The Christmas Eve of 2016 was somehow lovely. After a dinner both together with my father we visited his parents and we had a really good time. Second course, aperitif, good fun, a lot of laugh and happiness… a lot of love. My grandparents, both over 80, in their best performance. Beautiful Christmas, looking like a beautiful dream the next morning. One month later, everything was different.
Our grandfather was taken to the hospital with the suspicion on hepatitis. The real diagnosis caused a shock, knocked us down, stronger than hundred knifes in the back. Cancer in its last stage, metastases pushing on the most important organs, the question didn’t sound “how long” but “in what pain”. Three weeks later it was all over…
My second grandfather, mum’s father, died 10 years ago – lung cancer assisted.
Few friends, approximately in my age, were treated on testicle cancer (luckily, they are fine today).
My father’s best friend from the army isn’t alive anymore – cancer.
As the HR Director of a big US corporation, I lately experienced one employee dying, he wasn’t even 50. Cancer. Wait a second, half a year earlier, another one, cancer. And again, not even 50.
Shall raise the hand who has no direct experience with cancer. In the family, at work, with friends and other people around. Does a person like this exist? Every sixth death in the world is caused by cancer. After the cardiovascular deaths, cancer is the second most common reason of people dying. Every year around 9 million people die on cancer and another 14 million are diagnosed. The trend raises even more, in the year 2030 it will be 23,6 million of new diagnoses per year. The percentage of the cured is raising too (and that is great news) but comparing to the new cases the current status is alarming. We know more than 100 cancer types; every part of your body can be affected.
Help for Bellis Young & Cancer
Breast cancer is the most common malignance the Slovakian and Czech women suffer on. Worldwide, every minute one female dies on the breast cancer.
Thanks to my ex-colleague and friend Martin Pospíchal, who quit his corporate career for the real sense of life, I got in touch with the ladies from Bellis Young & Cancer. I was touched by their stories and by their positive energy, which helps them fighting this evil. Bellis Young & Cancer is a project of the Czech Women Alliance of Breast Cancer which focuses on young oncologic patients not older than 45 years.
When facing the choice of my journey‘s first project (more and more I start to think it’s a mission), I suddenly knew I want to dedicate it to the Bellis ladies. I was also impressed by their project “Back to shape”, which helps young patients to improve their physical fitness after the exhausting oncological treatment. Today we know, that the physical fitness is an important part of the healthy mind, which many of the women lack after the difficult treatment.
**************************************
RUNELLER runs for Bellis Young & Cancer:
I decided, that until I leave Europe on 19 September 2018, I will be running for the ladies from Bellis Young & Cancer. During this period, I should be running in Prague, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Amsterdam, but… let’s see where my legs will lead me to. 🙂
UPDATE 19 September 2018: Final amount of kilometers is 146 = I donated 146 USD to Bellisky! Also other great people donated, see section “Contributors”.
YOU can STILL join, you can get inspired and donate as many USDs as your running kilometres it will be. The transparent bank account of Aliance žen s rakovinou prsu, o.p.s. where Bellis Young & Cancer belong to is 8006566001/5500. Please write „Runeller“ into the note. Should you donate from a different bank account than a Czech one, you will also need to know:
Bank Account Owner: Aliance žen s rakovinou prsu, o.p.s.
IBAN: CZ79 5500 0000 0080 0656 6001
SWIFT: RZBCCZPP
Transparency account link HERE.
If you don’t feel like contributing, that’s also fine, go for a run and think about the fact, that not everyone has the chance to run. If you do a small good deed afterwards, I will consider my mission as completed.
More about Bellis Young & Cancer you will find here: