My Fundraising Page

Racing to Save Lives

Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

I'm training to participate in an endurance event as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training in memory of my grandfather, William H. Coons, Sr. 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, but most of all, in honor of my grandfather. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

My grandfather was such a special man in my life. He taught me how to ride my bike, how to swim, how to plant seeds in the garden, and all of the other seemingly little things grandfathers are supposed to teach their granddaughters. I even had the honor of having him walk me down the aisle on my wedding day!

He was diagnosed with leukemia in May, 2005, and given a survival time of just 6 weeks. With the help of cutting-edge research, he accepted experimental treatments that prolonged his life for another 18 months. Thanks to these treatments, he was able to see the birth of his first great-granddaughter in August, 2006, and I'd never seen him happier. His face would light up with a huge smile every chance he had to visit with her. Unfortunately, his battle with leukemia ended soon after in January, 2007.

I chose the Peak Performance Marathon in Maine because Maine was one of my grandfather's favorite places. He loved the ocean, particularly the coast of Maine, and we would travel up there often, just for the day, to sit and have lunch and watch the waves crash against the coast.

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission. Your support can help other heroes like my grandfather recover or create memories that otherwise wouldn't have been possible.

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