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TeamMUSC: more than 2,000 people strong by Susan Kammeraad-Campbell Director of publications for Marketing It will be easy to spot the more than 2,000 members who are part of TeamMUSC—they’ll be sporting special T-shirts and waving blue and white flags as they cross the Cooper River Bridge. MUSC has played an active role in the Bridge Run since its beginning 24 years ago. Last year, in the spirit of health and wellness, MUSC sponsored the largest-ever team in the history of the run with more than 2,000 participants. The team members were MUSC employees, community volunteers, patients and their families. This year the team is expected to grow. But it's not the size of the team that is most compelling for TeamMUSC coordinator Lisa Giles. It’s the individual stories.  “The stories that are most inspiring are MUSC's own patients, many who overcome serious health issues to achieve the goal of ‘doing the bridge,’” she said. Some of the team members are transplant recipients, some suffer from life threatening diseases, some are cancer survivors. “The group's purpose is to mobilize an army of volunteers to walk/run in the historic Cooper River Bridge Run with, or in honor of, patients, loved ones and friends who have survived or succumbed to overwhelming medical events,” Giles said. “It's just incredible how motivated people are.” Employees from the many divisions at MUSC are participating, including Adult and Children’s Cystic Fibrosis Clinic, Transplant Center, Children’s Health, Hollings Cancer Center, Storm Eye Institute and more.  “Many walk with their patients or in honor of them,” Giles said. The Cooper River Bridge Run is an opportunity for individuals to share in the spirit of wellness, seizing the day to commit to staying fit, losing weight, quitting smoking or overcoming health problems. After the Bridge Run, TeamMUSC and the thousands of other participants will celebrate their accomplishments at the Bridge Run Finish Line Expo at Calhoun Park, where they will enjoy healthy food and beverages, awards and live entertainment. The colorful TeamMUSC tents will offer health and wellness information, along with prize drawings, demonstrations, games and activities. Health professionals will be on hand to provide health-related information and answer questions. For the second year, Trident Technical College massage therapy school joins TeamMUSC to offer free full-body massages to anyone who lines up at the TeamMUSC tent. Some 30 teachers and students will offer the massage services. “Our tent is definitely one of the most popular,” Giles said. The Kids Run, sponsored by MUSC Children’s Health, will follow the bridge run for those with children who want to participate. The one-mile run begins at 10 a.m. at the steps of Charleston County School district administration building on Calhoun Street.  For information about TeamMUSC, go to the Website at  <http://www.MUSChealth.com>.  Registration forms are available at Chick-Fil-A restaurants, Bi Lo grocery stores or on-line at <http://www.bridgerun.com> or call the hotlines at 792-0345 or 792-7933.  Groups participating with TeamMUSC at the Bridge Run Finish Line Expo include: Adult and Children's Cystic Fibrosis Center Children’s Health Digestive Disease Center Heart and Vascular Center Hollings Cancer Center Storm Eye Institute and Magill Laser Center Transplant Center And more . . .