We are 4everYOUNG!!!

Sarah Heldman and Jeanne Czipri were college volleyball teammates at the University of New Hampshire and are reuniting again to run the Chicago Bank of America Marathon!!  The event is a 26.2 mile race that we are training for miles apart (Aurora and St. Louis) and will join together for race day on Sunday, October 7!!  We set a high goal of $1,000 to raise for the American Institute for Cancer Research, but we know we can do it together!!  We are both incredibly motivated and our team, 4everYOUNG, is in honor of our late Wildcat and fellow teammate, Holly Young.  Thank you for your support and prayers in this exciting adventure that was inspired by such an incredible individual!  Every penny counts and team 4everYOUNG thanks you!!!  

Who is Holly Young?  She was a fighter and a dreamer.  She was a teammate, a Wildcat, and a friend.  She is an inspiration.

We met Holly at the University of New Hampshire as teammates in the Volleyball Program.  What made Holly most unique was her incredible and genuine vigor and love of life.  Her energy and excitement in everything she did was contagious, and her smile lit up every room she entered.  She never saw adversity as negative, but thrived to see how high she could jump over life's hurdles and obstacles.  Holly was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare pediatric bone cancer during her first semester as a Wildcat.  She still never skipped a beat.  She completed three semesters at UNH, interrupted by chemotherapy, but remained an active member of our team and spent time training with the Wildcat Diving Team as well.

During her battle, she worked with the Jimmy Fund as an articulate and energetic spokeswoman.  She was a die hard Boston Red Sox fan, and through the Jimmy Fund, attended Spring Training and other games regularly.  Holly also brought life to her fellow patients at the hospital, brightening their lives with her smile and motivating them with her strong heart and unwavering drive to win her battle.  Her battle inspired a new tradition at UNH, the Volley 4 Holly Volleyball tournament, in which every athletic program at UNH pulled together multiple teams to play a day long tournament to raise money to help support her treatment.  It was a day of celebration of the life and strong fight that this athlete inspired to all of her fellow Wildcats.  She exemplified a true champion. 

Holly Young passed away January 24, 2008 after a determined three year battle at the age of 22.  Her jersey at UNH, #4, was retired and hangs in the locker room of the Wildcat Volleyball team.  It remains a representation of what it means to be a true champion - to fight with everything you have, to cherish every moment you have, to never lose sight of your goals, and to stay true to who you are.  Holly's fight is what inspires us to run the Chicago Bank of America Marathon.  Her drive and perseverance is what motivates us to train for a 26.2 mile race.  Her love of live moves us to cherish every opportunity and blessing that life brings us.  We are running for all those who have lost a loved one to cancer or are fighting that battle each day!  We are running in honor of Holly Young! 

About the American Institute for Cancer Research...

AICR funded research has shown that 30% to 40% of all cancers are directly linked to the foods we eat, the exercise we get and how well we watch our weight. What this means is that we have the potential through our daily food and lifestyle choices to make a major impact on the cancer risk we each face in our lives.

With more than 1.2 million new cancer cases in the U.S. each year, and more than 500,000 cancer deaths annually, programs that can produce even a small reduction in cancer rates offer enormous savings in lives, suffering and medical expense. AICR has been at the forefront of providing education programs and materials to help people learn how to make changes for lower cancer risk.

Help us reach our goal of $1,000 to support the AICR and the end of cancer!!  Every little bit counts!!  4everYOUNG!!