RUNNING FOR MARIO

With the Laird doing better, Mr. FOG has not been needed as much and has used this time to get caught up on things he had put off.  In any event, the BLOG has taken a back seat.  The cancer war news have been good but mostly all the same and without the drama of a real war, Mr. FOG could not report that Red Devil and allies have retaken a key muscle in Mario’s upper leg or reveal the many atrocities committed by Ewing’s Sarcoma on innocent civilian body cells.

As this is being posted Mario is finishing up Chemo #5 and Mr. FOG is heading back to Vinings Mountain Castle.  The oncologist has not been able to feel the tumor as she once could when palpitating the upper leg, Mario’s pain has subsided considerably and for the last two chemotherapies he has had less of the bad post treatment side effects.  His motor skills impairment--the limp--is still about the same, although FOG thinks he had noted some improvement when the Laird walks.  The recovery of nerve sensation in the sole of the right foot may take time and not be simultaneous or commensurate with the reduction of the tumor.  A lot of damage may have been done and it may take time and therapy to recover motor skills.  We will have to talk to neurologist to learn more about this and be able to share an expert medical opinions, rather than Mr. FOG’s conjectures, which BLOG readers have come to expect.

The Arm That Ran For a Leg  is our sports story.  A marathon is a race that traces its origins back to ancient Greece.  The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres (26 miles and 385 yards) that is usually run as a road race. The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon (the namesake of the race) to Athens.

The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until 1921. More than 500 marathons are held throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes. Larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.  The following links provide more information on a marathon and the Boston Marathon:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon

http://www.baa.org/

Again Sherry Lane, our top reporter, provided this scoop on the Boston Marathon runner whose arm "ran" for Mario.  Rather than re-tell the run, below is the athlete’s own story of his run with a picture of the sports arm which ran for Mario  A picture of Mario’s leg may follow in a later Blog.  Following is Richard Correa’s story.  Thanks Richard for a fine run.

Mario--Attached is a picture of me with my grandchildren as I left their house yesterday morning for the Boston Marathon. It was hot then, easily in the 70's at 7:45 AM. It later peaked at 86. Not good for a marathon, especially for Yankees who train in the 50's and below. I was tired at 15, not sure if I would finish at 23 and done at 24.5--I ran slowly and walked the last couple of miles. From the start, I walked through all the water stops and drank Gatorade or another hydration drink at every mile. I poured water over my head 26 times. It was really hot. I ran 50 minutes slower than last year but feel really good about finishing given the conditions. You can see from the picture that I have your name on my bicep which while running was very readable. For some reason for the first 16-18 miles people (there were hundreds of thousands along the 26 miles) cheered  only for Dana-Farber, the cancer institute I ran for. Once I approached Boston I started to hear cheers for Mario. Nobody seemed to get that I was running for you despite the 4 Mario on my arm. No matter. I don't know how many yelled your name. It was a lot, at least a hundred and maybe many more. As I told I would, I channeled you. When they yelled "you can do it Mario" or "go Mario" or "way to go Mario" or "you look good Mario" (as I didn't and you probably don't), I know that they were supporting you. The last 6 miles were difficult but I thought of you and my friend Jack. It was nothing compared to what you are going through. It was an honor to run for you.Thank you.  I will forward another picture of me and the grandkids after I finished--I don't know how to do it in this same email.  Dick

Thank Yous  There are more thank-yous to be done for gifts, but ratther than a cusory thanks, Mr. FOG prefers to get to Vinings Castle and take pictures and perhaps sample some to gifts.  Consider this a pre thank you to Mario's AT&T friends, Jim and Ellen, and others.