1Posted by Lindsey Mastis on May 23, 2011 at 9:09 PM
I realized that the best way for me to train for a Marathon is to do it with a group and for a cause. After researching charities for weeks, I decided to join the American Cancer Society’sDetermiNation team.
The first time I saw them in action was during the Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon last year. It was a race I didn’t train for, but thanks to the crowd I completed the race. After seeing one of the team’s shirts I remember thinking “Determination. Finish the race. Determination.” I did and it was wonderful.
My mom is a two-time breast cancer survivor. My Yia Yia (Greek for Grandma) survived lung and brain cancer. My husband’s father died of Throat Cancer. His cousins sweet little child died of leukemia. One of my cousins is going through treatment for breast cancer now.
It brings tears to my eyes when I start thinking of everyone I know affected by this horrible disease. I’ve seen family members go through chemo, radiation, mastectomies, losing hair, feeling tired, hopelessness, and finally Determination to get better and to live. They are my inspiration.
I am happy to run in their honor. But I don’t feel like I can do enough to show them how much I love them. I don’t feel I can do enough to make a difference. I look at the small amount I’m trying to raise: $1,275. That can’t cure cancer. But I also realize that we’re all in this fight together. I’ll raise some money. My friends will raise some money. Maybe it will help fund just one more cancer research project. And perhaps that will be the project that brings cancer to its demise.
I really wanted to run a full marathon. I tried twice before on my own. The first time (in 2007) I got injured. The second time (in 2009) I lost steam when the time changed and I found myself training in the dark (dangerous). This time is different. I’m not running for myself.
I’ll be running the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC, on October 30th. I think the hardest thing will be running strong while thinking of cancer, surrounded by brave men and women fighting for our country.
This is such an emotional journey for me. I had a hard time dealing with my mom’s cancer the first time around. I was in 7th grade– a hard time for any kid. I thought cancer was a death sentence, and I was so afraid of losing my mom, that I pushed her away. The second time she got cancer, my family forced me to face it and I’m glad they did. My mom and I grew closer. I just hope that’s the end of her cancer journey, although she reminds me every so often that it could very likely come back.
And my Yia Yia. I can’t describe in words what she went through and is still going through. I think what explains it best is what happened one day while I was visiting. She was very weak, in pain, and nauseous. And then she said, “I want my momma.” Her mother died before I was born. That is how bad cancer is.
I won’t be able to think of cancer every time I train. In fact, I’ll have to drown out some of my thoughts with loud music. Why? Because I want to save all the anger, hurt, fear, and fight for Marathon day. Nothing will inspire me more to run 26.2 miles than to imagine cancer is in front of me and I’m going to catch it and kill it. I guess you could say, I’m Determined.
I had my first training run with DetermiNation team members Rebecca and Maria two Saturdays ago. We talked about cancer, life, cooking, shoes, and cancer again. I was prepared to run three miles that day. But instead I ran six. It’s amazing how much I can accomplish when I have friends by my side, and a motivation bigger than myself.
Thank you DetermiNation for the inspiration I need to hit the pavement and do something big. I can’t wait for the next training run!
1Posted by Lindsey Mastis on March 15, 2010 at 11:28 PM
Lindsey Mastis, Bob Shieffer, Al Neuharth at the Newseum
To me, Al Neuharth is the Elton John of journalism. He breaks all the rules, jazzes it up, and revolutionizes the industry. He is a rock star. But if you were to ask him, he’d just say he’s an SOB.
I read his book “Confessions of an S.O.B” back in high school. I dreamed of one day working for Gannett. That’s when I was interested in becoming a newspaperwoman. I thought the ultimate job would be working for USA Today (Neuharth founded USA Today, The Freedom Forum and the Newseum). I’ve certainly realized my dreams at a young age, working instead for Gannett’s broadcast flagship station WUSA-TV as a reporter.
Sitting front and center (next to my friend and photo obsessive geniusBruce Guthrie) is Al Neuharth. I almost fainted! Neuharth is in town for the Free Spirit Awards which honors, educates, and provides scholarships to high school journalism students. Neuharth has also written a book titled “Free Spirit” which is a fast, easy and inspiring read.
Lindsey Mastis talks with Krishna Bharat, creator of Google News
Neuharth sat with the students as Schieffer and Bharat talked about news. I found myself nodding my head in agreement with the main themes: That people need to get their news from more than one source. That there has to be a balance between what people want to know and what they ought to know. That fact checking is more important to credible news sources than getting the story first but wrong. That social networking sites like Twitter can be used as news tips. That aggregators are helpful tools to determine what most editors believe is news.
Lindsey Mastis meets Bob Schieffer, host, CBS Face the Nation
An additional point Schieffer brought up is about money. He believes journalists and their news organizations that break news stories should get paid for the work. For example, a news organization could pay one of their investigative journalists to spend weeks exposing government waste spending and interviewing whistle blowers. The story runs and in a matter of minutes other news agencies are reporting the story and citing the source. The other news agencies did not have to invest time, money, and stress into the story. Yet the audience is getting the same information. Is there a solution?
Neuharth has been called an SOB and even worse. And it’s not just because of his managing style. It’s because he created USA Today– or the McPaper. He is the one who made newspapers sexy (placing “tits above the fold“). He had reporters write shorter articles and place information in easy to understand graphs. He was criticized, yet it was where the eyes were and he made it profitable. And now we live in a society that needs to fit its thoughts in 140 characters or less.
The problem today: free news for the consumer, with high costs and low profits for the news organization. Neuharth made profits at a time when everyone said it was impossible. Today, people say it’s impossible to make money on the web. Yet that is where the eyes are. The question is, how can news organizations provide trustworthy and ground breaking content for free online and still make a profit?
In my opinion, people will not pay for news. News is free on TV. News is free on Google. We can even get the news by reading one word on a Twitter trend list. But there is a way to capitalize on this new and continuously evolving technology. All the industry needs is another Neuharth to figure it out.
By the way–Neuharth is not my idol for being an SOB, nor for making a profit. It’s not even for starting USA Today.
It’s because he believes in the audience. He hired minorities and women to reflect the readership. He wanted bold pictures and simple graphs so people could get a better understanding of the story. He wanted people to get important news along with the watercooler stories. And he made sure people everywhere in the nation could access the same information. Not to mention, he worked hard.
Neuharth is turning 86 next week. When he first started in the industry he had to deal with crumudgeons, cynics, and naysayers. Those people still exist. They always will. But to those of us wanting to make a difference in this world, Neuharth is ”a perfect embodiment of a concept.” And that concept is the evolution of the news media.
0Posted by Lindsey Mastis on March 10, 2010 at 10:42 PM
I got a sneak peek of the Discovery Channel‘s new series LIFE. I’ve never said the words “incredible” and “amazing” so much in one night. It was at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performed the soundtrack live. Oprah (who was not there) voiced the series. Altogether, it’s going to be 11 hours.
I’m a fan of Planet Earth (and have the series on Blu-Ray). Surprisingly, it’s a really good date-night movie. Out of the Planet Earth series, the penguins are my favorite. I’ve only seen one episode of LIFE, and I’m torn between the octopus and the komodo dragon.
The female octopus (which looked red) only lays eggs once in her life and then she dies. Within minutes I saw this entire process. Incredible.
Growing up in St. Louis meant going to the zoo a lot. One of my favorites to see was the komodo dragon. But in the small space, it just stood there looking board. I had never seen a dragon in action until I watched a preview of the series. I learned more about what it took to get the footage from some of the behind-the-scenes interviews with the photographers. They said the dragons will hunt together, so they had to keep an eye out and protect one another. They even had a close call. It reminds me of the part in Jurassic Park where the hunter was hunted by the Raptors. Amazing.
0Posted by Lindsey Mastis on September 10, 2009 at 7:32 PM
The Twestival Celebration at MidTown Loft was a huge success. On September 10, tweeple in DC and in cities around the world got together to support local causes.
Proceeds from the DC Twestival went to Miriam’s Kitchen– an organization that feeds the homeless. Altogether, we raised enough money for 10,000 meals– that’s a fifth of the meals they serve a year.
The event was also chance to see people I normally only get to talk to on Twitter. Here are just a few of the tweeple I met up with (in alphabetical order. I’m not playin’ favorites here!):
@cheeky_geeky
0Posted by Lindsey Mastis on February 12, 2009 at 10:11 PM
After the DC Twestival, I headed over the Skye Lounge to hang with Angie Goff (OMG!) and friends. It’s for the Hearts and Tails Event. Nakeva Corothers and I hung out the entire time, enjoying the music and the cupcakes! All the money raised goes to Fashion for Paws and the Washington Humane Society. Angie put together a wonderful slide show that had many of us howling– (pun intended). The next day, our pictures appeared in BisNow!
I realized that the best way for me to train for a Marathon is to do it with a group and for a cause. After researching charities for weeks, I decided to join the American Cancer Society’s DetermiNation team.
My mom is a two-time breast cancer survivor. My Yia Yia (Greek for Grandma) survived lung and brain cancer. My husband’s father died of Throat Cancer. His cousins sweet little child died of leukemia. One of my cousins is going through treatment for breast cancer now.
I’ll be running the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC, on October 30th. I think the hardest thing will be running strong while thinking of cancer, surrounded by brave men and women fighting for our country.
I got a sneak peek of the 
The Twestival Celebration at 
After the DC Twestival, I headed over the 
