November 18th, 2009 by Kevin A. Barnes
As part of $3K in 3 Weeks, here is the first in a series of articles on current research initiatives related to Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
The Human Gut Microbiome Initiative, based at the Genome Center of Washington University in St. Louis, is the first major investigation into the thousands of species of bacteria that live in the human digestive system.
What’s a microbiome? The “microbiome” is defined as all bacteria in the human body, as well as all the products they make. To put this in perspective, scientists estimate that as much as 90% of the cells in the human body are actually bacteria. In the past, since most of the species of bacteria found in the human body could not be cultured (grown outside the body for study), we’ve been essentially clueless about how those bacteria functioned and their potential role in the human body. Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: $3K in 3 Weeks, Crohn's Disease | Tags: $3K in 3 Weeks, CCFA, Crohn's Disease, cure, Human Gut Microbiome Initiative, ibd, Las Vegas half marathon, Team Challenge, ulcerative colitis
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November 15th, 2009 by Kevin A. Barnes
$3K in 3 Weeks is a special effort I’ve established to raise both awareness and at least $3,000 to help defeat Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis — hence $3K in 3 Weeks.
The effort runs from today (Sunday, November 15) through Sunday, December 6 when I will run the 13.1-mile Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon to demonstrate my commitment to defeating Crohn’s and colitis. (What are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis? Read an overview of these diseases and their impact at the end of this article. )
In recent years, we’ve seen dramatic advances in the understanding of these devastating diseases, to the point where our knowledge has already begun to improve the lives of those with Crohn’s and colitis (an estimated 1.4 million people in the U.S. alone). And recently one researcher after another has begun telling us the same thing:
“We know what remains to be done — the only thing standing between us and a cure is money.”
That’s right — money has become the critical factor in helping find a cure. Here’s how you can help: Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: $3K in 3 Weeks, Crohn's Disease | Tags: $3K in 3 Weeks, CCFA, Crohn's Disease, cure, ibd, Las Vegas half marathon, Team Challenge, ulcerative colitis
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November 2nd, 2009 by Kevin A. Barnes
It’s going to be an interesting (and busy) November and December.
I recently reviewed a list of all of the non-work projects I currently have underway, with the hope of dropping (or at the very least deferring) some of them. After that exercise, I was still left with an overly ambitious set of goals I hope to accomplish before the end of 2009, all on top of the usual background noise of my day job and my on-again-off-again health.
The challenge is that there are too many important things that must get done. Things whose time has come. Things that I’m not willing to give up on, and can no longer delay.
Major Project #1: Raise funds to cure Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
October 19 was recommitment for the Las Vegas Half Marathon for Team Challenge. What that means is that I’m now committed to run 13.1 miles on December 6 and raise at least $4,000 to help fund research and other vital programs to beat Crohn’s and colitis. This is my third half marathon for this cause, and although progress is being made by the researchers and medical experts, there still is no cure. So I keep running. And despite what my body (and my own Crohn’s disease) tells me, I’ll continue running until we beat this thing. If you’d like to help this effort, please visit my Team Challenge donation page.
Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Crohn's Disease, Personal, Science Fiction, The Future | Tags: accomplishment, CCFA, Crohn's Disease, goals, NaNoWriMo, Science Fiction, Team Challenge, ulcerative colitis, writing
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September 9th, 2009 by Kevin A. Barnes
As happens way too frequently with Crohn’s disease, this afternoon I found myself being admitted to the hospital. The health of a Crohn’s patient can seem to be going well for months (or even years) and then without warning everything goes downhill in a matters of days (or even hours).
Ever since I started running half marathons with Team Challenge in 2008, I’ve been preaching about the many and varied horrors that can accompany living with Crohn’s disease. And now – once again – I find myself experiencing that crap firsthand. Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Crohn's Disease | Tags: CCFA, Crohn's Disease, Froedtert Hospital, ibd, patient, Team Challenge
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July 24th, 2009 by Kevin A. Barnes
I finished. That is the kindest thing that can be said about my actual run in the 2009 Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon. My goal was to finish the race in under three hours — in reality, my official time was 3:34:34.7. Don’t get me wrong ... it was a great weekend, a great experience and I feel fortunate to have been a part of it. Let me tell you why.
Final Weeks of Training
On July 5, I ran my longest training run of the year — 10.1 miles. Based on the 2 hours and 12 minutes it took to complete just over 10 miles, I was easily on course to finish the 13.1 mile half marathon in under 3 hours. I felt far better physically and was running significantly faster than during my training for San Antonio (my only other half marathon). So I set out for Napa and Sonoma psyched that I could run a great half marathon and finish with a “real” runner’s time.
The Napa Difference
As it turned out, the Napa to Sonoma course had many more hills than I (and numerous others) expected. Combine that terrain with temperatures that rose rapidly through the 80s after the starting gun and I quickly found myself fighting an unexpectedly tough battle.
Mile by Mile
I started off at a solid clip, managing to run most of the way up the initial (and steepest) hill on the course. For the first two miles, I kept pace with teammate Renee and the rest of the pack of runners around me. The peaceful scenery of the surrounding vineyards made for perfect surroundings. At the two mile mark teammate Karen passed us, at which point I took a short walk break and fell a couple of minutes behind Renee. Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Crohn's Disease | Tags: CCFA, Crohn's Disease, fundraising, half marathon, Napa to Sonoma, Team Challenge, ulcerative colitis, wine country
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