run! Oh wait, its my day off. Well, it will inspire tomorrow's run. :-)
Hi Ellie, Nice blog and glad you two connectected I'm Julie's Aunt who lives in Arizona. I've been a great big fan of (Little) Julie, as she referes to herself. (We have a few Julies in the family). Julie is a wonderful writer and I think that she is a great spokesperson for Narcolepsy. Her Uncle has the desease, my brother. He won't admit he does have it, but even a mild case can be devistating to your work life. Since the two of you are writers and can help get the story out there. I am supporting the cause and wish you the best. Hope the two of you meet one day. Best of luck and God Bless, Aunt Julie
Hi Ellie, I was thrilled to read your blog about our Boston Marathon efforts. This spring, as a parent of a child with Narcolepsy, I will run the Marathon with Julie. Two years ago, my son was diagnosed with Narcolepsy. He is doing well and we are very proud of him.
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