On December 15, 2005, while broadcasting from Texas Children's Cancer Center, I met a young lady who changed my life.  Her name was Chelsey Campbell and she was fighting undifferentiated sarcoma, a very rare cancer of the soft tissues that only affects 50 people WORLDWIDE per year.

Chelsey and I quickly became friends and over the year that I knew her, our friendship evolved to brother and sister status.  Sadly, Chels passed away on Saturday, December 9, 2006, and we buried her on Wednesday.  She was 16 years old.  The day after Chelsey died, I ran the Sugar Land 30K (18.6 miles) and beat my goal time by eleven minutes.

Having been so inspired by her attitude, her strength and her determination to beat her cancer after given only a ten percent survival chance, my wife and I started our own non-profit organization called Snowdrop Foundation to honor Chelsey and all of the other brave patients and families battling pediatric cancer at Texas Children's Hospital.

In February, Chelsey had surgery to remove her tumors.  Her surgery lasted 28 straight hours.  It was dubbed a "marathon" surgery and it gave me the idea to run in the '07 Chevron Houston Marathon.  This will be my first marathon and I'm running in honor and memory of Chelsey.

I've been told by veteran marathoners, that, although I've been training for the last 12 weeks and my times are very good, the amount of discomfort and pain that I'll feel in this race will be extreme.  I've seen extreme pain watching Chelsey battle cancer.  My pain won't even approach the pain that she experienced, but that is why I'm running.  To feel her pain.

I was too late to get my charity listed as a beneficiary of the Chevron Houston Marathon, but they did grant me permission to raise funds on my own.  So far, through word of mouth and our Snowdrop newsletter, I'm approaching the $2500 mark.  I'm not finished either.

For the marathon, I will wear a pink shirt, Chelsey's favorite color.  I will have the Cure Kids Cancer logo and the Texas Children's Cancer Center logo embroidered on one sleeve.  On the other sleeve, I'll have our radio station logo.  On the back, I hope to have our Snowdrop logo.  The front will read, "I'm running for Chelsey".  I won't be surprised if I'm the only man in a sea of 15,000 people wearing a pink shirt.

I know that Chels will be with me during my run and that she will give me the strength to not only finish, but finish under or at my goal time of 3:45:00.

Kevin Kline is part of the Q Morning Crew on The New 93Q in Houston, Texas.