Joe Daczko, of Mantua, Ohio, modestly refers to himself as a simple guy, just trying to do what he can. Yet he is far from it. His accomplishments are many. A dedicated athlete, Daczko is a consummate marathon runner. He is also the 
devoted husband of his wife Angi Daczko, who has IC, and together they are enthusiastic advocates for the ICA and all who have IC. Recently, Daczko qualified for the Boston Marathon, and he became a CNN iReporter after the qualifying race -- all in the same day.
On Sunday, May 17, Daczko conquered the Cleveland Marathon. That qualifies him for the next Boston Marathon, which will be held April 19, 2010. There are only two marathons in the United States that require runners to qualify before they can participate: the Boston Marathon and the Olympics. No stranger to the Boston Marathon, he also ran it in 2008. As they have many times with previous marathons, the Daczkos saw this race as an opportunity to promote IC awareness. Daczko wore his bright orange running shirt adorned with "This pain stops. Theirs doesn't." Daczko remarked that this t-shirt always draws attention and prompts people to ask questions. And that is exactly the response the Daczkos hope for.
That Sunday they took their IC awareness efforts up another notch. Daczko had just finished the Cleveland Marathon when Angi spotted the CNN booth and encouraged him to go over and do his own iReport. iReporting, which has become immensely popular, is CNN's public journalism initiative that allows people from around the world to make photos and videos of news stories from their own towns and display them on the user-generated iReport website. Joe stepped in front of the camera and dedicated the race in honor of the ICA and those who suffer from IC, declaring, “All of the folks at the ICA – this is for you. All people with IC – this is for you. Keep up the fight.”
The Daczkos know firsthand the importance of getting the word out about IC to anyone and everyone. They recounted that during a previous IC awareness and fundraising effort that they organized, they sent out email announcements to many friends and relatives. It turned out that one of their relatives was a nurse who had never heard about IC until she got their email.
We appreciate the Daczkos steadfast dedication to the cause and wish Joe much success in Boston next year. Please join us in cheering for him!
Posted May 26, 2009