Teams are made up of individuals. Without them, you have no team.

If you have been following me over the years through social media, you know by now that I have been a part of the Team In Training program as a runner and a coach for the past four years.

We hear that all the time, "I'm raising money to cure cancer." Sounds great, but it's such a broad statement. Broad statements are not really all that motivating. So why does this mean so much to me? Why did I become so involved with this organization?

REASON 1: Henry

(and any kid and their family battling cancer, but Henry is special to me.)\

Henry is the nephew of my dear frind, Alynn. He is a bright, funny little kid who loves singing karaoke and goofing around. He was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma when he was 2 years old, now he is 5 years old and still receiving treatment. He is a twin and the youngest of four children. I had the opportunity this summer to spend a night at Henry's house. It was one of his many "bad nights" where the side effects of his treatment protocol were particularly rough on him. He felt nausous, didn't sleep well, and by the time breakfast rolled around, Henry was very cranky. Who could blame him? The morning was interrupted by temper tantrums and screaming... yet what can you do? It's not Henry's fault he didn't sleep or feels so bad so often. This is their "normal" and has been for the past two years. It will continue to be their normal until he is in remission, an outcome his family is dearly hoping for.

REASON 2: John

John is the husband of my teammate, Karen, and also a blood cancer survivor. John attended training one morning last year when he was still in treatment and feeling well enough to leave the house. He gave us some background on his treatment protocol, one side effect of which was pulmonary toxisity, meaning it was toxic to his heart and lungs. There were days when he couldn't make it from the bedroom to the bathroom, or kitchen, or livingroom due to the side effects of these drugs. What left me totally gutted was when he told us there are new drugs out there that have the same cure rate without the side effects, but he couldn't get those drugs because there wasn't enough money yet to see them through the full approval process and put them into the mainstream of treatment. I was infuriated. This was absolutely unacceptable to me. It was the first time I'd ever made the connection between the money my team was raising and the quality of life and quality of treatment of someone I personally knew.

REASON 3: The Researchers

As a coach, I have had the opportunity to attend "volunteer appreciation night" for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Along with awards and recognitions, some of the researchers from Dana Farber Cancer Institute come and give a layman's presentation on their work. Last year, the speaker was teaching us about a treatment for childhood AML that would be so gentle it could cure both acne and cancer. I was stunned by his work. This kind of cure would mean that kids like Henry would be able to go to school, play with other children his age, go on vacations and, most importantly, sleep soundly and comfortably at night while going through cancer treatment. What an amazing world that would be!! I realized, at that moment, that the money I was helping to raise would create that world. That work, that fundraising, that research, it's all happening NOW. Today. A cure for cancer isn't a far off, far fetched dream. "Someday" is TODAY, but ONLY if we stay the path, raise the money, and make it happen.

----------------------

I have a mission-to help find cures and more effective treatments for blood cancers. To accomplish that mission, I’m participating in a sports endurance event as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training. 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.