Here I go again!

In memory of Danny Guerke and in honor of Dominique Soucy, I have decided to join forces with my great friend Gwen Guerke and run another race, while raising money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Team 4 Danny and Dom is ready to take on the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in Washington, DC in the spring.

It is time to take my running obsession back to what started it all, Team in Training! The feeling of crossing a marathon finish line is like no other, but when you get the opportunity to cross that line wearing a Team in Training purple shirt, it just intensifies that experience that much more. Pushing your body to its limits can be tough, but pushing your body to its limits knowing you are helping others is worth it.

My best friend Dominique was diagnosed with Chronic Myleogenous Leukemia in 2005. She handled the news with the strength and grace that I have always admired in her. A few years after her diagnosis, I completed my first full marathon (26.2 miles) in Delaware as part of the Team in Training program, and my life has never been the same. I may not have been able to fight her cancer for her, but I could run for her. Running for her and having Dominique waiting for me at the finish line is a moment I will forever cherish.

In the summer of 2008, her body was no longer reacting well to her current Gleevec treatment and more than 50 percent of her cells showed cancer.  A bone marrow transplant was out of the question because a match could not be found. Enter the newly developed drug Tasigna.  She started this new daily treatment of four pills a day in August 2008 and reached remission in May 2009.  Dominique is a survivor!

Gwen’s son Danny lost his battle to Chronic Mylogenous Leukemia in 1998.  He was 25 years old, a college graduate and studying for CPA certification, a rugged rugby player with tremendous sense of humor, wit, intellect, and fortitude.  After his passing, she signed up to do a Team in Training marathon in Dublin, Ireland in October 1999. She ran her second Team in Training marathon in Alaska in June 2000, and later did a couple of half marathons for the charity.

Gwen survived losing her son Danny by becoming active and raising money for the fight against cancer so that other mothers facing the same battle could come out of it as mothers with their children and not just survivors. When Gwen asked me to run this race with her, I didn’t hesitate to say “yes.” It will be an honor to tackle the training, fundraising, and race with such a strong, determined woman.

Please find it in your hearts to donate and support me in my fundraising efforts to help those who are currently battling a blood cancer. Together we can find a cure. My best friend is living proof of the research funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the amazing things fundraising can do for those battling and surviving cancer.