I guess it started when I was sitting at a bar watching some games on a Saturday afternoon. There was the standard stuff on all the screens, but one. Playing on that TV was something called The D10 Decathlon. It was a bunch of athletes participating in some kind of intense competition. The events that they were competing in were all familiar and it wasn’t long before I became more interested in watching that than any of the professional games. I was intrigued.

When I returned home I immediately went online to find out what this event was all about. To my surprise I discovered that it was a fundraising event. Upon further digging I found out that the purpose of The D10 is to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Wow! Even better than that - the competition was for amateur athletes. You mean I could compete in an athletic competition and raise money for a worthy cause? I live in Denver, CO and the nearest event was being held in San Francisco but that didn’t matter, I was all in.

Rewind 2-years and I was recovering from a life-changing accident. Among several other injuries, I suffered permanent brain damage that required six-months of treatment at a brain rehabilitation facility and to this day has left me unable to work. This experience changed everything for me. The people that I was undergoing rehabilitation with were in even worse shape than I was and desperately needed help and care. My experience there left me feeling depressed, helpless, and unsure of what my contribution to society would be.

After I found The D10 I saw the first flicker of hope that I could get back to my old self. I found a cause to get behind that really makes a difference in people's lives. I mean, assisting the medical community in developing new treatments to help young people suffering from something as serious and life threatening as cancer seemed like an incredible cause to rally behind. This was my chance to take action and help. I immediately jumped whole-heartedly into fundraising to do everything I could to be part of the solution.

I couldn’t be more proud of what The D10 San Francisco community accomplished this year. And I can honestly say that my participation is one of the most important things I have ever done in my life. I’m already looking forward to 2017’s competition and am ready to go even bigger. And I would encourage anyone considering being a part of this community to get ready and #BringIt.

Until next year,
Gregg