Ohhhhhh...we're halfway there...

...(think Bon Jovi). I am SO excited to let you all know that we have officially gotten half way to our fundraising goal of $1500!! And there are LOTS of people to thank for that! So if you've donated, thank you! If you've thought about donating, thank you! And if you've spread the word about Team G Shock, thank you! I am so excited to be raising money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation through Athletes For A Cure and it makes me so proud to be able to do it in honor of my father. So, a BIG thank you from the bottom of my heart!

In other news, I was home this past weekend for one of my very best friend's weddings (congrats to the new Mr. & Mrs. Kalinosky!)! It was a wonderful weekend with amazing friends and I got to see my parents at the wedding as well. We had a great time, and I got to spend some extra time with mom & dad on Sunday too (thanks to mother nature & a delayed flight). I've always loved family time, but its even more special these days. This weekend was also a reminder of some of the reasons why I wanted to do this in the first place. On Friday, my parents celebrated 38 years of marriage. That is amazing, and I'm doing this so that they can have many more years to come to celebrate together. And on Saturday, as I watched Melissa & her dad dance at the reception, I was reminded of another (somewhat selfish) reason. Some day, when I get married, my dad will be up there with me, dancing across that floor. And I will not let this speed bump get in the way of that! 

So thanks again for all of your support (monetary and otherwise) and keep checking back for updates on Team G Shock!

happily married after 38 years!

dad, me & mom at the reception

Treatment Part 2

Over the past few months, my dad has received a couple of hormone shots that have been working over time to help treat his cancer. The next step is radiation. Yesterday, my dad went in to the hospital for a simulated radiation treatment. Obviously, this being the first time any of us have experienced this or been around someone else who has experienced it, we didn't know quite what to expect. I think it was a little more intense than my dad expected, but he got through it, just like he'll get through the rest of this.

And now they have officially scheduled his radiation treatment. Starting on August 3rd, he will go in every morning, 5 days a week, for his treatment. That will last for 8 weeks until September 28th. He does get Labor Day off (who knew they gave vacations for cancer treatments?), but other than that it will be a constant thing for 2 months. Just like his session yesterday, we're not exactly sure what to expect, but like I've said a million times, my dad is strong and he can do anything. 

So thank you for all of the prayers up to this point, and if you think about it, keep 'em coming our way! 

My Dad...The Machine!

In case you missed it, my dad's a rockstar. No seriously. Him & my mom were up at the beach house again this past weekend, and he ran ANOTHER 5k. The man is a machine! He made his way down to Dewey Beach (about 15 min away from the beach house) on Sunday morning for the 3rd Dewey Beach Liquors 5k. And once again, through a little bit of internet stalking, I was able to find his official results. So here they are:

299th place - Joe Ross - 30:20

Also, let me note that he came in 14th in his division! Not bad for a man who just celebrated his 61st bday one week earlier!

As far as Nate's & my training goes, we hit a little bump in the road last week. We've been so busy (no excuse) that we hadn't run in over a week - ahhh! But, this morning we finally got out to run again - it felt GREAT to get back out there. We let life get in the way a bit, but we're back on track and right where we left off. We're really looking forward to our first race in town (AUG 14th - mark your calendars!), and picking some more races to add to our schedule!

The Good Kind...

...of cancer. Wait what? On more than one occasion during this experience, when people find out that my dad has prostate cancer their response is "Oh, thats a good cancer to get." I totally understand that people don't know what to say, because we've all been there. But good cancer?! Isn't that an oxymoron? If you look up the definition of cancer (I did it..you should try!), none of the given definitions are things that I would put under the "good" category. 

Obviously, there are different kinds of each cancer, and every single patient with cancer has a different case. BUT...and this is just my opinion (but since its my blog, thats what I get to put here), none of those cases are good. Its still cancer. And you still have to wrap your mind around that while the doctor uses words that you've never heard of. And you still have to tell your family and friends. And then your family and friends have to try and wrap their minds around it. 

We have all been very lucky to be surrounded by such good family and friends during this process. And we decided very early on that we were going to "buck up" and face this head on. No negativity...just doing what we need to do to beat this thing. I hope and pray everyday (and believe in my heart) that my Dad will beat this, and that it will just be a stepping stone to something else in his life.

So just do me a favor, and take a minute to think before you say something like "good cancer." Take the time to think about the people that haven't been so lucky and that have lost their fight with cancer. And the families of those people. Because I bet that they think that cancer, no matter what kind, is anything but good. 

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Yesterday, July 12th, was my dad's 61st birthday. Unfortunately, I couldn't be there to celebrate with him, but I know he had a great time! Among other things, I have found it pretty amazing how something like cancer can make your thoughts on birthdays completely change. 

A lot of people (once they get past the age of "yay I can vote" or "yay I can rent a car") think of birthdays as bad things. You're getting older, its all downhill from here, etc. And not that I'm old, but I've been known to think some of those things from time to time. I am pretty positive that I never will again. How lucky are we to have one more year on this earth to be with our families and our friends and to do the things that we love? I am so glad that I have been given the chance to spend yet another great year with my wonderful father making memories that I will cherish forever. And I can't wait for the countless years to come to do the same! 

That's why we're doing this, and why we've started this team..to make sure that my dad, and that other dads and brothers and grandpas and uncles and friends are here for many more birthdays to come. No cancer, especially not this one, will take that away from us! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD! I LOVE YOU! :)

Our Next Event

The time has come for us to pick our next event. Nate & I will actually be out of town every weekend in July. Although we're excited for all of the fun events we have planned (weddings, seeing the Mets in Atlanta, Grandma Pearl's 85th bday), that doesn't leave much time for races. So our next official Team G SHOCK event will be the City of La Vergne's Howl At The Moon 5k. It's a night race (fun!) in a town just outside of Nashville. And it will take place on Friday, August 14th at 8:00pm. If any of our local friends feel like joining us, let me know and I'll get you all of the info! Also, we have a few more races that we are sifting through at this point and I will post those details as soon as we decide which ones we will be doing!

In other news, I called my parents last weekend while they were still at the beach, and my Dad surprised me with the news that he had run ANOTHER 5k! All on his own he got up early, went down to Rehobeth Beach, and ran the Beach Paper 5k. After a bit of internet searching, I found the official results. I think it's pretty clear that we (ok, mainly me) were definitely slowing him down in our first event!

234th place - Joe Ross - 29:55

Just in case you were doubting my claims...I think you can see for yourself that he is pretty amazing! Way to go, Dad!

see..he was there!

As Promised...

Here are some photos from the race. Some of them are from the "official" photographer Studio 8 and some are from our very own photographer, my mom :)

pre-race photo (dad, me, nate)

around the 1-mile mark (nate, me, dad)

finishing hand-in-hand (nate, me, dad...and the random girl in front of us)

post-race w/mom & dad

we did it!