Hello my fellow runners. I want to briefly tell you all about my cousin, Nicole, and her family, Western (husband) and Karlee (13 month old daughter).
Nicole was the closest thing I had to a sister growing... and considering she lived in Kansas and I live in Mesa, that's quite a feat! In high school, Nicole met and feel in love with Western Doughty. Western graduated in 2001 and joined the army while Nicole finished her last two years of High School. Western spent the past several years serving this country over seas, fighting in the war against terrorism. In December 2003, they were finally married (and believe me, Nicole and Western where both waiting impatiently for the day to arrive)!!! In July, 2007, they added a beautiful little girl to their family. Western was still in the army, and spent a lot of the time over seas. A few months ago his time in the army ended, and he and Nicole moved to Houston, were he has been working for a local oil company. I know I was excited for her, because the fear of losing him in battle was now lifted from her shoulders.
The Sunday before Labor Day, Western was in a roll over car accident on his way home. Western was air lifted to a hospital and went through multiple surgeries. He had one kidney removed, half of his liver removed and other organs were affect as well. He spent the week in ICU, but this past Friday, Nicole had to let Western pass away. There were 4 people in the car (including Western), and none of the other people were seriously injured.
I was finally able to speak with Nicole on Saturday, and she seems like she is handling things very well... but all week it has been bugging me that I can't do anything for her. There has to be something I can do for my cousin. I'm too far away to provide a shoulder. I can't make it to the funeral, so I can't help there. I just feel so helpless. But as I been thinking about, I decided I *have* to do something. I can't just sit here.
So, my plan... to raise money to help her get back on her feet. How do I plan on doing that? Well, I am dedicating September 15th - October 15th to Nicole and Karlee. My goal is to run 100 miles, and I need your help. Please pledge a dime, quarter, fifty cents, something to each mile I run and help me raise money for her. If you don't want to pledged money for each mile, but would like to donate something, that would be great too. I'm not asking for a lot. Anything would be great. A lot of littles adds up, you know? If you are interested in helping, please email me (
cami.smithson@gmail.com).
Thank you in advance for any help you can give!
Camille Smithson
