I will run for a leg

J was born with two legs, but due to an ongoing physical problem one leg was amputated when she was a teenager. She recalls the day that her leg was amputated as the best day of her life because that meant that all the pain and suffering of her sickness, tests, and treatments would stop. J has a "walking" prosthetic leg now and is happy. She has a great sense of humor about it too, as she tells people that she lost the leg in her divorce settlement! But J cannot run, because it takes a special kind of leg for that activity, a "running prosthetic leg".
When M & I heard that J loves to be active and run, we asked her "what is stopping you from getting the running leg?" and she told us that it is because the "running leg" costs up to $30,000.00 and she cannot afford that. Since M, J, and I always laugh and joke together, we started joking about different ways for her to get the running leg. M is a runner and a cycler, she said "how about a marathon to raise money for the leg"?! At that moment the little glimmer of an idea was planted in us, even though J did not take it seriously. She thought that it was too vein of her to get money for a running leg when there are other people who cannot even afford a walking leg. Two days later M called me and said that she had planned to run the L.A. Marathon but felt that just running was not reason enough for her to do this. She wanted to do it for a cause, she wanted to do it for some one els instead of herself. She also knows some one who is informed about Marathons and sponsors that can help. How about if we actually go forward with this idea?! She really wants to help J! I felt a little hope inside me that this could actually happen! Can we actually do this? Can we actually be able to help? I've never done something like this before and am not sure how it works, but I can learn! I never run, but I can start to train, or I can walk! I know a lot of people who I can reach out to for donations, I want to do this! I want to help J! J's life is about helping people: during the day she works with homeless families that have children with mental health diagnoses to get their life back on track, and at night she reaches out to other homeless or underprivileged adults to give them a glimmer of hope. She is super nice, easy going, and outrageously funny! This girl deserves to get back from the world that she gives so much to every day.
When M told J about our idea J could not hold back her tears that kept on running down her face and was so grateful. But the next thing that came out of her mouth was that "then I can run with my running leg to help more people"! She also wants to donate 10% of the $ earned toward other people who do not have a leg!
I am so excited about this, I've helped people before but nothing this big. I've done "projects" before but nothing that I am passionate about which actually means something. I am going into this wholeheartedly and with high hopes. I really feel that I have the power, we will be able to raise enough money for a running leg. This will be life changing for J and I cannot think of any one els who deserves it more.
I will have to start training to be able to make the 26 miles, be it running or walking, so I do not collaps! And if you are reading this and I know you, you better start training too, because I will be harassing you about it!
Then the title of this story will change to "how she got her running leg"!