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Everyday, I am faced with my good fortune at work in the OHSU bone marrow transplant department.  All my petty complaints (i.e. it is raining again in Portland) are put into perspective when I see the ordeals that patients and their families are put through.  With this in mind, I am inspired to do my part for those who have been dealt a tougher hand.

My issue of choice, and one that is so far underappreciated in the media, is water.  An estimated 2.6 billion people worldwide do not have access to adequate sanitation and approximately 1 in 8 do not have access to safe drinking water, leading to nearly 6,000 water-related deaths per day, most of them children.

Therefore, I have chosen to raise money for an organization that envisions a world where all people have access to this basic human right.  Water for People is a non-profit that works in developing countries to help communities design, implement and maintain affordable and sustainable water delivery systems and sanitation facilities.  In order to raise money for them, I will be running the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim on October 2, 2010.  The run totals 42-miles with almost 11,000 feet of elevation gain. 

Please check out my fund raising page at www.waterforpeople.org/elanamater to learn more about the wonderful work of Water for People.

posted 2 years, 9 months ago
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