Last year, Mark Wells organized his first Kayaking for a Cure Event, and kayaked down the Hudson River with two other people: meso survivor Patti Turi and a friend of hers. Mark decided to kayak down the Hudson River through 2 locks to raise awareness and funds for mesothelioma and the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation to honor his daughter Linda.
Linda was diagnosed with mesothelioma at the age of 16, the youngest he had ever heard
of. Ten years later, she has endured countless treatments, multiple surgeries and through it all has done her best to live a “normal” life. “She has been thru hell and back and it’s been very tough to see your daughter suffer when there’s nothing you can do. Feeling helpless, I felt this was the best I could do to fight this disease,” says Mark Wells.
Mark’s efforts have been a great success. This year, he has over 100 kayakers registered to kayak 16 miles down the Hudson River, going thru 2 locks to raise awareness. The paddle will probably take about 6 hours with festivities at the end. Mark has already had several articles written about his event, and will have a local radio DJ broadcasting live from her kayak on station 100.3 The Point.
When asked about his expectations for Kayaking for a Cure, Mark says it is “to make this
the biggest kayaking event on the Hudson River and raise awareness of this dreadful disease, which will raise money for research.” We tip our hats to you Mark. Keep up the good work!
For registration, schedule of events, and sponsorship opportunities visit: http://kayaking4acure.org/
Interested in hosting a fundraiser for the Meso Foundation? For more information on donating your time to plan your own fundraiser, contact Sean Haynie at (703) 879-3823 or email him at [email protected]. You can also find out more information on being mentored by our Fundraising Co-Chairs Shelly Kozicki and Erica Ruble by visiting our website at https://www.curemeso.org.
