You're Gonna Need a Bigger Pool

I've taken a liberty with Peter Benchley's original quote, "You're gonna need a bigger boat" from Jaws, but thanks to your kind donations, I may actually need a bigger pool, or a lot of flip-turns! (Okay, I can't actually do a flip-turn.) Contributions tally $3180 so far, which translates to just over a 1.8 mile swim for me.

Did you know that Peter Benchley died from Pulmonary Fibrosis? Yup. Pulmonary Fibrosis patients may feel like they need a bigger boat when faced with the challenges that this incurable, fatal disease presents. Killing the same number of people as breast cancer each year, most Pulmonary Fibrosis patients die within five years of diagnosis.

Please help me continue to fight Pulmonary Fibrosis by passing this post along to your friends and family using the buttons below.

How far will you make me go? Donate now, please!

We've Surpassed $3,000!

Thanks to everyone who has donated in the last few days! The total amount raised is now $3105. For those of you keeping track, that's 1.76 miles that I now have to swim!

Please consider passing this along to your friends and family. Pulmonary Firbrosis has no known cause, no FDA-approved treatments, and no cure. Most patients die with five years, and except for a small handful of lucky ones who receive lung transplants, the survival rate is zero.

Help us raise funds and awareness for this deadly disease that kills 40,000 people every year. Donate online: http://www.firstgiving.com/karenhiser

Thanks!

$2610 and counting!

Thanks to all of you, we've raised $2610 thus far for my Drown Me in Donations Pulmonary Fibrosis fundraiser!

I am happy to report that the donations are far outstripping my ability to swim that far. After being on the road (or recuperating from delayed flights) this week, I did manage to swim for 45 minutes this morning. 

While I was swimming today, another 493 people were diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis. It certainly does not make for happy holidays to be given less than five years to live, during which time you will watch your quality of life diminish greatly as you struggle harder and harder to breathe.

Please help me and the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis help the patients and families affected by this deadly disease. If you've already donated or can't afford to do so, please pass along this link to your friends. Raising awareness about this disease is the next best thing to raising money!

Thanks,

Karen

Fins & Remedial Swimming

Thank you to everyone who has donated thus far! We are up to $2300, which translates to 2300 yards (1.3 miles) for me to swim. 

Given that every morning at the Y, I am by far the slowest person in the pool, including (no offense) the grandmothers and grandfathers, I figured I better meet with a "professional" to beef up my training plan and work on improving my stroke. 

Those of you who know me well will know that taking a swim lesson required swallowing huge amounts of pride and ego (in addition to pool water). Swim lesson? Me? I practically grew up at the pool and never met an ocean wave that I couldn't conquer. But smarter minds prevailed...

My "professional" was maybe 24 (maybe). But she did give me some good drills, which I put to the test this morning during a 1 mile, completely exhausting swim. I hope she knows what she is talking about, otherwise I am just going to be really, really tired while still swimming slowly!

Jessica, if you are out there, thanks for the tips and for pushing me to get on the kick board!

Final thought: People always ask me whether I get bored swimming. No, I don't get bored; I am concentrating too hard on not drowning!

What do Pulmonary Fibrosis and Breast Cancer Have in Common?

Medically speaking, not much. However, Pulmonary Fibrosis and Breast Cancer both kill approximately 40,000 people every year. 

What differs dramatically between Pulmonary Fibrosis and Breast Cancer are survival rates and funding rates. The survival rate for Pulmonary Fibrosis is effectively zero, yet its total funding from all sources is only $450 per death, while Breast Cancer research receives $13,000 per death in funding from the National Cancer Institutes alone.

Help me fight Pulmonary Fibrosis by contributing to my Drown Me in Donations fundraiser. For every dollar you donate, I will swim one yard. How far will YOU send me?

All of the proceeds from this fundraising page will go directly to furthering the mission of the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF). The CPF is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to accelerate research efforts leading to a cure for IPF, while educating, supporting, and advocating for the community of patients, families, and medical professionals fighting this disease.