Hello hello hello, my name is Bryan;

I have decided to raise funds and train for the 2012 Boston Marathon, lucky for me the Leukemia and Lymphoma Team in Training program decided to let me.

I am running this race for a good friend of mine, Andy Dick. Andy was diagnosed with Stage 4 Adenocarcinoma. He currently is on his fourth round of Chemo and fighting along. His current fight and determination to beat cancer is extremely humbling, and I can think of no other way to show my support then to pick what I see as one of the most difficult feats to do and go for it. He is inspirational beyond belief and so in honor of him I run.

I also run because I can. 6 years ago I weighed 420 pounds and had crushed two lower discs in my back pinching the sciatic nerve. Basically I was told I would get tri-annual epidurals and hobble about the rest of my life. I now have 45 pounds to go to hit my goal of 225, I have no need for epidurals, and while I may walk funny, I wouldn't really call it a hobble.

Part of the Team in Training process is to raise $4,000 by the end of January 2012. And

Like the other members of TNT, I will be raising funds to help find cures and better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. I’m improving the quality of my life by participating and with your support, I can help improve the quality of life for patients and their families as well.

Please make a donation in support of my efforts with Team In Training and help advance the research for cures. Any bit helps and will be greatly appreciated.

I will be keeping a blog of my progress and training. You can find it at

http://ragnaarbastiaan.com

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for helping out!!!