Racing to Save Lives

Update 9-29-08

We all finished!! What a grueling day and a tremendous experience. Pictured in celebration are (left to right) Brian Greenho, Emma McGeorge, Matt Griswold and Joe Semple. We were so glad Emma could be there to help us rejoice in a successful race and incredible fund raising campaign.

(orginal content from July below)

Welcome to Team Shoreline's awareness page.

Our team members are Brian Greenho, Matt Griswold and Joe Semple from Old Lyme, CT.

We are training to participate in the Vermont 50 Mountain Bike endurance event on September 28th, 2008 in Ascutney, VT. As a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) team all of us on Team Shoreline are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. We are completing this event in honor of our family friend, Emma McGeorge (pictured here). Emma is 8 years old, lives in Waitsfield, VT and is battling stage 3 Lymphoma. Emma is the daughter of Brian's college friend Graham McGeorge. She is a real hero and will inspire our team to finish this race. We need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure! To better understand what life is like when one of your children has a disease like Lymphoma, please read this brief quote from Emma's parents. "Emma was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma Stage III, May 1, 2008. Emma was a perfectly healthy child who just completed her first winter racing for Mad River Glen Ski Team. During our spring break vacation to Washington, D.C., Emma developed a cough. Her cough worsened and immediately after returning home, we found ourselves admitting Emma at Fletcher Allen Hospital in Burlington, VT while a team of pediatric oncologist developed a plan. CT scan showed Emma had a grapefruit size tumor in her chest-biopsy determined her diagnosis. Truly a parent's worst nightmare. Presently, Emma is in her second phase of treatment. We cannot possible describe the amount of anguish and fear that she has experienced from bone marrow tests, spinal treatments, surgeries, transfusions, weekly blood draws, fevers, and the endless side effects of the high doses of chemotherapy Emma is enduring. Emma is considered in remission for the 3 tumors are no longer visible on a CT Scan. This is terrific news-the aggressive "road map" the doctors have chosen is working. Yet, because Emma has cancer of the blood she has to undergo treatments till May, 2010. Doctors assure us that this aggressive treatment has to continue for 2 years to make sure they destroy every last malignant cell. We wonder how an eight-year-old child can possibly handle all the chemo drugs-what other conditions will arise as a result of these toxins? More and more children are being diagnosed with NHL. Why? They do not know why? We must find out the cause, a better way to treat this disease, and ultimately find a cure. It needs to stop with Emma."

You can learn more about lymphoma here - http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=7030

Please join Team Shoreline and make a donation in Emma's honor to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and help advance their mission.

We hope you will visit this web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see Team Shoreline's progress. Thanks for your support! Your donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in Emma's honor should be made right on this page where is says "Make a Donation".

More information on our race can be found at www.vermont50.com. Please do not make your donation on the Vermont50 page.