walk, walk, walk

My buddy Tom sent me this link to an article about a Korean dude who's going to walk nearly 2000km on behalf of Ethiopian veterans of the Korean war. His gesture is actually quite touching to me, and I wish him well.

I'm guessing that Tom sent this to me as a gentle nudge to get me thinking about returning to my own walk. I'm not sure quite how I'd restart. I do know this: I wouldn't simply pick up where I left off. That would feel like cheating. Instead, I'd want to start all over. It'd still be an ocean-to-ocean walk, but its purpose might be completely different. Right now, I'd guess that the purpose would be more glioblastoma-related than religion-related.

On that note: a Cracked.com article with a serious coda led me to the blog of one Marissa Parks, a 23-year-old who was recently diagnosed with GBM, and who is undergoing standard first-line therapy. She's got a close-knit family and a ton of friends, as well as an upbeat outlook. I've been in touch with her and her father about second-line treatment options, and have become, I suppose, one part of their decision-making team. Marissa's sociable and too damn active to be held down by something like brain cancer, so she's living her life and doesn't blog too frequently. Still, if you want to check out her online journal, it's here. She's also on Facebook (from what I hear; my readers know I spurned FB a while back) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/MParks18).

GBM research is definitely a cause worth walking for.


_