So, my title is a bit of a ruse to get anyone and everyone out there reading my modest blog to kind of let me know if this thing is worth keeping up.  I’m far too lazy and low-tech (okay more the former than the latter) to add a visitor counter to my site- so I only know if people are reading the entries when I get a comment put at the end.

Hey, that’s cool. No one needs to be leaving me any comments!  But I’m narcissistic, so I kinda want to see what my dedicated readership might actually look like.

I have this little underhanded proposal for you, my reader(s).  Actually, it’s more of a request. Hear me out- it’s not so bad (and besides, I’ll never know if you choose not to participate!).

BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front- to use a military acronym):

If you read my blog, please go to the following website and give me a dollar:

http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/site/TR/Events/RFH-DC?px=2204961&pg=personal&fr_id=1490

As you can see I am holding out a tin cup and asking you for a tax-deductible donation for a cause that is near and dear to my heart. If any of you remember how I ran the Marine Corps Marathon for charity last year- you know how uncomfortable I am about asking for money. So it should really tell you something when I am not only fund raising again, but I am going out and abusing the good graces of my blog readers by asking them for money. 

 

Why do I want you to give me a dollar? Well, yeah- it would be nice to see if people read this random collection of Megan’s African observations. But more than that, I want to do everything I can to help raise money in support of my amazing, awe-inspiring, tireless and…..well I can’t really find a good enough superlative to list…..but she’s my FRIEND, BethAnn.  If you think you’re having a tough day, go check out her story. You’re too tired to get off the couch and try to get in shape? Go check out what BethAnn has accomplished. It’s not enough that she is an Ironman triathlete and Boston-qualified marathon runner who does all her training while holding down a demanding government job. Or the fact that she has the biggest heart that you could ever look for in a friend, has great style and makes really good cherry bombs. No, it’s that she’s got a Brain Tumor that she has been battling since 2005 and we as her friends and family need to do everything possible to fight for a cure.

You’re missing out if you don’t know BethAnn, because she really is amazing. And cancer really sucks. Call me preachy, but the rest of us walking around the planet need to remember how lucky we are to even have the option to go out and walk our dog, to lace on some running shoes, or to drive a car.  We take so much for granted every day.  

As for BethAnn? She has far from checked out from this sometimes exasperating life on Planet Earth. She’s still fighting. She always will. As her motto goes, “Never, never, never give up!”, and those of us who have joined Team BT (and I’m not looking for money from you people, by the way!) aren’t giving up either.

 

So thanks for reading this, if you are indeed still reading. It’s my first step in a creative approach to raise more money for my fellow runner. I might regret this last carrot that I’m about to dangle in front of you…BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE:

For every dollar that you contribute on top of your one dollar, I will run a mile. So if you give me ten bucks, I’m running 9 miles for you out here in Dakar where it’s gonna get WICKED HOT very shortly (you can track this on Facebook- I promise I’ll do it). If you give me 100 bucks- well, it will take awhile- but I will get it done. 

With a cause like this one, it would be the best 99 miles ever run.

Okay now I’m done for real. Your continued reading is now rewarded with another failblog picture: