Join TRY'ing For Uncle John

Monday, December 10, 2007

Grammar Disclaimer

Since I write these on the fly I only proof read them once before I send them out.

So please disregard any spelling, grammar, English language mistakes I have made.

Sincerely,
Miss Shields
Ralphy's 3rd grade teacher

Week 2

What is up!

What a great week! I will first start with sharing to everyone that there is hmmm 15 days till Christmas! Yep 15 days!!! The best holiday of the year. And we all have at least one thing to be thankful for.

That will lead off to the Holiday festivities and the weight gain.... I mean loss. This week I was down 5.8 pds. Not too bad with a mid week Bears game. Triathlon training was tough. I have not been in the water for a work out since the weeks after the Chicago Tri. Very challenging. I was able to swim the 20min without a struggle, roughtly 1/2 mile in the pool. I was also able to get a workout in on the tread and bike. LEARNING POINT- When you sweat and run for a considerable time, and when you are fat, wear non-cotton shirts. While I was on my 30 minute run, where I was able to get 2.75 miles in, I almost lost my right nipple do to wearing a new cotton tee shirt. After all of these clinics of preaching "Cotton is the Enemy", I could see why. This poor little guy has been chapped and sore since Monday. I was not a happy camper, but I battled through it. I am sorry that I did not take a photo since I promised to take more photo's in the previous posts. But I could guarentee a good photo later...

This week I recieved my first personal donation from my good friend Brent. Brent contributed a very generous amount to TRI'ing For Uncle John. What means more is that Brent also contributed to the last event, and he is saving for a wedding since he was recently engaged to Abby, who is a perfect bride-to-be for Brent. Coming off the Wedding fundraiser last year I know exactly where Brent is coming from in the pocket book. Thanks Brent. http://www.active.com/donate/tntil/tntilKHastin I know that I stressed that I will be taking the corporate route for fundraising but I will be glad to have personal contributions too. I also have a great fundraising idea later in the post.

On a sadder note, Sara's Dad, Ron, was re-diagnosed with Bladder cancer again. This is Ron's umpteenth time with this crap called cancer. Once again this race has another personal connection because I will be raising funds for a cure to this disease. Say a prayer for the Ron and the Zakaras' family, and drop Sara a line @ Sara.hastings1@gmail.com. I am sure she would get a kick out of it and I am sure she will share it with Ron.

This weekend was the big story maker for the week. We had our 2nd Annual Kata Sibling Christmas Bizarre, or what ever Anne called it. What a train wreck. It started off with a grab bag that had gifts that had a max value of $5. We got all of that. There were mugs, coloring books, movies, Dale Earhart and most of all a Beer Bong! Yes, the beer bong was introduced, but only used once by Nicky Martino. This was your typical weekend with the Kata cousins since our Irish Polish mix comes out with colors. The reason why I am mentioning this is because I did a spot for TEAM, and also thought of a fundraising idea for all of you that like public humility of others. Anne and I thought that it would be a good idea to join the polar bear club. So we sported our TEAM wet suits and took a dip in 2" thick ice water that was just under a balmy 32 degrees. This could have been the dumbest thing I have done, but I said WTF?! and got it done. I can not describe to you how cold this water was. And the snow on your feet! that was almost as bad as cold water on your ____. You could fill in the blank. Unfortunately with the lost fat came unwanted loose skin, which was highlighted in the Hulkster pose. The warm hole that was supposed to be used for fishing was used for recreational water sports. During the shivering and discussing with my partner-in-crime Anne how stupid this was, I thought about a fundraising idea. Instead of "Where In the World is Carmen Santiago" I am instituting.....

"Where In the World, or USA is Kyle and His Wet Suit".

For a fundraising contribution, preferably for a good amount I will travel to a location in a 1-2 day round trip driving distance and take a photo at a landmark, city, or person with me in my wet suit. This will be a memorable feat because I will also personalize the photo and send it to you with a message and autograph. When you make your contribution I will send you an email asking if you would like a picture with me and a location of your choice in a wet suit. I Will be posting these photo's on the site.

After the weekend of relaxation I am back to the grind to training for a cure. More and more TEAM's mission statement has driven me to new heights to finding money to develop this cure.


Unlce John. Ron Zakaras. Lori Ciujak. Who else is this disease going to affect? Who's family is going to have an something unwanted going into the holiday season. I know I will be placing hope underneith the tree's of the people that TEAM and I are raising funds for. As long as I could raise money to find a cure or new treatment, more families will have a wanted gift for Christmas: a gift to live cancer free.


Take care. http://www.active.com/donate/tntil/tntilKHastin

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Thanksgiving

Wow, did that 4 day weekend fly by! I am sure everyone got their fill of the yummy turkey, taters, cranberries... I know I did. I think I over-did-it on the deserts, but hey, who cares.


Actually 8 people did care. The results of the first poll are in! 69% thought I would gain between 1-3 pounds, 25% thought I would gain 4-6 pounds, 0% thought I would gain 6-10 pounds, and 19% thought I would gain too much weight. I successfully gained a whopping 4.8 pounds with devouring 2 meals, one at the Zakaras's and one at the Hastings. Unfortunaley that will be the last of the huge splurge meals in the weeks to come... well maybe one or two more Bears games.

On a sadder note a co-worker at Crestwood, Jim "Cujo" Ciujak's wife, Lori, passed a week ago from I believe breast cancer that turned into Lymphoma. I spoke with Jim 2 weeks ago regarding Lori and asked for his (and family too) perrmission for her to be my patient honory for the St. Anthony's Triathlon. Jim gave me the green light so this race is going to be completed for Lori Ciujak. Since the passing is so recent I will get the specific's of her cancer later. After speaking with Jim that Saturday night reality sat in, again, on how real this disease is; how it could affect family, friends, and someone that did not even know untill a talk in a parking lot between police calls. I did not know her, but her strenght to fight as long as she did is couragous and has enough motivation to get anyone through race. I will be crossing that finish line with Lori.

Fundraising this race will be taking a different avenue. I am in the proccess of writing every Presidential candidate, Illinois Congressman/Woman, Senator, State Rep, Sheriff, etc., that has been in my present and previous district and county. They have a plethera of wealth in there political account and, you would think, would contribute to a great cause. I have also written letters to every TREK bike store in the USA for the hope that TEAM TRI'ing For Uncle John will have an official bike sponsor. It might be a longshot, but it is worth a shot. I am also going to take up ideas for fundraisers and throw ideas out too.

Do you know someone that own's a company? Do you own a business that could contribute to a charity? If you know of someone PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know so I could get them some information regarding TEAM TRI'ing For Uncle John.

If you are interested in donating again, feel free to at http://www.active.com/donate/tntil/tntilKHastin

Every little bit helps, plus it is the end of the tax year and this might make the write-off bigger, hehehe.

Training officially starts Monday. TEAM has an event called "Kick Off" which is a small expo for TEAM that has fundraising ideas and you get to meet your coaches and mentor's. I have the privledge to be a mentor this year and also be able to present my fundraising experience to the group. Thanks to YOU, I had a very positive experience with my online newsletter and will show people what to do. I am also a mentor for the St. Anthony's Tri Team. Mentors give support during this adventure on all different avenues of the race/fundraising routes. This was all inspired by my past mentor, Katy Otto. Thanks Katy!!!

I will have the first week of training done next Saturday, so expect an good update this weekend.

Enjoy your weekend. ARMY NAVY game is on Saturday, with a Bears game on Sunday. It is going to be a good weekend.


Take care.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Round 2...



TEAM TRI'ing FOR UNCLE JOHN IS BRINGING THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER TO FLORIDA! I am taking on my second triathlon, The St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg, FL, with TEAM.


WITHOUT TEAM, I would not have finished my first TRI.


WITHOUT TEAM, Uncle John would not have the advancements in cancer research and development.


WITH TEAM, I will become a part of the fight to find the cure for blood cancers.


I am participating in The St. Anthony's Triathlon as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training. I am a part of Team In Training to raise funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I'm completing this event in honor of my uncle, John Kata. Uncle John had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma approximately 10 years ago. He was diagnosed in January and went through extensive chemo and by October, he was back to his old self. The challenges I face for every day I train, for every pound I lose, and for every mile I finish will never compare with the battle Uncle John, and the other survivors have gone through. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!


Help me reach my goal and contribute to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society today!