Thank you and a Message from Arnie


With a strong surge at the finish, Arnie's Army exceeded its $20,000 fundraising goal in support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and closed its campaign as the #1 fundraiser in the Nation for the St. Anthony's Triathlon. In St. Petersburg, hundreds of blood cancer patients, survivors, and family members -- including many of the participating triathletes -- gathered at the Inspiration Dinner the evening before the event. Their stories, as well as their courage and determination, reminded us all of the concrete difference LLS has made over the years in the battle to defeat blood cancer. Thank you for your exceptional generosity in support of this worthy effort.


The morning of the race, as the participants assembled at the swim start at 5:30am to don their wetsuits, the race officials announced that, with two to four foot waves challenging the ability of the kayaks to get into position along the swim course without capsizing, safety considerations required them to cancel the swim portion of the event. While disappointed, everyone understood that safety must always come first. I completed the balance of the course -- the 40km bike and 10K run segments -- in 2:15:55. All in all, it was a great experience.


Most importantly, Arnie remains cancer free, fully engaged at work and at the gym, and in fine spirits. I think it is fitting to close with the following message, which Arnie has asked me to add :


"I want to add my enormous thanks and deepest gratitude to all of you for your support. That support will make a material contribution to improving the treatment of, and hopefully finding a cure for, blood cancers, diseases that at present are in desperate need of both. At least as important, it stands as a vivid reminder of all of the folks out there who are rooting for me. With all due respect to modern medicine and wonderful oncologist, it is hard to exaggerate the difference that makes. I am coming up on the second anniversary of my initial diagnosis, and while the past two years have had their ups and downs, the bottom line is that I continue to beat the odds, and I want to thank all of you for the part you have played in making that possible."


Thanks again and best wishes to all.


Sincerely,


Dan Poneman

19 comments

  •  
    "Dan, Thank you for doing this. John"
     

    John Deutch

    Fri Dec 26 07:55:49 EST 2008

  •  
    "Dan: I am available as your pit crew, as needed. Anything for you and Arnie. Thanks for doing this, for all of us. Jon"
     

    Jon Wolfsthal

    Tue Dec 30 09:34:51 EST 2008

  •  
    "Dan, I'm pleased to support you in this good fight. Perry"
     

    Perry F. Baltimore III

    Tue Dec 30 12:18:25 EST 2008

  •  
    "Dan - Thanks for doing this for all of us who love Arnie and many others who are afflicted. Peter"
     

    Peter Bass

    Wed Dec 31 01:07:39 EST 2008

  •  
    "We are all pulling for you and Arnie. And happy Obama year!"
     

    Ernie Moniz

    Wed Dec 31 04:51:48 EST 2008

  •  
    "Go Dan!"
     

    Ash & Stephanie Carter

    Thu Jan 01 04:07:29 EST 2009

  •  
    "Dan -- Kudos to you and healthy thoughts for Arnie. We're pulling for both of you!!"
     

    Laura & Rick Holgate

    Fri Jan 02 02:54:10 EST 2009

  •  
    "Watch out St Anthony!"
     

    Julie T Katzman

    Fri Jan 02 09:57:08 EST 2009

  •  
    "Dan, You are a good man, working for a good cause, and I am honored to support the Arnie Kantor team. Mark"
     

    Mark Fitzpatrick

    Tue Jan 06 03:54:12 EST 2009

  •  
    "In honor of Arnold Kanter and in memory of Peter Rodman and Adm. Donald Pilling"
     

    Nicholas Rostow

    Thu Jan 29 12:22:34 EST 2009

  •  
    "Dan - My thoughts are with Arnie. You are a true friend, and I take it, fully recovered from your summer injury! "
     

    Evelyn Farkas

    Thu Jan 29 08:11:54 EST 2009

  •  
    "Dan: You and Arnie are heros!"
     

    Peter Petrihos

    Fri Jan 30 09:32:54 EST 2009

  •  
    "Dan, Rita and I are glad to join Arnie's Army. Arnie is a treasure, and it's great that you're doing this so we can pitch in on behalf of our friend and colleague. Bruce"
     

    Bruce MacDonald

    Fri Jan 30 01:30:26 EST 2009

  •  
    "Go Arnie! Go Dan!"
     

    R Michael Gadbaw

    Fri Jan 30 06:06:50 EST 2009

  •  
    "Go Dan! "
     

    The McConville Family

    Mon Feb 09 02:00:21 EST 2009

  •  
    "An honor to enlist in this Army -- go Arnie!"
     

    David & Meg Lloyd

    Wed Mar 11 10:03:22 EDT 2009

  •  
    "With sincere admiration for Arnie and Dan!"
     

    Peter Lichtenbaum

    Mon Apr 20 05:30:38 EDT 2009

  •  
    "Fresh from the Boston marathon, I am prepared to pace you on the 10K leg!"
     

    Eric Melby

    Wed Apr 22 02:47:41 EDT 2009

  •  
    "Welcome, from a survivor (Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, 13 years), to the newest member of the club."
     

    Paul V. Majkowski

    Fri Apr 24 12:02:18 EDT 2009

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In Honor of

Arnold Kanter