Running for Felder.

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. 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!

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission.

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

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Thank you for visiting my site. I am attempting to run a half marathon, that's ONLY 13 miles! I will do my best to provide a weekly update. We already had our first team weekend run. I missed it due to traveling with the family, what a way to start out right? I should be able to make most of the other team weekend runs.

Let me explain the fund raising goal. It probably seems like a lot just to drive to San Antonio and run in a race. However 75% of all the money donated goes towards research for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

There is no minimal on the amount you can donate. If you are not comfortable with giving $25, then select other and enter the amount you can contribute. Every dollar counts!

I ask that if you can give then please do. All donations are tax deductible. If you cannot give you may help me in other ways. 1) You can remember me and the people I am running in honor of. Remember their battle is way worse than my 13 miles or my more adventurous teammates 26 miles. 2) You can tell your family and friends about this website and what we are doing, racing to find a cure. 3) You can help me raise funds. There are many easy fund raising projects that I can suggest for you, especially my teacher friends out there. Feel free to contact me for more ideas. I encourage you to talk with your employers as well. We do have corporate sponsorship available with your business names appearing on all of our team jerseys. We have three teams that are running in different marathons.

Check back often for updates, pictures and progress.

Thanks!

Mick

A little about our Honored Hero.

Honored Teammate Name: Felder

Parents names: Gareth and Jessica

Other family members: little brother Easton!

Age: four years old

Address: Bogue Chitta, MS

Type of Blood Related Cancer: ALL (Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia)

Date of diagnosis: 08/28/2008

Favorite Activities:

Felder loves playing sports, playing outside, riding 4-wheelers, fishing and hunting, drawing, playing video games, playing with his little brother, and puzzles.

What is your current treatment?

Total treatment will be 2 & 1/2 years. Felder achieved remission during the first phase of treatment. The current treatment is the consolidation phase which lasts 6 months (consisting of chemotherapy inpatient and outpatient.)

What events led up to your diagnosis?

Felder started with leg pain mostly at night, and some pain in arms and a few headaches. He ran a low grade fever and was more tired and achy than normal. We went to the ER and to the doctor several times. They really could not find anything and his blood work was normal, so they thought it was viral. It continued so we had tests ran at a local hospital and they found an abnormal bone scan. We went to a pediatric bone doctor in Jackson. They thought it was a bone infection. They did an MRI and put him to sleep to see what kind of infection it was. They found no infection so they did a bone marrow aspiration. This is how they found the leukemia. We immediately went to Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children at UMC where they repeated the tests to confirm the diagnosis.

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Running update.

23 May - This weeks I stuck mostly with the AF (Air Force) PT (Physical Training) program. I have talked with my supvisors about running diffrent routines while at PT. They are ok with that. Today was my first group run. It was a good 4 miles. I am needing news shoes and anxiously awaiting the shoe clinic coming up.

30 May - I ran once or twice this week on my own. I had a good run with the group on Saturday. It great to see everyones progress.

June 6 updates - Had good runs during the weeks, missed the group run due to life.

June 13 - individual runs are going well. We had a group run in Hattiesburg. Our training schedule said 1/2 marathon runners run 4 miles and full runners run 6 miles. Well we ended up doing 7 miles in all and I ran about 6 1/2. After our run we went by a shoe store where they analyzed our feet and recommended shoes for us. Its nice to have a new pair of shoes.

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20 June - This past week I did not run much and its showing now. Today we did 6 miles. That more in one day than I did all week. The humidity here is getting bad and it affects your running. I am hoping that in San Antonio, in November that there will be very little humidity.

12 July updates- Sorry for the lack of updates. Life has been busy and it seems we have to get up earlier to run. This Saturday I missed the group run because I am out of town. Last Saturday I missed it because I am lazy. This week I have tried to run, however with work it’s been difficult. I did a short run (2ish miles) earlier in the week, some speed training with friends, whom I was the first to quit -- I have never been a fast runner. Finally today I did a 4+ mile run. Next week I hope to get back into more. Check back and thanks for the support!