Walking the Talk and Running the Run for LIVESTRONG

I’m 3 months into my role as Chairman of LIVESTRONG, and I couldn’t be more fired up. The Board and the staff at LIVESTRONG put together a great 2016 plan focused on doing what we do well even better for more people. We’ll do by focusing in on 3 key areas:

• Individuals through navigation: Providing free emotional support, insurance assistance, clinical trial matching and other services to 8,000 cancer fighters and fertility counseling to 1,800 more.
• Communities and survivorship: Increasing the number of YMCA associations whose facilities will offer our free LIVESTRONG at the Y cancer recovery program by 15 percent, and conducting or facilitating numerous events in communities nationwide.
• Systems change and advocacy: Continuing to develop our revolutionary LIVESTRONGCancer Institutes model to reinvent the way the cancer patients are treated everywhere, and continuing to be the voice of the patient.

As a leader, I’m all in to support the 2016 plan. But I can’t be all in if I just talk about it. A leader can’t just talk the talk. She has to walk the walk, or in this case, run the run. For this reason, I will be lacing up my running shoes for the first time in 2.5 years to run another 200 mile RAGNAR Relay (ouch!). I want to run alongside LIVESTRONG staff, LIVESTRONG leaders and the people we fight for and serve because while I am the Chairman of LIVESTRONG, I’m also a cancer survivor, a fundraiser and an event participant.

This year I will celebrate my 10th cancerversary. While it is my honor to celebrate that occasion by running for LIVESTRONG, it isn’t just about me. It’s about all of you and those who inspire you to fight. Because of this, I’m asking you to reply to this blog, or reach out to me on Twitter (@CTAaron) and tell me your story. Why do you LIVESTRONG and who do you LIVESTRONG for? Let me and my team honor you and those for whom you fight by dedicating one of our 200 miles to you or to them. We’ll carry your names and stories with us as we run through the night toward the finish line, and you’ll carry us through the run. Then we can cross the finish line together. LIVESTRONG!