Family and Friends,
I am looking forward to a happy and healthy 2016 and am hoping you will join me as I kick off the year running the Red Hot Moab race and fundraising for an important cause. On February 13, I will run the 20.5 mile course through Utah mountain terrain near Arches National Park and I am hoping to raise $100/mile for the Brain Aneurysm Foundation.
As I was training for my Calgary Half Ironman this past year, I learned about a young female triathlete, named Cindy, whose life was cut short when she died from a brain aneurysm at 33 while on a training ride for her first Ironman competition. Her story touched me not only because of our similarity in age but because I know another young, vibrant woman whose life was seriously affected by a brain aneurysm. My mom, Maria Gino, suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm when she was 42. Luckily for my mom and our family, she survived but is paralyzed. She is a constant inspiration for me to swim, bike, run…and live life to the fullest.
That is why I am running to support TeamCindy and the Chair of Research her mother set up through The Brain Aneurysm (http://www.bafound.org/) Foundation. TeamCindy (http://give.bafound.org/site/TR/Events/TeamCindy?fr_id=1070&pg=entry) promotes widespread public awareness of the dangers of a ruptured brain aneurysm and funds research grants that focus on early detection of aneurysms.
A few stats on Brain Aneurysms:
- An estimated 6 million people in the US have an unruptured brain aneurysm, or 1 in 50 people.
- Brain aneurysms are most prevalent in people ages 35 - 60
- Women suffer aneurysms more often than men with a ratio of 3:2
- The Brain Aneurysm Foundation is the world's only nonprofit organization solely dedicated to providing critical awareness, education, support and research funding to reduce the incidence of brain aneurysm ruptures.
I hope that you will join me as I make each mile count and raise $100 for each mile in Moab and support TeamCindy and the Brain Aneurysm Foundation’s important research.
#meetmeinmoab
http://give.bafound.org/goto/AlannaGino
Thank you,
Alanna