22 November, 2014 - Update

The mission of making a difference in others human lives was accomplished. My 120-mile run across Long Island was completed after 30:25 hours of run. We, all of you that supported me and myself, added our ‘bricks’ to build awareness of cancer, build support to people affected by cancer, and encouragement to researchers to discover successful drugs to eradicate this illness forever. My entire support crew knew at least 2 of my 3 friends who died from cancer in the last year. We paid tribute to my 3 friends (Ann, Ojars and Stanley) that lost their battle against cancer by dedicating this run to them. Beside my recently lost 3 friends, all of us had in our mind and heart someone else who left too soon this world or someone who is currently fighting like a Toro to beat cancer. So many people that contacted me or I spoke with them before and also during the run, they all have thoughts about someone that fought or still fighting against cancer. The tears pouring down on a young lady’s face in the Starbucks Café in Bridgehampton still warms my heart….the words of a lady in the Diner at 3:30am in Sayville, saying me ‘thank you for doing this’ still sound like music to my ears. There was not a single person with whom we talked that would not say…..my (someone) is affected…or died…or the cancer is in remission. The latter is what we would like to hear more often, but everybody’s goal is to put the word ‘cancer’ in the list of curable or at least ‘inactive’ diseases. The ultimate goal is to eradicate cancer, like so many other illnesses in the past. Until we get there, the immediate goal is to transform cancer into a curable disease, maybe a chronic disease, so we would die with cancer, but not of because of cancer. Well, my 7th annual 120-mile run across Long Island is history now. My exhaustion will go away, my sore legs will go away, my hurting foots will go away, my aching body will go away, but we should never let go away the mission of helping other human beings in time of needs. Here is my wonderful crew: Annette, Frank, Grant, Eustratia and Francisco.

Here are my friends who left us forever: Ann Cedrone, Ojars Stickis and Stan Friendlander