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My ride is over, but the memories will last forever.
A life long dream fulfilled ... a great cause ... new friends ... amazing support

Thanks to everyone who helped make a difference!

I have maxed out the picture space on this blog. To see my postings for Day 42 (August 1st) onward click the link below:

GOTO Mark's Trek - NEW Daily BLOG (August 1st Onward)



Sunday, February 28, 2010

Week of 02/28/10 - Proposal Blues, Donations Steady, Drive 4 COPD - 130 miles

Busy big time at work with the final push to get the latest proposal out the door.  Managed to sequestor myself for four solid trainer sessions - Wednesday (30), Friday (30), Saturday (42), and Sunday (28). The custom mp3's are definitely working and help me to vary my cadence, gearing, and effort.  The snow is continuing to melt and there were definitely a few days that were nice enough to get outside.  It is still pretty wet with run off, but once this proposal is over, I am getting out there, one way or another!

My facebook group continued it's steady increase and broke 250 with more friends of friends help.   A big thanks to Jack & Rachael Daugherty for their donation and helping hand with facebook group invites.  They both have a personal connection to lung disease ... Jack's Dad died from emphysema and Rachael's grandmother has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).  I am meeting and talking with so many people who have been impacted by lung disease.  Their stories and struggles inspire me and help fuel my motivation.

A complete list of donors is shown on Mark's Trek Across America website. The last two weeks have seen a steady flow. Shout outs to the following:
  • Wendy Couch
  • John Beckett - Gold
  • Susan Swift Valdes - Gold; In honor of her mom who died of lung cancer
  • Tom & Sue Richmond
  • Cheryl West - in honor of her mom who lost her battle with COPD last year
  • Mimi & Ben Tseng - Gold
  • Gary Brodsky - Gold; Read more about Gary below
  • Dawn Taylor - Gold
  • Chery Royce
  • Jeff Solar
Gary Brodsky is another committed cylist and is captain of the New England Patriots Platelet Pedalers team that rides each year at the Pan Massachusetts Challenge (PMC).  The PMC raises money for life-saving cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Gary and I went to high school together and he also provided me the Patriots Platelet Pedalers cycling jersey to wear on my trek.  He has made over 100 platelet donations at Dana-Farber.  His 150+ member team raised $790,000 last year. Gary and his team are a great example of the impact cycling and individuals can have.


While most donations are coming from my direct contacts, emails, or facebook, word of my trek has also started to expand beyond those mechansims and my immediate network.  Facebook and LinkedIn have connected me with firends of friends of friends ... 6 degrees of separation coming soon!  I also saw my first donation from external web links.  Cheryl West found me on The American Lung Association of the Atlantic Coast event pages:
Media coverage is in the planning stages and will include a complete outreach effort with support from the American Lung Association communications and PR Team.  On a closing note, ALA recently kicked off another great event, Drive4COPD, to help screen millions of people who may be at risk for COPD.  COPD is the nation's fourth leading cause of death.  The event includes NASCAR driver, Danica Patrick, Emmy-nominated actor Jim Belushi, Olympic Gold Medalist Bruce Jenner, Grammy Award-winning country music star Patty Loveless and former Pro Football great Michael Strahan  They will be calling on people to complete a five-question screener to see if they are at risk. Learn more about the screener and local events at Drive4COPD.com.




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