May The Force Be With Drew

In August of 2020, Drew Shuster played in a rec league softball game and his life unexpectedly changed. A sudden on-field collision brought on a tragic injury that has left Drew immobile from the chest down. Almost 9 months later, Drew continues to fight and work his way back, hoping to one day walk on his own again. He’s recently started his rehab at The Ohio State University and is making amazing progress. You can read more about his progress and their journey through Shuster Strong and Our SCI Life. Drew has had amazing support from family and friends to help his family through this challenging time, both emotionally and financially, and it’s my turn to keep that momentum going by organizing a fundraising event. But more on that in a moment.

The Shuster family has been an amazing blessing in my life. Drew’s slightly younger but far less handsome brother has been like a brother to me. We met at Miami in 2001 and our lives have been intertwined ever since. Knowing I can’t be in Ohio to help is not something life prepared me for but if I can’t be there in person then I’m going to do anything I can to help their family, no matter the distance apart.

So that’s really the impetus for the event I’m now organizing. A fundraising pledge a-thon to help one of the kindest, caring, and most humble humans I’ve ever met. May the force be with Drew!

Event Details

On May 4th (May The Force Be With Drew), I’m going to start running in the Redmond Watershed Preserve.

• I’m going to complete a ~4.2 mile loop every hour on the hour until I can’t continue.
• I’m accepting pledges for miles completed but I must complete the loop within the hour for it to count. For example, if I complete 12 loops but fail to return in time on the 13th loop, the total miles will be 50 (12 x 4.2 rounded down).
• My goal is to do 24 loops which, yes, that means 24 hours and 100 miles. I’ve accomplished this distance once, but in a race and that was some time ago. See FAQ for additional information.
• You can also make a flat donation if that’s your preference. I appreciate all forms of pledge support for this campaign that will greatly benefit Drew’s family.

My fundraising goal is $20k but I’m hopeful we can beat that. Obviously the more people pledge the less I theoretically have to run but I’m going after 100 no matter what.

FAQ

Q: I want to help but am not sure how much to pledge. A: start with a dollar. If I pull off some next level mileage then you’re out $100 to $120 at the very most. Having never done more than 100 miles and knowing what 100 miles feels like, it will be a monster effort to just hit the goal. Pledging less than a dollar per mile is also okay. Every penny counts!

Q: Can I pledge more than a dollar? A: of course! Hopefully you now understand the format and what each dollar pledged could mean. I really hope to get a good cohort of pledges in the $5 or more range, which at $5 and 100 miles is a $500 donation to Shuster Strong.

Q: What else can I do to help? A: send and share this pledge to friends that you think will help. I’ve set a modest goal of 100 pledges to keep the theme of 100 pledges for 100 miles. I’m really hoping to beat the pledge count.

Q: How will the funds raised help Drew’s family? A: I’m sure you can imagine the medical costs accumulating as Drew continues to work his body back from this injury. They have a GoFundMe that has raised over $50k. Most if not all of that went to a wheelchair accessible minivan. They are now facing additional costs to modify their home and buy physical therapy equipment that will help Drew get back on his feet. All of the funds raised through this campaign will go directly to Drew’s family to aid in his recovery. And thankfully, PledgeIt doesn’t charge a platform fee!

Q: What will I get in return? A: a hand written thank you card, maybe a sticker, and as we learned from Carl Spackler, “…you will receive total consciousness.”

Q: But realistically, how many miles will you run? A: I don’t know. 50 miles is my wheelhouse where I last completed a 50 mile event in early April. I did a 75 mile adventure last October so I think everything after 50 is going to hurt and will become an exercise in “1 more loop” until I can’t finish within the hour. I might be under estimating the mental challenge of repeatedly doing the same loop but hope to push through it.

Q: Are you going to sleep? A: No! I hope to have a few friends do some loops with me. This will help pass the time else I expect to be on my own for most of this journey and most certainly through the night portion. Because I’m starting each loop on the hour every hour, I should have some time to refuel, change gear, and so on.

Q: Where can I get updates so I now how much I’m donating? A: There will be random updates on the Shuster Strong FB page throughout the day (May 4th) and likely not much during the night. Nicole and my boys will hopefully capture a few videos to share as the day progresses. We’ll post a final update once I’m done which may happen after a nap!

Q: what happens after I make my pledge? A: You will get a confirmation email from Pledge It that states a final invoice will be shared after the May 4th event and after the miles completed has been submitted. You can then follow along our campaign and get periodic updates on Shuster Strong.

If you’ve read this far then I’m mostly happy to have kept your attention. I’ll be even happier if you can make a pledge, share this campaign with friends, and contribute to our goal.

High Fives,

Mike Zinn