South Surrey runner Shoshana Litvack is on the home stretch of her year-long fundraiser to support the BC Lung Association.
Since the beginning of the year, the Rosemary Heights resident – who suffers from optic atrophy and is legally blind – has been running at least five kilometres a day, and adding $5 to a collection jar per run.
Since news of her endeavour was first published in the Peace Arch News last spring, others in the community have jumped on board to help, through donations or other endeavours; her son’s school, Morgan Elementary, held its own fundraising run and Barre Fitness South Surrey also donated proceeds from a series of classes, with a second series planned for November, Litvack said.
To date, she has run 1,520 km and raised more than $5,400 – beating her original fundraising goal by $400.
“The new goal is $7,500,” she told PAN last week.
The year-long journey hasn’t been without a few stumbling blocks, however.
Since the spring, Litvack – who choose the lung association as a fundraising recipient because lung issues affect many family members and friends – said her father has undergone lung surgery, her ex-husband was hospitalized with another lung ailment, and Litvack herself spent time in the hospital due to “cardiac concerns.”
“It cost me two days running,” she said.
As well, Litvack suffered a foot injury, with kept her from her usual running routine for four days. She still wears an air brace when the pain in particularly bad.
That said, she remains undeterred in reaching her goal of running until the end of the year, and is in the midst of planning a “grand finale” to cap her initiative.
“I cannot believe that almost 10 months have passed. I have definitely experienced bouts of lethargy and lack of enthusiasm, but ‘do it anyway’ has served as an incredibly motivating and mood-altering philosophy,” she said, adding that the support she has received has also served to keep her on track.