Run Becky, Run!!
Please help me reach my goal of $4300 so I can run the Kona 1/2 Marathon in 2013
Why am I running??
Thank you for visiting!! My name is Rebecca Moirao. I am a wife, step-mom, business owner, daughter, sister and good friend. I grew up in Rockford, IL but have settled in Folsom, CA. I am currently training to run the Kona 1/2 marathon in June 2013 and here's why.
At 22 years old, I started experiencing pain and swelling in some of my joints. It started with my toes and fingers, then moved on to my feet & ankles. It was then that I started walking with a limp. Eventually, it got to the point that I was calling in to work because I couldn't walk or put shoes on. At 22 years old, I was experiencing pain that at times kept me from doing every day things like washing my own hair or grocery shopping (the weight of even a can of tuna was too much to carry). Luckily, my employer was flexible with me but it wasn't long before I had to find a different job. I needed one that allowed me to sit. On a side note, this was the start of my sales career. One year into my journey and 23 years old, after many doctor visits and being told several times that I didn't break my foot (duh, I would have known if I had injured a foot, or both in this case lol), I finally got my diagnosis - Rheumatoid Arthritis. I remember being relieved to get an answer, but devistated at the same time. By this point, I had begun doing my research and I knew that there wasn't a cure. I thought I was going to have to live with all of this pain for the rest of my life.
Fast forward 14 years (I'll do the math for you, 37) and I'm doing better than I ever thought I would. I have this disease under control, no longer walk with a limp and can even wear heels (against my doctors best advice). I still have pain, but it doesn't even compare to what I experienced at 22.
I am running in the Kona 1/2 Marathon on June 23, 2013 year because I CAN.
Raising awareness is also important to me. I want people to know that this isn't an old persons disease. Kids get arthritis too!
Thanks in part to the Arthritis Foundation, I have access to meds that allow me to live a normal life.Please support me by donating to fund research, education, and community programs.
I appreciate your support and on behalf of ALL the people who live with arthritis pain, THANK YOU!
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$2490
