WHY I RUN: By Zach Skow https://crowdrise/MarleysMutt-cm2014/fundraiser/zachskow I started Marleys Mutts Dog Rescue because my dogs saved my life during a grueling battle with End Stage Liver Disease. Liver and kidney failure nearly took me out, but the dogs (Tug, Buddy and Marley) were there to lift me up and give me the love and strength I needed to keep going. When I couldnt look at myself in the mirror, they had no problem staring at me with adoration, beaming with love. Without them, I would not have lived through it. I was dying of liver failure and didnt have the strength to get out of bed, much less get better. The dogs knew just how to motivate me, though: bombard me with unconditional love, licks and subtle hints at how bout a walk please, Dad. I was able to put one foot in front of the other and start walking, if only for them at first. In the beginning, I could get only yards and was very wobbly. I had ammonia build up on my brain which made me unstable as well as liters of blood in my abdomen that made walking very painful. I also had a full body infection, the result of a negative reaction to my meds which caused severe blistering on my feet and hands. Walking was not as easy as it sounds. One step at a time, one day at a time, we did it. What started out as a few steps, in only months, became a few miles. Pitifully slow trudging gave way to brisk jogs with the dogs. Yellow skin and a 9 months pregnant belly, made way for a 29 year old who was going to LIVE with liver disease, not wither away and pass on. The liver transplant that I so desperately needed became a thing of the past and although I am still a Comprehensive Transplant Patient at Cedars Sinai, I may never need that transplant. God, my dogs and ALL OF YOU compose a power much greater than myself which has motivated me to accomplish things I would have never dreamed or even attempted. Left to my own devices, I would have perished after that first month in the hospital. But I didnt, and I havent, and I wont! I have a purpose now and I will not let it go. In exchange for a bottle and black liver, I have been given the opportunity to accomplish dreams and make a difference. I still cant believe it, dont fully comprehend it and dont feel as though its settled in. I spent a lifetime loathing myself, being too scared to move around in life and be free. I may still have my fears and my anxieties and my imperfections-- but I AM FREE. Running this marathon and raising $50K for the Mutts is desperately important to me. Because it is supposed to be impossible. I was given an 80% mortality rate if I didnt receive transplant within 90 days. Well, 90 days came and went almost 6 years ago and I still have my same old liver! I am a miracle, these dogs are miracles, ALL OF US ARE MIRACLES!!! The fact that the race is exactly 6 years after my last drink is serendipitous and I hope you will take part in the magic too. It WILL be magical, it WILL be spectacular!! Not just because Im running but because 5 other beautiful souls will be running it with me. PALS who have been punishing themselves in training just as I have. Show your support and please donate a few bucks to our Miles for Marleys Mutts, I think youll be happy you did. I cant say for certain that there are KARMA points in it for you, but that very well may be the case. https://crowdrise/MarleysMutt-cm2014/fundraiser/zachskow
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 15:00:01 +0000