• Wow…


    All I can say is WOW!

    Marathon weekend was amazing. I’m nearly 100% recovered, just some residual foot pain, but it’s all good!

    Thanks for all your support, both financially by contributing to the American Cancer Society and those who cheered me on, whether it from the sidelines or virtually via Facebook, Twitter, etc.

    You guys are ROCK STARS!

    Here are a few pictures in case you missed them on Facebook and Twitter:

    Soooo, what should my next adventure be? 🙂

  • This is for you, Penny


    We’re getting closer to the big race. Just over a couple of weeks, so it’s “taper-time.” This is the period of training that’s pretty difficult for me. It’s where I have to back off on the miles I’m logging. Rest up a little, while still doing some running, so I’m fresh and ready to bang out twenty-six miles.

    26.2 miles for YOU!

    This post is for my Mum. Technically she’s my step-mom, but she’s from England, so I like to say Mum. It’s just fun.

    She’s ran twenty marathons in her life. Climbed quite a few mountains, too. Kind of an adventurer, like my dad. So, when Penny experienced some strange pain after a short race, they checked it out and found a four-inch tumor in her spine. Surgery rendered her wheelchair/walker-bound.

    All through chemo and radiation, she worked with her physical therapists to get her mobility back. It was amazing to see her progress each step. Wheelchair to walker. Arm crutches. Canes. And of course hiking poles. She said those just worked better. But I know it’s because she was keeping her goal in sight…climbing mountains.

    I’m happy to say she’s kicking cancer’s butt. Bigtime.

    She walk/jogged the VERY race she discovered the odd “pain” in her back this past May 2013. And very recently, she climbed one of the trails she loves in Sedona, AZ.

    I tell ya, Mum is one tough chick. And through everything, sickness, pain, baldness, she held on to the one thing that gives her the most strength. Her faith in Jesus. Always seeking out his purpose in all of this.

    So, Penny (Mum) this 26.2 miles are for you!

    CLICK HERE to donate toward our #CancerSucks fundraiser. Any amount will help. And I hope you’ll spread the word.

    Thanks for your support.

    Lynn 400x200

  • This is for you, Linda


    CancerSucksNames

    Cancer hits so many people. Most of you reading this have had a close encounter with it, either personally or through friends/family. It’s a nasty disease that took my sweet mother-in-law almost two years ago. It was a fast progression once diagnosed. Once my MIL was diagnosed, my eyes were opened to so many people dealing with this terrible disease.

    So, while I’m training for an endurance event and raising money (CLICK HERE to donate) I am lifting up people each week.

    To see the previous weeks, click here and here.

    Today I’m mentioning a friend’s mother. Now, I don’t know Linda very well at all, but when I heard she was diagnosed with stage four cancer, and then within days returned in the care of hospice, I knew I had to have her part of this fundraiser.

    Like a snake, it struck, fast and furious. My friends, Angela and Jon, are taking care of her and are able to be with her through this tough part of the cancer journey. I ask that you send out some prayers and good thoughts to them as they stand by their mother.

    Even if you can’t donate, that’s okay, spread the word. Let’s raise some dollars to kick Cancer’s Butt! 🙂

    Thanks for your support!

    Lynn 400x200

  • This is for you, Frank #CancerSucks


    Purple Cancer Sucks NamesHey, my friends.

    As you know, a portion of my book proceeds goes to The American Cancer Society. And…you may or may not know this, but my husband and I have the Arizona Pain Train fundraising going on, too.

    Yep. We even have a FB page (CLICK HERE to check it out).

    The AZ Pain Train is where we participate in endurance events and raise money at the same time. Hence the name AZ Pain Train! LOL. The first event was us riding our bikes across Iowa for Ragbrai back in July of 2012.

    You guys helped us raise over $3,00.00! That one was geared mostly toward my Mother inlaw who’d died that October and my step-mum who’d been diagnosed only a month earlier.

    This year, I’m trying for my first ever marathon. Yep. I’ve never run one. So, while starting my training after a major abdominal surgery, I thought this might be a good event to pair up with AZ Pain Train.

    This year, my focus is on my dear friend, Frank Redman. He was diagnosed with a inoperable brain tumor. Young guy with young kids. I’m so sad by this. So, I figured since I can’t control that dang disease, I’m gonna try and raise money for it.

    ACFW Lynn and FrankI met Frank back in 2009 when I attended my first ever national writing conference. We met through the speculative fiction groups as we both write that genre. Sure, mine was romance and his wasn’t so much, but still.

    We hit it off. Even had the same agent for a while. We’ve been through some ups and downs in the writing world together, and I am thankful to have him as a friend. He’s rock solid. Loves his family above all. Such a treasure.

    So, this is for you, Frank. I’m sure you’d rather be out exercising and doing other things than radiation and chemo. So, I am dedicating my marathon on October 26th to you!

    There are some more people near and dear to my heart that I will be spotlighting over the coming weeks as I prep for this endurance event. So stay tuned. Let’s join together and send out healing thoughts and prayers for those dealing with this terrible disease. You can donate to my fundraiser HERE. Spread the word. Let’s raise tons of money–you never know, the dollar you donate or help get to donate might be the one to help find a cure!!

    Thanks for your support.

    Lynn 400x200

  • #CancerSucks-let’s do something about it


    Purple Cancer Sucks NamesHey, everyone. First, I want to say thank you for your support of my cancer cause. Every Lynn Rush book you buy and your friends buy a portion gets donated to the American Cancer Society.

    And now…we’re starting up the AZ Pain Train event.

    July of 2012 we biked across Iowa at the Ragbrai. Cycled over 400 miles in five days. It was brutal but amazing. AND, we raised over $3,000.00!

    Well, our next endurance event is the marathon! Yep. I’m training for my first marathon and while I’m able to be out there getting healthy, running, working toward a bucket list goal of mine I figured I could be raising money for cancer. My friends and family have been impacted by that nasty disease a lot over the past couple of years.

    I lost my mother in law, uncle and family of two close friends. And recently a dear writer friend of mine was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. He’s struggling through chemo and radiation. So, again, I want to help. Somehow.

    We started an ACS donation page. Our goal is $2,620.00. Strange number? Well, a marathon is 26.2 miles, so we just added a zero! Will you come help? CLICK HERE to be directed to the page. ANY amount, no matter how large or small will help.

    Just think, one of the dollars we collect during this campaign has a chance to be the very dollar needed to fund something that leads to a cure! So, let’s do this!

    So spread the word!! Thanks for your support.

    Lynn 400x200

  • #CancerUpdate


    Time for another update. For those of you who are new to the site/my work, I donate a portion of my book sales to the American Cancer Society. As to why, my mother-in-law passed away from bile duct cancer. She was an amazing woman, and her name was Lynn.

    Yes, same as mine!! That’s because I picked hers to be my pen name.

    She was an awesome writer (unpublished) and read my very first novel–and it was seriously lacking. Somehow she found the positives and encouraged me to jump into this crazy-awesome world of writing/publishing.

    So now, every book of mine that gets published has her name on it. And that just makes me smile!

    Cancer has touched almost everyone’s life in some fashion. And within the past two years, cancer has crept into my life through my family and friends. Even taken a few of them away from me. I figured donating part of my proceeds was the least I could do to try and help.

    Every month I try to do a little update. Some aren’t so fun—like this one.

    A dear writing friend, who I met within the first year or so I began writing, has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. It’s treatable through chemo and radiation, though, so that’s good. He starts treatment next week. Such a brilliant, caring, encouraging, strong man.

    My uncle received a stage four lung cancer diagnosis a few weeks ago. Scans show it’s spread to his bones and various other parts of his body. The prognosis isn’t good, even with chemo.

    Pennys back to racingOn a brighter note, my Mum is still receiving clear scans. Did fantastically in the race she walk-jogged last month too! It was that same race last year that caused her enough pain in her back to go to the hospital where they found the 4-inch tumor in her spine.

    So, coming back to that race, cancer free, and mostly walking again, was an awesome feat. Especially since she was rendered immobile from that tumor in her spine for quite some time.

    ~~~~

    Is cancer touching your life somehow?

    Feel free to leave your story in the comments or email it directly to me (LynnRush {at} lynnrush {dot} com) and I’ll add you to my cancer prayer wall.

    Thanks for your support everyone. You guys ROCK!