Prayers For David

Before we go any further here please watch the video below:



David and Mary need our prayers, I have no doubt that they are fighters but some help wouldn't hurt.  David will be on my mind everyday this coming up week.  Be grateful for the days you have and live them to the fullest, because a simple pin prick can change your life.

To learn more about David and Mary go to their website or visit their page on Facebook.

Together we win....  LiveSTRONG David.

Sending You My Happiness

Someone once told me that to be happy you start by making others happy first.  This is true in so many ways, in almost every aspect of your life, whether it be personal or your relationships at work.  It is a simple idea but normally those are the hardest to understand and apply to our lives.

The reason for the deep thoughts, Jack Handy, moment is because I believe this may be why I am so passionate about the LiveSTRONG cause.  Not because it makes me feel good, but because it generates a spinning wheel of hope and determination for those who can fight for themselves.

It would be easy for me to just pay the entry fee for the LiveSTRONG Challenge and then come home feeling all good about myself and brag to my friends about the soft cheeses and French babies.  If I did that then I would be missing the point of it all and really wasting my time.  Because this is not about the bike, its about generating awareness and being a voice for those who lay in their bed in a hospital staring out the window and feeling alone.  Feeling like they are condemned to a life of pain and death.

When I wear yellow its not about my obvious bro-mance with Lance Armstrong, its about starting that conversation and about mamograms and prostate exams.  Coversations about who may need support in their time of struggle with cancer.  When I think of how hard it has been on some of my friends it breaks my heart.  Next month when I clip into my bike and head out for 45 miles of prestine Philadelphia hillsides I will be thinking of how happiness may seem so far away for some.  I hope together we can bring that happiness to them before it is too late.

 To support the LiveSTRONG cause to fight cancer please click the below link:

My Livestrong Team

Thank you.

Help Me Pick A Fight Against Cancer

Cancer is a word, not a sentence.  

The Lance Armstrong Foundation inspires and empowers people affected by cancer. The LAF believes that unity is strength, knowledge is power, and attitude is everything.  This year my wife, Nicole, and I will participate in the LIVESTRONG Challenge in Philadelphia on August 24th.  I will be attempting to do a 45 mile ride through the beautiful hills of south Philadelphia and Nicole will be walking a 10k. 

This year has been a little bit of a struggle as of late because on Father's Day I severally fractured my right wrist.  Since then I have had surgery and currently rehabilitating quite well.  The pain of a broken wrist is nothing compared to the 28 million people who will be faced with hearing they have cancer.  My wrist will heal, but for a cancer patient nothing is guaranteed, progress has been made in the fight against cancer but a lot still needs to be done. 

This is where you come in; help us fight cancer with a donation to our LIVESTRONG team the Marlene Misfits.  Marlene's Misfits is in honor of Marlene Halstead who died from bladder cancer July 30, 2007. She was an amazing mother, grandmother, wife, and friend.  I am sure all of you know someone who has been affected by cancer, yourself, a loved one, or a friend.  Please join us to fight back against cancer. 

With your help, we are hoping to raise $1,000 and the team is hoping to raise more than $2,500.  To make things easier we have established one donation page.    Please click to link to join our fight against cancer, My Donation Page

Thank you in advance for your time and generosity. We look forward to hearing from you and will be sure to keep you updated on our fundraising and training progress as we prepare for the event. 

**Please feel free to forward this email to anyone who might be interested in donating.  We appreciate and thank each and every one of you.

Sincerely,

Ken and Nicole Durbin

Learning To Fall

So I have been watching the Tour de France and well I have learned in cycling you fall and you get hurt.  In today's stage several riders took tumbles on a descent and ending up with some nasty road rash including Lance Armstrong.  One thing I noticed is these guys know how to crash.  I am thinking I need to learn how to crash.  Never really considered it before but when you are sitting around on the couch with a fractured wrist you think about these things.  So I am taping the Tour and I intend to study it so I can be a little more eloquent the next time I tumble.

Update on me is this week stitches come out on Wednesday and I am hopeful that I can be back on the bike by the end of the month.  I haven't discussed this with the surgeon yet but that is my plan. 

To donate for my Livestrong Challenge ride please click the link to the left.