Cyka UchuuJin's PledgePage for the Nike Human Race 10K
ON 31ST AUGUST, I COMPLETED THE NIKE HUMAN RACE 10K IN LONDON IN A TIME OF 1 HOUR, 6 MINUTES, AND 21 SECONDS, PLACING ME 164980TH OUT OF 1 MILLION GLOBALLY!
Thank you so much for your support, donations, and well wishes. This page will stay up and active for another two weeks and donations still gratefully accepted. :)
In March, 2008, I went outside for a short walk, and ended up for a longer while. I haven't stopped running since. Running is something that isn't really a challenge for people, but for me, it's conquering the impossible, as an asthmatic and a cancer survivor, my doctors have always said I can't run. I am training nearly every day and am excited, nervous, and happy to run a distance that I never have before. I'm currently in training for the Nike 'Human Race 10K' on 31st August, 2008. I'll be going to London to run it, where people I consider family are, who've stuck by me through my worst and now will see me at my best. I'm running for my adopted home, Kenya, and to further my vaccination project.
My vaccination project...
In 2004, I proposed to vaccinate (against tetanus) the ranger force of a private wildlife reserve, which was met with skepticism from the family, but was a desperately needed, and very much appreciated, task. 18 months later, I took a Japanese couple on safari in Kenya, as part of their safari, they wanted to see a 'real' Maasai village. We found one for them to see and they spent a few hours looking around, commenting how surprising it was that the nearest medical facility was a day's walk away. A few weeks after the couple returned to Japan, I went back out to that village, armed with vials of tetanus vaccine and basic medical supplies and vaccinated everyone who'd not previously had the jabs and did medical checkups on those who needed it, as my thank you for letting me 'invade' their manyatta with tourists. Since then, I've vaccinated over 650 people, and hope someday to see the entire country receive such basic vaccinations. In the west, people take for granted things like tetanus and hepatitis jabs. In Kenya, as well as most of Africa, these are provided only upon request and usually at a cost that is out of reach for most people. Tetanus is a disease that leads to lockjaw...and a very painful death from starvation. By the end of the year, I will start offering Gardasil vaccinations for girls. What most people don't realise is that for every AIDS death in Eastern Africa, there are 6-8 people who die of cancer. Many of which are cancers that, if caught early, could have been treated. Garadsil, which is a vaccine against HPV (human papilloma virus), a leading cause of cervical cancer, is a first step in reducing the number of cancer deaths in women. I am lucky that I survived (and continue to fight)...many others don't even have a chance for luck.
Going to London to run the Nike 'Human Race 10K' is a major milestone not just for me, but for the advancement of the vaccination project and the NPO that is in process of creation to support it. Up to now, this is a project that has been financed and executed by myself and I'm extremely excited to take it to the next level with the help of others to be able to expand the project further.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your support, donations, and well wishes. This page will stay up and active for another two weeks and donations still gratefully accepted. :)
In March, 2008, I went outside for a short walk, and ended up for a longer while. I haven't stopped running since. Running is something that isn't really a challenge for people, but for me, it's conquering the impossible, as an asthmatic and a cancer survivor, my doctors have always said I can't run. I am training nearly every day and am excited, nervous, and happy to run a distance that I never have before. I'm currently in training for the Nike 'Human Race 10K' on 31st August, 2008. I'll be going to London to run it, where people I consider family are, who've stuck by me through my worst and now will see me at my best. I'm running for my adopted home, Kenya, and to further my vaccination project.
My vaccination project...
In 2004, I proposed to vaccinate (against tetanus) the ranger force of a private wildlife reserve, which was met with skepticism from the family, but was a desperately needed, and very much appreciated, task. 18 months later, I took a Japanese couple on safari in Kenya, as part of their safari, they wanted to see a 'real' Maasai village. We found one for them to see and they spent a few hours looking around, commenting how surprising it was that the nearest medical facility was a day's walk away. A few weeks after the couple returned to Japan, I went back out to that village, armed with vials of tetanus vaccine and basic medical supplies and vaccinated everyone who'd not previously had the jabs and did medical checkups on those who needed it, as my thank you for letting me 'invade' their manyatta with tourists. Since then, I've vaccinated over 650 people, and hope someday to see the entire country receive such basic vaccinations. In the west, people take for granted things like tetanus and hepatitis jabs. In Kenya, as well as most of Africa, these are provided only upon request and usually at a cost that is out of reach for most people. Tetanus is a disease that leads to lockjaw...and a very painful death from starvation. By the end of the year, I will start offering Gardasil vaccinations for girls. What most people don't realise is that for every AIDS death in Eastern Africa, there are 6-8 people who die of cancer. Many of which are cancers that, if caught early, could have been treated. Garadsil, which is a vaccine against HPV (human papilloma virus), a leading cause of cervical cancer, is a first step in reducing the number of cancer deaths in women. I am lucky that I survived (and continue to fight)...many others don't even have a chance for luck.
Going to London to run the Nike 'Human Race 10K' is a major milestone not just for me, but for the advancement of the vaccination project and the NPO that is in process of creation to support it. Up to now, this is a project that has been financed and executed by myself and I'm extremely excited to take it to the next level with the help of others to be able to expand the project further.
Thank you!