And the winner is...

Chris Davis was the lucky recipient of the autographed memorabilia package! He was also the highest donor which also won him the autographed Edgar Martinez signed plaque!

I'd like to again thank Chris and all who donated for making a difference in spreading the word about organ donation. Together we raised $3293!

I must appologize for the tardiness of getting the results up on the blog. Today was the first day that I had very little soreness from running the marathon. I also made a minor breakthrough with the web authoring program I am using to build my new website and got busy with that last night. I am hoping to be able to launch the website early next week beginning with the Poetry and Running pages. I also have an anouncement of a new, and fairly lofty, goal I am setting for myself. But no, I'm not going to leak it out tonight! You'll all just have to wait till I get the site up!

Till then stay safe and enjoy life, it only comes around once in a life time!

mk

Seattle Marathon - New personal best!

Ok, so I've only run two marathons. But I did do better this year than last. I finished in 4 hours, 17 minutes! That's about 28 minutes faster than last years race!

It was absolutely beautiful out there today. I took it easier this year in the beginning and didn't walk for the first 16 miles! (it's the walking that kills your time!) Randy Howard joined me at the 14 mile mark and finished with me. It was great having someone there to pass the time with. My parents ran my pit stops for me and I'm sure that was a huge factor in my improved time. I also saw Chris, Sarah, and Mac Davis out on the course. Sorry I didn't have time to visit!Unfortunately, my lovely wife missed it yet again! Maybe next year she'll actually see me finish! LOL (I still love you baby!)

I feel a lot better physically also. A little tightening in the calves but not many other complaints. I'm looking forward to doing it again next year. And maybe I'll even train better!

So far we've raised $3215 for organ and tissue donation awareness. I have heard a few occasions of people having trouble with the website. I've checked it out and have found no problems myself. If you're having troubles try cutting and pasting this link into your browser window, http://www.firstgiving.com/markkorf.

Thanks to all of you who have supported me in this endeavor. I'll be doing the drawing tomorrow and will post the winner her on the blog so check back!

More later...

I gotta SLEEP!

Happy Turkey Day!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

On this day I would like to especially thank all of you who donated to the fundraiser! It is people like you who truly make a difference in our world. Thank you!

I'm currently up on Camano Island having Turkey Day dinner with my wife's family. I'll celebrate with my family on Saturday. Then run the marathon on Sunday! I still question why they have the marathon on Thanksgiving weekend, it kinda spoils being able to stuff yourself with no regrets!

Looks like I'll be going down and spending the night at Ft Lewis tonight so I can get up SUPER EARLY and buy a flat screen TV for my wife. It's actually our present to each other, but she's the one who watches the most TV. If anyone reading is going to be down there as well, BEWARE! I'll be throwing elbows to get my TV! LOL I can find no better way to get into the spirit than to start the season off with some good 'ol combat shopping!

If you're just surfin' tonight while the turkey settles check out the Flight of the Conchords on YouTube. They are hilarious! I recommend 'Business Time', 'Hiphopopotomus', and 'If That's What Your Into'. I guarantee you will laugh!

Well, dinners ready so...

I gotta eat!

The countdown continues...

Hello all,

Sorry it's been a few days since I've posted. Lot's to do with the holidays coming up and my new position. I was at work for 15 1/2 hours yesterday! Work is getting busy as the units I'm assisting are starting to complete some of their training requirements. I've done more data entry in the last week than I think I've ever done before.

I'm getting ready to pace another Soldier as she takes her PT test. I hope she does well. (She shaved almost a minute off her time!!) I'm planning on doing a few short runs over the next few days to remain loose. The important thing is not incurring any unfortunate injuries this close to race day. I'm going to take it slower this year as my training isn't even a quarter of what I wanted to do. I'm not sure how the die hard marathoners find the time to train. Do they not have jobs?

I'm going to have a people cheering me on out on the course this year. I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure I'll be needing any and all motivation to finish this year. Chris, Sarah, and Mac Davis will be out there as well as my parents acting as my pit stops and medication centers. LOL I'll also be joined on the race course by Randy Howard and Cliff Banta. They've agreed to come out and pace/motivate me for a bit. It'll be nice, last year at times it seemed isolated even though there were lots of people around.

We've raised over $2600 so far in the fundraiser! Not as good as last year but in the end, every dollar is going to a good cause. If you haven't donated yet and still wish to, just click on the fundraiser status board to the right!

Many thanks to all of you who have already donated. I truly do appreciate your support. The website is coming along a bit slower than I originally expected, but it's coming. Each time I sit down to work on it it gets a little easier. Anyone out there great with Dreamweaver? I could really use a 'mentor' to help me through the little problems that are so much bigger due to my inexperience with the program. But it's coming, I promise! And soon!

More to follow...

I gotta run

Website is slowly coming...

Hello all,

I have been messing around with a version of Dreamweaver to start building my new website, makopoetic.com. While I am learning a lot, there is too much to learn! This is going to be a slow process as I learn what most people would say is a headache. I do have a 'title page' already built but cannot figure out how to upload it to the server. Hopefully I'll figure that out soon.

The website is going to have 5 areas of interest.

1) The Crusade - Concentrates on my organ donation awareness activism, my disease, and anything affiliated with that part of my life. It will have it's own blog, photos, videos, and other interesting information.

2) The Soldier - This will highlight all aspects of my military career and provide information to interested individuals who might be considering the military as a full or part time job. It will also have a blog of what I am doing militarily, possibly a few blogs from deployed Soldiers, photos and videos, and lots (I mean lots) of military information! I'm hoping to also have a question forum that prospective recruits can use to get answers about the military from a Soldier who's NOT a recruiter.

3) The Traveler - This will be a work in progress. I do a lot of traveling, most notably to Las Vegas a few times a year, and though it might be beneficial to people like me going to Vegas on their own. It will have hotel, restaurant, casino, and show reviews; my travel history, and pictures of some of the beautiful places I've been. I'll also have a question forum to answer questions about travel to Vegas, or other places I have visited.

4) The Poet - This area quite simply will be where I will display my poetry. I told you, simple.

5) The Philosopher - The final area of interest will revolve around a question I often ask people; If you were able to bring back to life someone who actually lived, but is now dead, for one hour... Who Would It Be? I plan on gathering information on ths topic and hopefully writing a book someday with all I have learned, or not learned.

Well, I have some reading to do.

mk

Happy Veterans Day!!!

So, last nights Vanessa Carlton concert was good. I enjoyed hearing her play live and the sound was really good. A bit of a wierd venue though. If you wanted to see her up close you had to stand for the entire concert. And not many people were doing anything except standing and listening. It was kinda ackward. I was unable to meet her, she didn't do any CD signing afterwards as advertised by the people who worked the establishment. I'm glad I went though. Hearing 'A Thousand Miles' live did send tingles up my spine!

I'm in the process of building a new website. It's going to be makopoetic.com and I have alot of great ideas. Just don't have any know how to make them come alive. Ths is going to be a steep learning curve! I was hoping to find something as easy to manipulate as this blogsite but it's proving a little more challeging! I'll be posting on here until the site is up and to my liking so keep checking back.

More later,

I gotta run.

Sub-title change, and the real story...

Wow! A lot has happened in the last nine days. I currently sit at a desk in my hotel room at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. A cool little perk that having a Human Resources manager for a wife brings! I’m spending my time resting, re-connecting with my wife, and establishing and building a new website that will soon be the new home for my blog, organ donation awareness efforts, and other future endeavors.

It’s nice to get away and have time to focus a little, but I do have to admit that I am awfully excited about Sunday evening. Sunday evening I am going to go and see Vanessa Carlton live at the Crocodile Café in Seattle, Washington! This has been a dream of mine ever since I came back from Germany.

Most of you who are close to me already know the story of how Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" pulled me from the depths of hell, and helped guide me towards my current life's mission. But for those of you who don't know, here’s how the story goes...

In May of 2004 I was on annual training in Germany with my National Guard unit. I became ill and was transported to Krakenhuas Eschenbach, a local German hospital. They diagnosed me with a 'bad' gall bladder and arrangements were made to remove it the next day. I called my girlfriend (now my wife) and told her the news. The surgery was completed the next day and I began the process of recovery, hoping that I might be released in time to return home with my unit a few days later.

Unfortunately, life doesn’t always go as hoped or planned. Unbeknownst to me, the doctors were monitoring my hematocrit levels. The hematocrit (Ht or HCT) or packed cell volume (PCV) are measures of the proportion of blood volume that is occupied by red blood cells. It is normally 45 ± 7 (38-52%) for males and 42 ± 5 (37-47%) for females. I know, I know… to technical. Let me break it down this way. My normal hematocrit level should be around 45, the doctors were worried because mine was at 17 and falling. This is a symptom of hemorrhaging; or in my case, internal bleeding.

I was sent for an ultrasound and the nurse told me that I had ‘fluid’ pooling in my lower abdomen. When I asked the doctors to give it to me straight, and in the best English they could muster, they then told me I had uncontrolled internal bleeding and that they were going to have to open me up, see what was wrong, and fix it. I wholeheartedly agreed! A second surgery was scheduled for the next day and the unit was informed that I would be staying behind.

My approach to the next surgery was rather relaxed; hell it was the second one in three days. As I counted back from ten the anesthesia took control of my consciousness I could not comprehend how different my life would be in just ten days.

I slowly arose from the depths of my coma ten days later to the faces of doctors, nurses, my parents, and my girlfriend. I am not entirely sure of the timeliness of the events, the participants, or even my actions. I couldn’t even comprehend just how wrong things had gone and how lucky I was to be alive. It took awhile to even realize that I was in a totally different hospital, nearly 50 miles away from where I had the surgeries done. I have spent many hours over the last 3+ years piecing together the events of those ten days. The one thing pertinent to this conversation are the actions of my girlfriend, Jennifer.

When I met Jennifer in college she was studying to become a psychologist. She was learning parts of the human brain that I can’t today even spell, what they did, and how our thoughts are formed and influenced. I truly believe that it was her knowledge of how the brain works, and what she did because of it, which saved my life.

There is a whole long story of what happened between my parents and Jennifer. All I really know is that when I came out of the coma, they couldn’t be in the same room together. I have heard both sides and understand each point of view. I bring this up because it played a large role the circumstances of my recovery. For whatever reasons, my parents ended up on the ‘day shift’ and Jen resorted to ‘sneaking in’ to be with me during the nights. After my parents arrived in Germany they found themselves in a daily meeting where the question was not ‘is he (me) getting any better?’, but more actually ‘is he getting any worse?’ My condition was dire, but stable. I was not getting any worse thus allowing the decision to have me remain on life support another day.

Jennifer would sit with me during the evenings and having the knowledge that she has of how the brain works set out to play music to me. Her attempts to get my laptop with my music on it were without success. She then decided to take a trip to a Czechoslovakian market place with our friend Russell who had come along with her. They poured over the booths looking for pirated CD’s with song on them she knew I liked. Later that night as she sat next to my bed she played the CD’s on Russell’s laptop. Song after song played and she diligently swapped out each CD for the next one when it finished, believing in her heart that this was the right thing to do.

All of the sudden alarms on the medical equipment started going off and the doctors and nurses started to rush in wondering what she had done. When asked she said she was only playing the music when the alarms went off and then questioned the doctors as to what was happening. One of the doctors looked at her and said that there was stimulated relational brain activity, something I had not shown for almost a week. She then turned her attention to calming me down so that no long term damage was done. This would become the point at which I began to get better. It started a process that took almost a year of rehab to get back to being healthy again and led to the diagnosis of my disease, leaving an indelible stamp on my future.



You ask what song it was?
A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton

Happy Halloween!!!

So I hope your Halloween was fun, and full of mischief! Honestly mine is rather drab! I dressed up as a soldier today at work; unfortunately, so did everyone else! Ha-Ha! (I'll be appearing here all week and don't forget to tip your waitresses!)

I did start out my morning running with a good friend of mine. Cliff and I ran two miles at a slow pace as he is still recovering from knee surgery. We used to run all the time when I worked at the armory before, but since I haven't worked there for awhile, we have both let the running slip. Now that I'll be back there for the next 6-8 months, were planning on doing alot more running. When we returned Tessa, another soldier who works at the armory, was just leaving for a short run, so I ran with her also. Her pace was a little faster and I did end up getting a nice workout this morning. I have decided that I am going to take it easy on the marathon this year. My training has been worse than last year and finishing is far more important than trying to better last years finish!

I have been invited out to lunch on Veterans Day by KZOK 102.5 FM! Sounds like it will be fun. I'm going to take Cliff as well, it'll be nice to go and meet some new people! A free lunch at the Outback, who could beat that mate?

I discovered that there is another National Treasure movie coming out just before Christmas! I loved the last one and am already looking forward to this one! I downloaded the trailer so you can see it here!




I can't wait to take Jen, Adrienne, and Hunter to go and see this. Kinda reminds me of Indiana Jones when I was just a kid.

I almost forgot about the exciting news of the weekend. I received a letter from an adoption agency in Phoenix. You see, about 18 years ago I agreed to place a child of mine up for adoption. I have been satisfied with that decision over the years as I still don't think I could have given her anything close to the life she enjoys now.

However, I have waited a long time hoping that someday I would have the chance to meet her. Her parents contacted me and requested an update of my life that they could share with Annie when they told her about me. I have been patient and respectful of their life together and appreciate very much the connection they have left open, and the occasional updates they have sent. I believe that the time is coming near when I will receive a phone call, an email, or the like, and a new chapter in my life I've been waiting a long time for, will finally open.

Until later,

I gotta run...

Sick and busy, and sick from being busy!

Just a short note, I spent my weekend drilling with the 181st BSB in Seattle, WA. Friday saw us in meetings till midnight. Twas a little better on Sat. & Sun. But I also came down with a nasty cold, I feel like I have a leaky Price Pfister faucet on my face! If you are reading this and are in great health, take a minute to appreciate it. Enjoy it. Be happy not being sick!

I sent out a press release today to a lot of local papers and a few radio shows. We will have to see what comes of it. I'll be putting the full court press on starting next week. The good news is that we are at 18%, the bad news is that we are only at 18%!

More thoughts tomorrow night.

I gotta run...

A lot to cover tonight...

So let's get started! I was up late last night/early this morning tweaking the blog. You'll notice a few small changes. I figured out how to add video and added two clips. The first one you will see is the afore mentioned commercial that my friend Randy Small was involved in. Scott Bennett and a few others I know are also in it as well. I think they did a great job, don't you! The second one is a new commercial from the Army Strong campaign. I love it! The music gets me fired up every time! I really like the new campaign as it delves a little deeper into what it really means to be a soldier.

We have received another donation! We are now at 18%! I'll be sending out some emails in the next day or to remind people about the fundraiser.

The Public Affairs office of the Washington Army National Guard has posted a story about me on their website to help promote the fundraiser. It can be found at: http://washingtonguard.org/news/archive/fo-Korf2007.shtml

Thank you to 1LT Keith Kosik and PFC Chris LaRue. I also want to thank MAJ Osterli, the Public Affairs Officer, for working behind the scenes and supporting my cause. Hopefully he'll be able to land an interview or two in the next few weeks! I'll keep you posted.

Now for some ramblings... For those of you who have been checking in every so often, you already know I'm a big Ozzy fan and just last week was able to go see him live! It was a blast! Well, I'm also registered with his website and get periodic updates. Interesting news tonight, Ozzy is donating all net proceeds from ticket sales and merchandise from his Nov. 20 concert in Las Angeles to the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. The program works to improve the lives of patients and their loved ones by providing at-home help, childcare, transportation, access to support groups and patient care services offered within Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The program also under writes colon cancer education for healthcare providers. To learn more about the program visit http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/6408.html.

I think this is awesome! I believe that heroes are people who overcome their faults and do great things for others. I believe that the Ozzman fits this mold, although not perfectly. Which I figure, is just the way he would want it! One of the things I have grown to respect in others is their compassion and what they do for others! It is a trait that I strive to meet in my own life and I challenge everyone around me, or whom I meet, to do the same!

So, last but not least tonight... Tomorrow marks my third wedding anniversary! I truly do not know where I'd be, or whether I'd even be alive, without my loving wife Jennifer. Honey, I know I don't always do the right things and that I'm not the easiest to live with; but I love you more than you know. Thank you for coming into my life. I will forever be a better person with you by my side. I love you.

I gotta run...

Yea for Randy!!!

Here's a big Kudo for a friend in my organ donation family! Randy spoke to 1200 students at Eastlake High School in Sammamish today! It was the first assembly type presentation at a school that any of us has done. He said it was well received and hopefully could be the start of something new!

Randy is also in an organ donation television commercial that is airing in the greater Seattle area. Check it out on youtube @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgRCnglbhac. Great job! Randy is also looking forward to meeting his donor's family in the coming months. I know he is excited and I'm sure it will be on the news. I'll add more info on it when it comes available.

Randy, it is truly an honor and a privilege to know you. Keep fighting the good fight!

I gotta run...

I've lost my focus...

I'm not sure why, or where it has possibly gone. But I sure haven't had it lataly. It's after 11:30 pm and I have to get up at 5am to head to work, and I can't sleep. I can't explain the mixed feelings of dread and inattention that have enveloped me. Hopefully this will kickstart me back to where I need to be to ensure that I give this all I can, and all it deserves.

The last week was busier than the one before. Here's a recap...

Monday I attended the Marcus Trufant Bowling and Billiards Classic. On an evening that I should have been enjoying watching my brother in law hanging with his team, I instead found myself attending alone. Not being a true Seahawks fan, I tried to make the most of it. It was enjoyable and I did get a chance to thank Darryl Tapp for signing a football at the Groz-n-Gas Othon. I have met Darryl twice now and he seems to be a well balanced person whom I have enjoyed meeting. He is also a terror on the field which is fun to watch! I would strongly recommend any diehard Seahawks fan to attend this event. It is a great place to get autographs and meet some of your favorite players. It is also well organized and supports a great cause. The Trufant family should be commended. It was a class A operation!

I started my new position with the guard on Tuesday, that led to a lot of driving over the next couple of days. In one 27 hour period I commuted almost 6 hours! I am excited about the mission and look forward to becoming more actively involved in it's operations.

Thursday night found me at the Ozzy Osbourne concert at Key Arena. It was the best. A lot of people will not understand but I believe he truly is a great performer. I am a huge fan and will always go and see him when I have the chance! ROCK ON OZZY!!

As for the training, that is where I have lost a lot of my focus. I am still determined to finish the marathon, but I am doubting how soon I will finish, and in what condition I'll be in the following days. I'll be sending out emails to local papers and radio stations starting this week. We're about five weeks out and I think it's about time to start pushing the story out there. I'll also be posting more posters in earnest as well.

If you have received one of my emails please forward it to all of your co-workers and friends. This is still mostly a grass roots campaign and I will need everyones help in getting the word around. If you haven't received an email drop me a line and I'll include you on the next mass emailing. Until later...

I gotta start running again!!!

Alot has happened in six days...

This week has been busy to say the least. First and foremost, a big Thank You goes out to James Woodford and his students at Franklin High School for having me out to speak to them on Monday. It was fun!!

Tuesday I stayed home and tried to accomplish things on my 'honey do' list. With all that I have going on, things sometimes slide and the misses needs to lovingly remind me of what I need to get done around the house. It just seems like the work never ends sometimes! I ended Tuesday with a night out with Randy. Randy is a fellow volunteer and heart recipient. He inspired me to become the speaker I am today. Being a few 'months' older than I, he is a great sounding board for issues I need input on or to bounce ideas off of. He has dinner at a British pub in Redmond called the Three Lions every Tuesday as they have trivia night. It was quite fun, and pretty easy from what I hear, for my first time. We had a good time and I can see myself down there again. Trivia is also a fun way to keep the brain smart. Something I sometimes have problems with ever since the coma.

Unfortunately I had a 'flare up' on Wednesday. My disease has a habit of reminding me it is still there and that I have to deal with it every so often. I woke around 3 am with a severe case of the shivers. My teeth were rattling I was shaking so bad. I put more clothes on and grabbed more blankets, only to wake up a few hours later sweating like I was sleeping in the Sahara! I stayed in bed a little longer than I had intended the next morning. I felt like I had been drop kicked in the gut. Not the first time I've felt that, and I'm sure not the last. I believe it has something to do with my Pancreas/Liver. I steered away from food and pushed the fluids al day. I'm off of active duty now so I don't have the luxury of being able to 'run down to Madigan' to get looked at. The rest of Wednesday was pretty drab but I did start to feel better in the evening.

Thursday and Friday I spent on the 'honey do' list again. I have duty this weekend so I'm forced to put the time in beforehand. I did return to running on both days, learning my lesson of taking too many days off. Thursdays run absolutely sucked. Fridays was significantly better.

We haven't received many more donations. I have a big week planned next week and then I'm going to redirect my energies towards promoting the event. I believe it is still too early for the story to peak so I've been holding back. But it's getting close to go time!

I hope to have some more news on Sunday evening and will try to post more frequently than I have this past week. I do have another blog I will be setting up for a book I will be starting soon. Stay tuned because I am going to need your help!

But for now,

I gotta run...

Big Donation! We're getting there!

So Thursday we got our biggest donation yet. $1040, yes that equates to 40 entries. Not bad for a coug! LOL Another donation received this morning brings our total to $1504!! We're almost halfway to last years total and still have seven weeks to go! We should reach $10k no problem.

I will most certainly be adding another Seahawks item to the package in a few weeks. I'll be attending the Marcus Trufant Billiards and Bowling Classic. I'm going to leave this one up to you guys so let me know who you would like me to get an autograph from? Give me a couple of ideas in case one of them is not there. This is your chance to make your opinion count!

I ended up skipping training yesterday; too many things kept coming up. I did however get my Vanessa Carlton tickets! I am so excited!!! I can't wait!

I spent some time with a friend last night in the hospital. I kind of owed him, and still do. He escorted my wife to Germany and facilitated a lot of their travel when I was in the coma. He was getting out last evening but still needs some more testing. Get better good buddy!

I completed my longest run yet. 8.5 miles in just over 1 hour, 9 minutes. I felt pretty good towards the end, first time since I ramped up the training. I'll be doing longer runs in the next 6 weeks to make sure I'm ready. My goal is to break the 4 hour mark. Last year I did it in 4 hours, 45 minutes. If I'm able to break 4 it'll be a big improvement!!

more later,

I gotta run...

Harder than I thought and good news!!!

So, this marathon training seems a lot harder this year than last. It's a good thing I've still got awhile before the race. My body was so run down yesterday that I decided to skip a day. I had errands to do anyways. I did however make up for it today. This morning I ran 6.25 miles in just under 51 minutes without stopping. Another 2-3 tonight and I'll feel better.

So now the good news... no the GREAT NEWS!!!! One of my errands yesterday was to have Mariner Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez sign a plaque commemorating his induction into the Mariners Hall of Fame! It is inscribed "Done Vida (Donate Life), Edgar Martinez" It is numbered 116 of 411 and has two pictures, two medallions, and an information plate. All double matted and framed in beautiful blue stained wood. This is truly a gorgeous piece of memorabilia, and one of a kind! Of all the items I've acquired for the fundraiser, this one is my favorite!

A big THANK YOU!!!! to Edgar Martinez for supporting this fundraiser again this year!!! I'd also like to Thank Buffie at Branded Solutions by Edgar Martinez for assisting with acquiring Edgar's signature!!

So, here is where it's going to be different... I am not including this item in with the rest of the signed memorabilia. Instead I am going to award it to the individual, or business, that makes the largest cumulative donation!!!! A special item deserves special circumstances don't you think? So donate big, or donate small a number of times, to get this awesome collectible!

Until next time...

I gotta run...

Skyline High School visit.

Well, I was only able to squeeze one 4 mile run in today. Probably best, I was a little wore out from yesterdays double. But I'm hitting it hard again tomorrow.

I missed this mornings run because I was invited out to Skyline High School on the Sammamish Plateau to speak to four classes. A big THANK YOU!!!! to Miss Taryn Buehler, and her classes. I had a blast again today speaking to young men and women about organ donation. It was my first visit to Skyline and I was impressed with the school, and more importantly, its students.

One student was kind enough to draw a picture for me that I will soon scan and post onto the blog for all to see. I love seeing creativity in people who are brave enough to share. Having written some poetry myself I know to well the anxiety of opening yourself up to others opinions.

Tomorrow I am off to try and meet with former Mariner Edgar Martinez. He has agreed via email to sign a framed collectible celebrating his induction into the Mariner's HOF. This will also be added to the long list of signed memorabilia I am giving away!

So here's a funny, and ironic, story. I used to be into collecting signed memorabilia when I was younger. I'm not sure when I got away from it but it just isn't that high a priority anymore. Except for my one collection of signed baseballs. I have been slowly trying to acquire a baseball signed by each one of the 2001 116 Game Wining Mariners Team. I am about half way there now. Ironically, one of the baseballs I need is that of Edgar Martinez. He was very supportive last year of signing one for the giveaway which I had in my possession for over a month. My loving wife had a blast constantly reminding me that I still had to give it away. And when the time came after the marathon, give it away I did. I'm not to worry though, I'll add one to my collection at some time or another.

Also tomorrow I will be stopping by the Crocodile Cafe to gather information on possibly setting up a meet and greet/photo op with Vanessa Charlton. Wish me luck!

I gotta run...

First day of two-a-days and a dream come true!

So the first day of two-a-days is done. 4.5 miles on the Duvall trail this morning and another 2.5 miles in the gym tonight. I'm also starting a whey protein regimen tonight. Hopefully that will fill me up a bit and help shed a few more of those pounds I have left towards my goal. But tomorrow is going to be harder. I am speaking at Skyline High School tomorrow so I will have to get up at 5am to get my morning run in at the gym. I'm not used to running that early unless I'm at an active duty school or something. I can already tell I'll be tired tomorrow evening.

So the high point of my day was receiving my ticket to go see Ozzy in concert again. I'm not expecting too many people to understand, but I love seeing Ozzy in concert! This will be my fourth time seeing him and the second time in three months (he was just here for Ozzfest in Aug!). I am so psyched!!! Ozzy was the first tape I ever bought (do you even remember tapes? Yes I'm old!), the first concert I ever saw, and for the last three years he's been the last concert I've seen. But not for long...

Big surprise!!!! VANESSA CHARLTON is coming to town!!!!! So many of you won't understand until you finish reading about this story. While in Germany on annual training in 2004, I had to have emergency gall bladder removal surgery. I was sent to a German civilian hospital and during the surgery, the doctors lacerated my liver and bile ducts. I was slowly bleeding to death internally and needed a second surgery. During that second surgery I went into Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and fell into a coma. My parents were placed on active duty orders and flown to Germany to make the decision to pull the plug.

Every day for three or four days they met with the doctors and evaluated my condition. I wasn't getting any worse so they would 'give it another day'. My girlfriend at the time (now my wife) flew over also. She has some knowledge of how the brain works and so she started playing music to me. After a few days she went out to the Chech. boarder and picked up a few pirated cd's with music she knew I liked. Unfortunately there was no change in my condition, until one of my favorite songs played. Alarms on the medical equipment started to go off and nurses and doctors rushed in. After about 5-6 days of being in a coma my brain started to show signs of life. From the point that that song played, I started to recover.

I wouldn't come out of the coma until after a total of ten days, and that would only lead to 9 months of rehab and the diagnosis of my disease. But I would eventually get better. Within five months of returning home I made that girlfriend my wife, and we are still happily married. That song holds a very special place in both of our hearts for if she hadn't have played it, I might not be here today. That song was 'A Thousand Miles' by Vanessa Charlton. It has been a dream of mine to hear her perform that song live, and now that dream will come true.

Sorry Ozzy, until you come around again, Vanessa Charlton will be the last concert I see should I die. But that's ok.

I gotta run....

Tomorrow starts two-a-days!

I've been putting off starting two-a-days for a week or so now. The Breast Cancer 3-Day took a little longer for my feet to recover from. But with the marathon now less than two months away, I can't procrastinate any longer. Starting tomorrow morning I'll be running twice a day for the next week or so to try and boost my training. Yesterday's 4.5 miles actually didn't feel too bad near the end. But at this point, the next 22 would probably give me some problems! LOL

I felt last year I was pretty well prepared for the run. The only problem I had was with knee pain the last 6 miles. I am attributing that difficulty to not running enough over all, and never running more than 12 miles. I'm definately going to do a couple of long runs around Halloween.

I figure that if I'm also able to drop anther ten pounds it should help. I ran last years marathon at 200 lbs. I'm currently at that weight now and I hope that the two-a-days and a little more intense training schedule this year will have me at 190 lbs on race day. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share them. I am not an expert by far on any of this stuff. I can't believe all I have been learning through this endeavor.

The fundraising page is up, unfortunately we're not seeing alot of traffic on it. We've only raised $100 so far. I am hoping that the traffic will start to pick up soon so that we will meet our goal. Please tell EVERYONE about it!!!!!

Thanks, I gotta run....

Three reasons why.

So, I guess the first question to answer is Why? Well, I can't say that there is any one diffinitive reason, but more of a conglomeration of three.

First, I need to get my story out. It is a strong story of courage, dedication, and perserverance. And I will delve into it in future posts.

Secondly, to create web traffic that hopefully will result in more visits to organ donation websites.

And thirdly, but most important, to increase donor registeries in every state. Without willing donors, people waiting in need of lifesaving transplants will continue to die.

My most recent endeavor is a fundraiser to raise money for the Living Legacy Foundation. I will be running a marathon, I only ask that you support by donating a dollar for each mile I will run. The money raised will help support Community Outreach and Education programs, of which I actively volunteer with. This is the 2nd year I have done this. Last year we raised $3219!!! This year however, I have set a loftier goal of $10,700!!!! To learn more about how you can help just click on the First Giving link to the right!

I had the opportunity to speak at Mercer Island High School on Tuesday. As always it was phenomenal. I truly enjoy speaking and sharing my story with young men and women.

I gotta run...