WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2006
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 5
FUNDRAISER
Roll-A-Thon for Marshall
Woman with Cerebral Palsy to raise money for her service dog, Marshall, who needs surgery on his torn ACL
BY DANI HURST
dhurst@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Marshall, an 8-year-old yellow lab, means the world to Lorraine Cannistra, a woman with Cerebral Palsy.
Marshall is Cannistra's service dog, who has a torn ACL in his back left leg that's in need of an expensive surgery. Can-
"Marshall is just the light of my life."
LORRAINE CANNISTRA
Marshall developed arthritis in all four of his legs over the years, and the wear and tear on his legs snapped his back ACL. He enjoys life and lives it to the fullest even though he has trouble
would do whatever needs to be done to get him better."
nistra doesn't have enough money for the surgery, but is willing to do anything for her friend, even if it means trying to complete a 15-mile Roll-A-Thon in her wheelchair for donations.
"Marshall is just the light of my life," Cannistra said. "I
walking, Cannistra said.
"I guess I can learn a lot from him," she said.
So Cannistra proposed this: shed try
to complete a 15-mile Roll-A-Thon with the hopes that shed get enough donations to fund Marshall's surgery. She said the operation would cost about $1,500, but she wanted to raise more than that to cover any potential complications that may result from the surgery.
To put that distance into perspective, a 15-mile trip would be about one or two miles more than a roundtrip from the Kansas Union to Clinton Lake, 872 N. 1402 Road.
Cannistra said she thinks it'll take her a long time, but she plans on pacing herself and taking breaks as needed. All doubts aside, though, Cannistra is still sure this is what she wants to do.
The Roll-A-Thon will take place July 15 at 6:30 a.m. Cannistra will roll 10 laps through the Naismith Valley Park, 24th street and Naismith Drive. She's not sure if she'll make it through the whole 15 miles, but hopes there will be people there to support her in her endeavor.
—Edited by Janiece Gatson
Contributed photo
Lorraine Cannistra will wheel 15 miles this Saturday to raise money for her dog, Marshall, so he can have surgery to repair a torn ACL. Cannistra, who has been affected by Cerebral Palsy since birth, will start her Roll-A-Thon at 6:30 a.m., at Nissimith Valley Park, 24th Street and Naismith Drive.