Racing to Save Lives

Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

I'm training for this year's San Diego marathon to raise money for blood cancer research with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

The cause is dear for me and my family.

When I was 7 my mother was first diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease, a form of blood cancer. I would fake being sick to skip school and go with her to the hospital. Treatments then were debilitating but allowed her almost 30 more years. They were not without challenges however. She would have cancer 4 more times before passing away in January 2006.

(Challenging years indeed. I wasn't always the best kid. I never did my homework. I'm sure my room was never clean. And it was not without considerable supervision that the lawn got mowed.)

Sadly my mother has not been the only patient in the family. My niece, Kyra, was diagnosed with B-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma twice before she was 8 years old. And in February 2008 she had a bone marrow transplant at Duke University.

The treatments have advanced considerably in 30 years. Even after two bouts with cancer, Kyra is quite a sporty 9-year old...10 in June. She is holding the teddy bear below. This progress has come partly from research funded by LLS.

But even with these advances, the cost of treatment can bankrupt families. Just one of the many medications Kyra took during her transplant recovery cost over $1,000 per month. And the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society also helps families with this financial burden.

People who have known me for a while might remember that I ran this event in June 2006 and wrecked my knees. I haven't really run since but I'm giving it a shot -- you've only get one set of knees right? Why not use them?

In exchange I'm hoping you can make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission. If everyone in my address book donates at least $50 I'm sure I can achieve my fundraising goal. And what's $50 compared to a set of knees?

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