Chen Luo's Fundraising Page

Welcome to my Heart Foundation Marathon Sponsorship page!

First of all, I thank you for taking your precious time and effort to visit this page (especially for you, my university friends in this frantic exam period!). I am greatly thankful for your interest in sponsoring me for this worthy cause - the Heart Foundation’s fight against cardiovascular disease.

By donating, you would be helping the Heart Foundation continue its vital work in research, cardiac rehabilitation and educational programmes promoting a healthy and hearty (mind the pun) lifestyle.

Personally, to me, the objective of promoting a healthy lifestyle is of the most utmost importance. I have learnt in university of the various surgical interventions designed to fix and cure the many problems associated with heart disease. Got a faulty heart valve? No problem, we will just put in an artificial one.

Yeah Right.

These interventions are like a cheap Adidos© product. They look great to start (hey look! my heart has titanium!!!) and do seem to perform their function. But like any (good) imitation they do not last (surgical interventions need to be replaced) and are limited in function - nothing really comes close to rivalling the cleverness in the way Nature has designed our bodies. In addition, surgical interventions are prohibitively expensive and not readily available to the poor.

Yes, these interventions have saved countless lives… but why go to all the bother when a simple task of eating 5 servings of fruit and veges and walking for about 30 minutes a day will keep your natural (=optimum) heart, beating tirelessly away?!

To quote the tired but true cliché: Lets not have an ambulance waiting on the bottom of the cliff. Lets stop the person from going down the cliff in the first case!

The Heart Foundation does just that.

Your kind donation (Gold coin donation will be fine!!!) will help them achieve that. And as a (hopeful) future health professional I believe it is my duty to do my bit in our common fight against an easily preventable disease. I hope you believe so too.

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That’s nice Chen. But why run a marathon? Your nice piece of prose is irrelevant (PHIL105!) to the marathon!
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Well…!

Why on earth would I run a marathon which will most likely take 5 hours to complete and seriously interfere with my exam preparation (exam starts 31th, marathon is on the 29th)?

To answer this I need to spout some history. The Marathon is named after the distance ran by one brave Greek soldier. Who, after participating in the victorious battle against the evil Persians (named after the rug) ran as the legend tells it - without stopping - from the town Marathon to Athens to announce the victory.

To me I see this legend as an inspirational physical feat (back in those days there were no new balance shoes) and an admirable example of a dedication and drive to a goal.

This is important. I too, this year have a goal.

I want to become a doctor.

To become a doctor is going to take everything I can give. Perhaps more. I wonder sometimes whether I have it in me to achieve my dream.

Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. But whether I can finish the marathon… this will… tell.

So you can see why the marathon is so important to me. I hope you could help me achieve my goal by sponsoring me or just turn out on Sunday 29th and give your kind support to me on the day!

How about it?

Yours, Chen Luo

P.S Your donation is tax deductible, 100% secure and a receipt will be issued.