October Charity of the Month: Pulmonary Hypertension Association

Charity of the Month is the way Team Tizzel is helping to support some very worthy organizations. As part of this program, we will dedicate a post to a charity that we will sponsor through the month by donating Holly's training run money

September: We sponsored National Brain Tumor Society - Orange County Brain Walk to support a friend's first 5K ever to celebrate her recovery after discovering and removing a brain tumor this spring. We are also supporting a young friend on her journey through treatment. Our donation of $125 will help research endeavors. To donate, please click this link.
Pulmonary Hypertension Association

Our friend Dan, whom we met through Team AllEars, is the greatest marathoner that ever lived. Well, those are his words. If you get beyond his amazing amount of humbleness you will actually find a pretty nice guy. Holly's shared a few miles of road with him in various races and he even helped Holly escort Dave into the Magic Kingdom for Dave's first half marathon. While Dave was violently ill one Disney Marathon Weekend he was part of Holly's lap around Epcot entourage. He loves to still remind us about Dave puking right before Fireworks in Epcot (due to violent illness not booze).



This year Dan is doing his first night race. He is using this race as a vehicle to raise funds and awareness for Pulmonary Hypertension. In his words from his fundraising page: 

This November, I will take on a new running challenge as I attempt to complete my first night race - the WDW Wine & Dine Half Marathon. I’m happy to announce that a new challenge brings a new cause to support - and this time it’s more personal for Team Rajnik.

Since 2010, Diane’s mother, Betsie, has been battling a rare disease known as Pulmonary Hypertension (PH). PH is essentially having high blood pressure of the arteries between your heart and your lung.

PH is a tricky disease; it is very difficult to diagnose and treatment is complicated, expensive and not always successful. We are fortunate and grateful that Betsie has access to the doctors she needs and has responded well to her medications. Many others do not have access to or cannot afford medical care, and that’s why we are big supporters of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA). PHA strives to make the lives of PH sufferers better through promoting support, education, research, advocacy and awareness.

This year, I’m dedicating my race and my fundraising to PHA – both to celebrate Betsie’s achievements and to recognize the ongoing challenges of PH. I’ve set a goal to raise $1,300 for PHA ($1,300 for 13 miles!). I’m hoping to get one hundred of my family/friends/people-who-pretend-to-be-my-friends to donate just $13 each (of course, more is welcome).

I know $1,300 is a lofty goal. So to motivate any potential donors out there, I’m offering to run the WDW Wine & Dine Half Marathon as a zebra, if I reach my goal. That’s right, for only $13, you too can be part of my most embarrassing race ever, and all for a great cause.

Why a zebra? In medical school, doctors are taught to associate common symptoms with common ailments through the saying, "When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras." Pulmonary hypertension is a medical zebra. Just as a zebra sounds like a horse, PH often looks like something more common like asthma, COPD, sleep apnea or obesity. As a result, it typically takes years for a patient to receive their PH diagnosis and to begin life-saving treatment. The PH community uses the Zebra as its symbol since, for the PH sufferer, "sometimes it IS a zebra."

Let's make this happen. Click here for Dan's Crowdrise page.