BY ANDREW RODRIGUEZ
In December of 2012, after flying home to California for winter break and concluding my sophomore year at Rutgers University, my father sat my brother and me down in our kitchen and turned off the television. My mom had an unusual look on her face, which I had never seen before. Then he said three words that nobody should ever have to hear, “I have cancer.”
The City of Hope National Medical Center treated my dad in February of 2013 for his prostate cancer diagnosis. He had his prostate surgically removed, and was in recovery for several months afterward. I am very lucky to have my dad around today because of this hospital, but some of my friends have not been as fortunate.
Run the World 2K15 will take place in March of 2015. This month long philanthropic event will be held to raise money for The City of Hope, one of Southern California’s largest research hospitals for Cancer and HIV research. My teammates and I will be running five half-marathons in five weeks, circling the planet and running in countries that have a high cancer rate.
The five-week event will begin and conclude at Rutgers University, signifying a journey around the world to promote cancer awareness. We would like to raise $30,000, or about a dollar for every mile travelled around the world. Each race will be dedicated to a close family member or friend who has suffered or passed away from cancer. A loved one will also be running the race in memory or honor of their dedicated individual. Here is our race schedule:
- , March 8: Semi-Marathon De Paris, Paris, France. In Memory of Terry Cardoza.
- , March 13: Jerusalem Marathon and Half-Marathon, Jerusalem, Israel. In Memory of John Perez.
- , March 22: Twilight Run for Cancer, Brisbane, Australia. In Memory of Michael Miyamoto.
- , March 28: Pacific Half-Marathon, Agoura Hills, California. In Honor of Frank Rodriguez.
- , April 12: Rutgers Unite Half Marathon, Rutgers University, New Jersey.In Memory of Sandy Wang Chiang.
I have five teammates who will be traveling to specific races to run in memory of their loved one. Addam Rodriguez, Jaclyn Miyamoto, Emerald Chiang and I are all graduates of Walnut High School. Addam and Emerald are both running for their moms who passed away from cancer. Jaclyn is running for her brother, Michael, who lost his battle in 2012.
If you would like to donate to this worthwhile cause or find out more information on Run The World 2K15, you can email Team Leader Andrew Rodriguez at andrewedrod@verizon.net, or visit his personal page at: http://nationalevents.cityofhope.org/site/TR/HopeSweatampCures/General?px=2008425&pg=personal&fr_id=2370
Andrew’s team can be emailed at runtheworld2k15@gmail.com, or visit their web page at:
The team’s Project Manager, Danielle Sapia, can be emailed at dsapia@coh.org.
