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(The top picture of me was taken at the 2009 LLS "Light The Night Walk" where the John Stoddard Cancer Family Support Group Team won the corporate award for raising the most money for cancer research. I was proud to be part of that team and take part in the pre-walk "Raising Dough" fundraiser at Great Harvest Bread Company that raised $3,500 for the cause!!)

The Second Photo is of the "WooHoo Women". That's me in the middle with Jill Morrill on my left and Kayla Conner on my right. The three of us will cross the finish line hand in hand at the LLS Rock N Roll Marathon in San Diego on June 6, 2010. We have been training since January and through the loss of Mauri, have even more determination to succeed at raising funds and awareness of the need for cancer research. Everyone knows someone is or has experienced the struggle of persons in the cancer community. Mauri was passionate about a better tomorrow for cancer patients and their loved ones and the WooHoo Women, along with your help, will continue to carry that message. Mauri loved life and lived to the fullest...his legacy lives on as we fight in his memory.

Racing to Save Lives

I'm training to participate in a half marathon as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training in June 0f 2010 in San Diego, California. All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am completing this event in celebration of all individuals who currently have a blood cancer and are survivors. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line -- a cure!

I am also participating in memory of those who didn't survive a blood cancer. And since cancer has such a "ripple" effect, I am participating for all the loved ones (family, friends, coworkers, teachers, etc.) of persons with cancer. We're all in this together and I hope what I am doing will help raise both funds and awareness about the needs for cancer research and the need to support the families & caregrivers of persons with cancer.

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training (my first half marathon) and help advance LLS's mission.

My Story - My Reasons

Of course, most of you know that my husband, Mauri Booton, went through over a year of chemotherapy and radiation treatments for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and was in remission for nearly 3 years.

In December, 2009, Mauri came out of remission and the next best treatment possibility was a bone marrow transplant. We went to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha for a consultation 12/22/09. He started chemotherapy here, January 6, 2010 in preparation for the transplant. He had completed one week of inpatient treatment and had come home on Monday 1/6/2010. His blood counts were dropping and he knew "the chemo was working." He developed a high fever the evening of 1/16 and we took him to the hospital. He died in my arms Sunday morning 1/17/2010.

I miss Mauri so much. He was my biggest cheerleader, my coach, my motivator, my patient partner, my fundraising chair as well as the love of my life. He was passionate about making a better future for all cancer patients and was "relentless" in his quest to help other patients, families and loved ones as well as raising money for research and a better tomorrow. He can't carry that torch any longer, so now it's up to the rest of us. My two partners, Jill Morrill and Kayla Conner, and I are the "WooHoo Women". We will cross the finish line hand in hand in San Diego on June 6,2010 in memory of Mauri and many other dear ones who are no longer with us and in honor of all those who are cancer survivors. Mauri will be with us in spirit "WooHoo"ing all the way.

But this is MORE than just being about us. It's about ALL the persons with any type of cancer as one type of cancer research may assist in developing a treatment for other types of cancers. We're ALL in this together.

It's also about ALL persons who have died from cancer.

They can't make this plea. They can't raise these funds.

I hope you will visit this web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support! WOOHOO!!!

Visit my personal web page and blog site at:

/web.me.com/woohoowoohoo/HalfMaryThon/Half-Mary-Thon.html

You can contact me at melhel@dwx.com

Thanks so much for your time and caring! WooHoo!