Three weeks from today, I'll be running a 5K on and around the Emory University campus, in a fundraiser for the Winship Cancer Institute (WCI). As a designated cancer center of the National Cancer Institute of the NIH, WCI activities feature a large number of clinical trials of new therapies, and an extensive ongoing program in research, prevention, and education. I'm affiliated with the Discovery and Developmental Therapy program at WCI, and my laboratory has enjoyed several collaborations with WCI biomedical scientists over the past 15 years.
If you have enjoyed reading this blog, and you're interested in supporting research and patient care at a leading center for cancer treatment, I encourage you to consider a donation to the WCI, through the link on the right side of this page. This will also connect you to information about the Winship Cancer Institute, including opportunities to direct your donation to the treatment of a specific type of cancer. You will also have an opportunity to make your gift in honor of someone dear to you, if you wish.
In terms of my own health, the Winship "Win the Fight" 5K in 2013 was my first race, and the race that led to sixteen additional races over the past year. I now run, on average, 10 - 15 miles per week, and my cardiovascular health has improved quite substantially. A good run also does wonders for my mood. I've enjoyed discovering many areas of metro Atlanta on foot, with the Beltline and the circuit of Stone Mountain among my favorite places to run.
This semester, I'm teaching a small graduate-level course (11 students enrolled). I'm encouraging the students to run or walk the Winship 5K this year as a "class bonding experience". I've offered to make a small contribution to the WCI for each student that registers. To make things a bit more interesting, I've also promised to make an additional donation under the name of each student in the timed race that "beats the professor's best chip time", at the rate of $1 for every 10 seconds faster than my best time. Hopefully most of them will take up the challenge, although it happens that the Winship 5K will be run three days before the first midterm exam in my class (unfortunate timing...).
Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance to donors! All gifts are welcome, large or small.
Frank McDonald
https://winshipcancer.emory.edu
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