Racing to Save Lives

Welcome everyone!

I'm training to participate in this Fall's Disneyland Half Marathon as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

Why am I doing this, you may ask? Well...as many of you may know, I will be celebrating my quarter-century birthday this summer. I want to make big changes as I enter further into adulthood and thought what better way to ring in the big 2-5 then to challenge myself so that others can enjoy more birthdays?! I have been so blessed over the years and feel I can pass that on to people who need more than I do.

As a student at USF, I actually lost 2 young classmates to blood cancers. As a journalist, I learn firsthand the struggles people with cancer face every day -- including a toddler! And now most importantly as a daughter, I have witnessed how proper and proactive cancer treatment is necessary to save BOTH of my parents. This is my way of pushing beyond what's comfortable, to reach outside of myself and make a positive impact on other people's lives. I attempted this a few years ago, but did not complete my mission. Since then, I feel I really let families down. This time, I am fully committed to following through and accomplishing something that I can be proud of -- but more importantly help families like mine touched by cancer.

I realize times are tough right now, but just imagine how much tougher it can be for the individuals I am running for. Please help me in my goal and make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training. Any little bit can help advance LLS's mission as well as my own personal mission.

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

***UPDATE JUNE 14, 2010***

In just about a month.. I'm about halfway there with my training! This Saturday, we ran 7 MILES around Lake Balboa!! The run wasn't so bad because I stayed with my new friend C.J. the whole time on a 5:2 interval (5 minutes run, 2 minutes walk). She is participating in honor of her Grandma. I also got to know my mentor Amanda this weekend and she's awesome.. very sweet & encouraging and provided me with so much knowledge! This weekend's 7-mile practice was the longest distance I've done at once in a long time, so there were parts of my body that tightened and cramped that I totally forgot were there. One bummer is that my left foot is still in pain, but I know this is nothing compared to what blood cancer patients endure!

Before we took off on the course, our mission moment was delivered by one of our honored teammates who wore a shirt saying 'If you think running a marathon is hard, try chemotherapy.' She spoke to us about how the funds TNT raises provides the new research & technology that has given her more years to live! This is so exciting and I hope you will help me on my mission to help more people celebrate more birthdayS! Til next time.. I hope you all have happy & healthy days =)

**UPDATE JUNE 21, 2010**

Happy Monday all! Hope everyone is off to a great week. I missed my scheduled practice on Saturday with my regular SFV group because I was in the SF Bay Area celebrating a wedding and a birthday with great friends. This last weekend's workout was dedicated to hill training, so I made sure to still get something in while I was away. I hiked beautiful Alum Rock in San Jose on a bright sunny day (after splashing around at Raging Waters :D). However, my left foot still doesn't feel completely back to normal and was actually painful towards the end of my hike so gotta make sure it's nothing serious. I'm sure it's so small compared to the pain and struggles that cancer patients feel during treatment...

That segues right into my next point of this update: MY MOM. If you didn't already know, my mom discovered a malignant lump in her breast not too long ago and will be undergoing a procedure this week to have it removed. Luckily, it was still very small and very early in its growth so we are remaining positive and optimistic. But our family would still appreciate your thoughts and prayers at this time! This recent event in our lives is another major reason why I am pushing to complete this effort (I'm not just calling it a marathon because it is so much more than that for me)... I hope to lengthen and improve the lives of other cancer patients and their families. Both my parents have been touched by cancer (my dad in his prostate about 2 years ago) and now I feel that I should celebrate my birthday by honoring the fact that they're still with me. While my family has been blessed.. others are not always so fortunate and it would be selfish of me not to extend the goodness beyond.

So I'm setting a goal of $2500 to appreciate my 25th birthday, so that others with cancer can enjoy more birthdays to come. I've reached halfway in my physical training for my distance goal in running, but I am NOWHERE NEAR HALFWAY in the other aspect of this endeavor -- fundraising. While my event date isn't until September, my date to recommit to completing this mission is in A MONTH. Please help me by making a kind donation sooner rather than later.

Thank you & Love you,

Katrina

***UPDATE JUNE 28, 2010***

THANK YOU to everyone for your kind words and well wishes for my mom! She is home now recovering from Thursday's lumpectomy (but she's superwoman so has a hard time resting). Your thoughtfulness is keeping her in good spirits <3

As for training, I went to my first mid-week practice in Sherman Oaks/ Van Nuys earlier this evening. Started off pretty weak and slow but by the end had more energy and found my rhythm running so felt great. Just a few quick notes for this update:

- COUNTDOWN.. 7 DAYS left being 24! 30 DAYS left til my recommitment date! 52 DAYS left to donate! Let's see if we can get to 25% ($550) by my birthday *crossing fingers*

- BIRTHDAY PARTY/ BENEFIT EVENT... in Hollywood @ The Blu Monkey Lounge. No cover. But we're asking for $10 donations for this mission. If we get more than 100 people, owners may work out a deal where we can get proceeds from the bar!! Please celebrate life with me in this special way =)

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=131005880267219

***UPDATE JULY 12, 2010**

• • • • • • • • • • • • • I'M 25!!! CELEBRATED MY BIRTHDAY LAST WEEK SO MISSED AN UPDATE =)
• My Blu Monkey FUNdraiser was fun! Thanks to those who came out and supported/ donated... we made about $100 in donations and $105 from proceeds at the bar! So a total of $205 in one night for a great cause YAY! (see photo below of me & my mentor AMANDA at the event matching in purple to rep TNT)
• But it's been a tough couple of weeks for my family with relatives in the hospital (pls keep them in your prayers - Veronica "Tita Ronnie" Crisostomo & Allison Carrenceja)... Roommate dilemma...& news that my Mom has to undergo a 2nd procedure the day after her birthday =T Good thing I've discovered the stress-relieving powers of running!
• Following my birthday & all the challenges of this week... there was no better way to feel ALIVE and grateful for my blessingsthen to run & hike8 MILES in beautiful Griffith Park for the Annual All Team Event w/ all chapters from Greater LA! It was tough and I doubted I'd finish since my shin splints were burning so bad from running in sand (yikes!) but thanks to the amazing hope, positivity, motivation and encouragement provided by Amanda I AM SO PROUD TO SAY 'I DID IT'!! (I'm still sore hehe)
• Got a few more fundraisers in the works...including another club event in Hollywood, Menchie's Frozen Yogurt in Burbank, possibly CPK or Chevy's, & even some events in other cities such as SF and Vegas. Hope to see you then!

**UPDATE JULY 22, 2010**

Sorry a little late on the post, but been dealing with a lot this week. If you're my friend on FB, you may know a bit about what's been going on during this hectic time. Don't really feel like getting into it right now bc it's too much and would take too long hehe I'll explain later. My mom's 2nd lumpectomy went well today.. she's home and resting now. Thank you everyone for your thoughts & prayers this week. OK so here's some of the important things going on:

• • • • • • • • • • • • • I recommitted to TNT this week.. which means I am locked in to complete my mission! I'm really excited but still very nervous because I still need $1500 and am LESS THAN A MONTH AWAY from my FUNdraising deadline... Please kindly consider supporting me and also spreading the word about my efforts to everyone you know. Feel free to share my link to this page =)
• • • • • • • • • • • • • "Leukemia is the leading cause of cancer in children" Got an email about a story of a child battling blood cancers. I also wrote a story about this and you can read it here: "SoCal Runs to Save Lives".
• • • • • • • • • • • • • FUNdraisers happening this weekend in LA & SF:
• TOMORROW (7/23) is the last day for my fundraiser at Menchie's in Burbank! Simply mention "The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society" at the register and 20% of your purchase will benefit the cause! Doesn't cost anything extra from the Fro-Yo but please do not forget to mention the event.. thanks =)
• SATURDAY (7/24) we will be celebrating at Sutra SF! Send me names ASAP to be put on my list and it'll be $10 before 11PM, $15 after... at least 50% of proceeds will go to my mission marathon for LLS!

That's all for now. Til next time XOXO <3 Katrina...

***UPDATE JULY 29, 2010**

This is a lengthy one since I finally have the time to sit down and process all these thoughts. Please continue to keep MY MOM in your thoughts & prayers please! She's not healing as well as she did the first time, so we're hoping it's nothing serious. I'm refusing to accept & believe that anything worse can happen to my loved ones right now.One of the main things keeping me on track right now is my mission marathon! It's one of the most positive things to keep my mind while so much seemingly negative stuff is happening(although the stress of FUNdraising can make me a bit nervous too). I know why I'm doing this and I know my loved ones who are enduring a heavy load would be so proud for the all-around efforts I'm exerting to make myself better and improve the lives of others. So here goes...

• • • • • • • • • • I'M ALMOST THERE!! About a month or so away from the finish line...Missed my team practice this wkd since I was in San Francisco. But still got 8 miles in with Chris & my cousin from Vegas, Samantha (who only did about 1/2), along Great Highway/ Ocean Beach on Saturday morning. The workout was fun and refreshing since the air was cooler & cleaner than LA hehe.

• I'm actually going to have to miss again this weekend since I will be in Vegas with my cousins =/ ...Summer is actually harder to train since so much is going on. But I still plan to do my 9 miles on Saturday. Sam's gonna find a place we can run early in the morning. May have to give up going out Friday night, but it's ok... Vegas isn't going anywhere but I'm determined to take this training to the end. Besides... I love getting to know areas better through running around them!

• • • • • • • • • • SF Marathon was a great experience to witness! My cousin ran the FULL 26.2 miles through the holy hills of SF for "The event even experienced marathoners fear!" - Wall Street Journal. Watching all the participants cross the finish line was so inspirational I just wanted to cry for them -- just imagining the pride & joy of completing the event made me that much more excited for my turn. Can't wait for my day...

• Attended my first race expo where runners pick up their gear and get immersed in the world of marathoners. It was amazing to see so much going on and even got me so into it that I really considered doing the half the next day (opted not to since I had just done 8-mi that day and didn't properly prep.. not to mention my party at Sutra was that night). I got a real feel for the awesome vibe of event weekend & got that extra extra push to motivate me and finish this mission on a strong foot!

• • • • • • • • • • FUNdraising update: Just reached my HALFWAY mark to the minimum thanks to the generosity of more kind people & the success of my event at Sutra this past weekend (made $155 at the door + $60 in personal donations = $215 total). Honestly, it was a rather awkward time for me to run off on a trip to the Bay and party considering my aunt's funeral & mom's surgery were just a few days earlier. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed seeing some of my favorite people on this planet!! Just kinda wish more of my friends came out to see me & make it all more worth it.

• • • • • • • • • • I NEED YOUR HELP TO FINISH! While I'm excited to have reached this milestone in my financial goal... I still need more support getting to the end! If you haven't already made a kind, tax-deductible donation, please consider doing so. And If you have already been so kind as to make a donation, please consider posting my link to your facebook or emailing your friends/family/co-workers to join us on this mission. I am also planning to provide opportunities for prizes at the end of all this, possibly at my last event... so if you have any products, services, or anything that you would like to provide please let me know! THE LAST DAY TO DONATE IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING! (It's in mid-August... not when I run in September)

• If you live in the LA area and love me, please save next Sunday, August 8 for a very special event I'm planning to hold at my uncle's restaurant "Salakot Sizzle and Grill." This will most likely be the last FUNdraising event I will be having since my deadline is creeping up around the corner. Click here for more info.

*Whew!* That's enough now LOL... hope to see you all soon. Thanks for your time and sharing in this journey with me <3

**UPDATE AUGUST 9, 2010**

OMG! Just like marathon training.. updating this blog is getting to be more challenging!

HAHA.. this again was another crazy stressed week(and some)... going to Vegas with family, then San Diego to visit my parents for a day in the middle of the week (my mom is doing much better nowl btw, thanks for your kindness); To attending full days learning & networking at sessions, workshops, mixers, etc at AAJA 2010 (Asian American Journalists Association National Convention @ Hollywood & Highland) while working earlier beforehand in the mornings and visiting Nanay in the hospital some evenings. Felt like the longest most whirlwind week AGAIN lol.

But I don't say this to complain or garner sympathy... I say this because this whole mission marathon effort has given me new perspective: *When so much seems to be working against you, you just have to keep going and move forward one step at a time!* You'll see what I mean...

• Let's start with this past Saturday's practice. I'm up to 12 MILES!! Ok so I walked most of the last 2.. but hey, I was only required to do 10. And considering I had been gone from practices for a while just training on my own while traveling to and from various places & dealing with all my family stuff... I was really proud of myself!

• That morning was no easy feat either.. was exhausted from the week & to top it off I couldn't find my shoes! This is what I was talking about when I said it could seem like odds are stacked against you to succeed but if you continue moving forward you'll reach places you thought you never could. I really surprised myself. Along my run, I thought of everything my family & I had endured for the month of July (my birth month) and let it all go on my path. While it was a release, it was a great way to remember Tita Ronnie & all the other people in my family battling health issues. Remembering their constant support and encouragement gave me that extra push. I was feeling pretty good at the end of 10 so I went a little further with my new friends from TNT =). And thanks to bags of frozen veggies in my fridge.. I wasn't as sore as I thought I'd be.

FINAL FUNdraiser @ Salakot! This Sunday, I kicked off a week-long event to raise the last of my goal. We were fortunate to have a Lymphoma survivor, Christine Pechera (whom I wrote about in an article for Fil-AM Star), join us for lunch. Seeing the moving images of her fight to beat the cancer touched many of whom were there -- prompting added support & people even signing up for the donor registry on the spot! I'll try to get a link up here soon to share with others.

• I was so glad that my parents, friends whom I hadn't seen in forever, and some family got a chance to understand WHY I'm doing this. The event itself was not just about the financial benefit, it was for people to meet someone who could explain firsthand how such support benefits people and families dealing with so much! THANK YOU TO CHRISTINE & EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT YESTERDAY, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED!! THANK YOU TO MICHELE & HER PARENTS & ANTON FOR ALL THEIR HELP IN ALLOWING ME TO HOST SUCH AN EVENT AT THEIR YUMMY RESTAURANT!!

And while I greatly appreciate everyone's kind donations... I really wish more of you could have seen and heard Christine share her experience. But it's not too late to participate... Christine's story will be played at Salakot during the week, the fundraiser runs through Sunday, Aug. 15! * Just mention my name or my event for 20% of proceeds to benefit my mission marathon with TNT/ LLS. (Photo below is of me & my pledgesissy Stephie who stopped by Salakot on her way back up to the SF Bay Area! I got so involved in the moment.. I didn't take as many photos/ videos as I should have)

JUST ABOUT A WEEK AWAY TIL MY FUNDRAISING DEADLINE... HOPE YOU WILL HELP ME REACH MY GOAL IN COMPLETING ALL ASPECTS OF THIS MISSION MARATHON! THANKS <3

***UPDATE AUGUST 17, 2010***

• FIRST & FOREMOST... THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED ME THUS FAR!! Your kind donations and encouraging words have really motivated me to finish this whole mission marathon effort strong. I am amazed at the generosity and pride people have shown... glad to know so many people care =)
• Did another 12 miles this weekend.. and have started to run during midweeks again. I have less than a month til my run & want to go on and do a FULL soon so I'm stepping my game up and pushing harder these last few weeks!
• • • • • Training for an endurance event is so metaphorical for life! I love it & I'm hooked <3!
• FYI.. finally got my check from the Menchie's fundraiser last week and we made $75! That's great considering yogurt is usually less than $5... so goes to show ANY little bit helps and can go a long way!
• DOWN TO MY FINAL DAYS OF FUNDRAISING.. JUST ABOUT 48 HOURS LEFT! Please help me get to that finish line by getting involved in my fight against blood cancers. It would bring hope to me and so many other families who need it!

***UPDATE AUGUST 25, 2010***

AMMMAAAZZIIIINNNGGGG!!!! $3400!!!! Can you believe it?!?!? I can... I know I'm blessed with great people in my life. We went $1200 over minumum & $900 over my personal goal... TOGETHER we successfully accomplished an incredible thing here!! THANK YOU EVERYONE... your generous support is truly appreciated and please know that you will all be a part of me in my mind & heart as I race to beat cancer!! Wouldn't have been possible without your kindness!

My event is in just about a week...WOW how time really flies!! I'm working to prepare for the big day... continuing my training, getting my gear ready, and aiming to get focused. I'm soooo excited & will take photos/ videos to share. =)

But I want to keep my words short & sweet this week and leave you with this message the Santos family shared with me. Sadly, they lost their mom/sister to a blood cancer just this year. This mission marathon is dedicated to her and others.. to honor & remember them and to bring hope to their loved ones...

"Hello Katrina,

I would like to thank you for standing up to find a cure for cancer. It is truly a devastating experience for all the family involved. I would never thought my Mom would be diagnosed. She was a great mother and loved us unconditionally. I still feel the pain and loneliness everytime I think of her. It is also hard to imagine all the things she went through but she kept her faith alive and never gave up on us until her last breath. I am proud that I left everything behind for her. I stayed w/ her in the hospital during those times we had to go. I stayed w/ her at home and took care of her. All I ever wish was it would never fade away. But God must have better reasons.

My aunti Feli wrote a bio for her. Here it goes:

Maria Aurora “Girlie” Sebastian Santos

Like her name Aurora, she was a light to everyone she met and whose lives she had touched.

A fighter, she never wavered when odds were against her. She accepted with quiet faith all that was given to her with full trust in her Creator. Her lived life was a proof of her faithfulness to God’s plan. She loved and lived it to the fullest.

A lover of elegant and beautiful things, she shared with everyone her appreciation of the fine things in life. A go-getter, she was not one to be daunted by hardships or trials. She persevered until she reached her goals. Compassionate and forgiving, she listened with her heart.

Girlie nourished her family with her delicious cooking. She provided her children with a beautiful home. She sheltered them from harm and nurtured them with her love and wisdom. Her children always came first and they were her life. Girlie was a dutiful daughter to her beloved parents and a loving and thoughtful sister to her siblings. She was kind and loyal to all her friends. Filled with passion for her work, she was a caring and gentle nurse to her patients and a professional and considerate co-worker.

Always ready for any family and friend’s gatherings, Girlie enjoyed them and made sure everybody had fun. She never wanted anyone to be excluded. Girlie cherished nature. She loved flowers and sunsets. She liked gardening and decorating. She was fond of traveling which brought her to many and fascinating places here and abroad. A cheerful person, she found happiness in simple things.

Girlie laughed heartily; smiled sweetly; and cared deeply. She loved selflessly and gave her all to her family, friends, and patients.

Girlie saw the light on February 23, 1950 and she passed on into the arms of God on March 27, 2010.

Once again, thank you. Who knows one day I'll be a fundraiser too.

All the best and take care,

telo'