Fifteen years and four months ago (25th of January 1996), a wonderful, specially trained nurse filled me with IV drugs for the last time. Most drugs were clear. One drug, which came in a couple of 30-cc syringes, looked like brake fluid. (Really!) Back then, the doc told me that the chance of chemotherapy curing my non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was about 41%. Gratefully, I was in the minority. (Special thank you to Dr David Heyer, Dr Mary Wilkenson, plus Marty and Bitsy and all the other fantastic nurses and staff who took such good care of me!!!!)
Six years ago, a similar form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma showed up in my father. The docs had no way to treat him. Five weeks after diagnosis, we lost a very good man.
Yes, this is personal.
The cure rate for non-Hodgkin's lympoma remains frighteningly low: about 55 to 65%.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
For me: I've joined Team-In-Training, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) largest funding source. I'll pedal my bicycle for a thousand training miles, with Team-In-Training coaching plus great support from mentors and teammates. Then, I'll pedal 100-miles around the hills of western North Carolina!
For you: Please, contribute to LLS supporting my participation in Team-In-Training. Help advance the LLS missions: helping patients and families; training health care providers; researching causes and cures! Look to the right of the page, click on an amount, and click on "DONATE NOW." Follow the instructions and you'll be helping to support LLS goals - and mine!
THANK YOU!
Visit here often! I'll blog on progress! Thanks for your support!
art.....
----------
HONORED TEAMMATES: Tom Hennig! Ralph Lugo!
IN MEMORY OF: Richard Schenck
----------
BLOG:
7 JAN 2011: "Kickoff" will be on the 5th of February and training begins on the 12th. Brrrrr.
14 JAN 2011: We've been given the names of our Coaches. They're all good folks, whom I've know and appreciated from earlier TNT century rides. Should be a good season!!
30 JAN 2011: Will try to get a head start on training during a four day trip to Boca Raton, Florida. Thanks to the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) for lending a bicycle shipping container!!
3 FEB 2011: Got a head start on training with a 28-mile ride along Route A1A along the Atlantic Coast with South Florida TNT friends. Clear and 78-degrees. No ice on the roads like home in Arlington!
5 FEB 2011: Kickoff meeting this morning at eight o'clock! Met old and new teammates. Both the Fletcher Flyer and Americas Most Beautiful Bike Ride (Lake Tahoe) teams will be training together. Looking forward to a great season!!
8 FEB 2011: Technical training starts on Saturday morning at Frost Middle School in Fairfax. Been cleaning, lubing, and tuning my bicycle to get ready. Hard to wash outside when the temperature is below freezing. Will have to get creative.....
============================================================
THANKS to 25 people who've contributed $1,346! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!!
$1,654 to go. If you've read this far and have yet to contribute, please, do it now! Any amount, small or large or in between, is OK. Thank you!!
============================================================
12 FEB 2011: Met the team, mentors, and coaches at Frost Middle School in Fairfax, VA. Learned more about nutrition, dress, and bicycle mechanics. Helped a bunch of folks get hands on training in changing tire innertubes. Warmer weather forecast for later in the week means a chance to get out and pedal with no ice on the road!!
19 FEB 2011: First physical workout today! Our coaches, ever cognizant of the weather, pulled us off the road and out of some dangerously high winds. The ENERGY FITNESS CLUB came to our rescue! They allowed us, with Coach Mark, use of their spinning training machines. THANK YOU, ENERGY!! Great workout. Went to Guapo's in Shirlington for lunch all together. Nice!!
21 FEB 2011: Solid grey skies with rain and more yuck. Will put by bike on a roller and pedal around the basement for an hour or so while watching State Fair on TCM.....
26 FEB 2011: Training started out at Pierce Mill in Washington's Rock Creek Park. We had the Team's first flat tire! Our route followed along Beach Drive up to near the Mormon Temple and continued on to the outskirts of Rockville, MD. From the "nothing is simple" department, my right pedal stripped out the crank threads and ended up attached only to my right shoe. Pedaled most of the way back with my left leg. Fun!! Coach Mark met me with his car about a mile out and gave me a lift back to Pierce Mill. Turns out the good folks at SPOKES ETC can do the repair fairly easily. Be back on the road by Wednesday!
3-MAR-2011: Well, the repair took 'til today in the afternoon allowing the LocTite-green to cure. The crank repair works just like new! Back on the road tomorrow!! Yay!!!
4-MAR-2011: Back on the road today!! Pedal repair is perfect. Need to learn more about tuning indexed shifters - a rainy day project.
5-MAR-2011: Two good things today: a training ride and our Honored Teammates Picnic. Riding started at Fletcher's Landing by the old C&O Canal in Washington, then, out along the Capital Crescent Trail (I remember when it was a railroad!) out to Bethesda; then, back south from Bethesda to Kay Bridge in Georgetown and return to Fletcher's Landing. All in all, about 14 miles. Nice. Too short. About 250 of my closest friends (and vultures) came out for the Honored Teammates Picnic. Food disappeared in a hurry!! Quite a few survivors, like me, among the cycling, running, and triathalon teams!!
6-MAR-2011: Lots of rain.....
12-MAR-2011: 34.4 chilly miles this morning! Did several loops our of Poolesville, MD. Both the Fletcher and Tahoe summer teams trained together. Started out the morning's ride in sunshine and, then, the cold and biting winds came along. Weather turned beautiful just as we got back into Poolesville. Fine lunch afterwards at Bassett's. Great day!!
19-MAR-2011: 36.5 miles around the Virginia countryside in Prince William, Fauquier, and Loudon Counties! Lots of cattle and horse farms! Gently rolling hills and flat terrain. A steady headwind made it feel like climbing one very long hill!! Good to get in shape! Once nice remark from a coach. In past training, I was always near the end of the group or the very last. This year, I'm finishing just about in the middle of the group. Getting stronger!!
============================================================
THANKS TO EVERYONE CONTRIBUTING TO LLS HERE!!!
Together, the fund is at about two-thirds of the goal. Two thousand in the pot and only one thousand to go! If you've read this far and haven't yet contributed, PLEASE, DO IT NOW! THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYONE!!!!!
============================================================
26-MAR-2011: 42 miles this morning! Left the Montgomery County Soccerplex around 8:30 AM on a sunny and frigid day.. 29-degrees. at 20-mph, my ears started to freeze. Temperature got up to 42-degrees by the time we finished. Brrrrr..... Better than chemo, for certain!
29-MAR-2011: Buddy ride this evening out of Shirlington and around Lake Barcroft. 16-miles of serious "opportunities" (aka hills). Getting stronger! Thanks, Karen!!!!!
2-APR-2011: Started in Middleburg, VA, for a tour of Virginia horse country. Did a 50-mile loop out through Marshall and Aldie and other nice places with view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Sunshine at the start fooled me. Cold, cold rain in 42-degree weather for about a third of the ride was somewhat less than optimum. Thanks to Billy Gore and company, modern bicycle clothing kept me warm and dry on the inside. Nice!!
3-APR-2011: Recovery ride day. Did an easy 15-miles, round trip, to see the Cherry Blossoms in DC. Lovely!! WABA provided bicycle valet service (free bicycle parking!) at the Jefferson Memorial. Thanks, WABA!!! Met lots of nice folks also playing tourist!
6-APR-2011: 25-miles around the Arlington and Lake Barcroft hills on a Karen/Rob Marston buddy ride. Getting stronger!! Half-price burgers after! Thanks, Karen!!
10-APR-2011. Only 25-miles today. Our normal training ride was yesterday. But, I was lucky enough to get a fine photo shooting assignment and need the dineros. Went with the "Bike and Brunch" crowd out to Bryantown, MD. Nice tour around area Amish farms and stores. Cool, overcast weather. Getting strong enough now to really attack some of the hills - up off the seat and leaning on the pedals. Saves lots of time compared to grinding out hills in granny gears. Fun, too! Brunch after at Red Robin in Waldorf, MD. Thanks Kirk and Nancy and new friend, Tracy!!
14-APR-2011: Nice weather today for 25-mile around Arlington and East Potomac Park in Washington. Replaced the chain and cassette (rear gear set) on my bicycle as they were worn out. Bicycle runs like new! Saturday's ride is postponed 'til Sunday because of lightning in the forecast. Looking forward to this one!
16-APR-2011: Coaches made a good call on the weather! It's nasty out there and not safe for a long haul pedal. Looking forward to tomorrow!!
17-APR-2011: Mostly lovely day with a route different from originally planned. We pedaled from a new bicycle parking area adjacent to the W&OD bikeway in Sterling, VA. From there, we headed west through Leesburg, VA, then to begin a loop heading north to Lovettsville, VA, about 2 1/2 miles from Brunswick, MD, along the Potomac River. Next, we headed west toward Charles Town, WV, ending up about 5-miles from the West Virginia line on the way to Purcellville, VA, at the western end of the W&OD trail and back to Sterling. 64-miles all together (on the ground) with strong headwinds ALL THE WAY! One of our coaches figures we did the work needed for an 80-mile ride! Finished OK. Whew!! Need to pay more attention to hydration and nutrition on these longer rides to stay strong. All the training in the world won't make up for lack of water, electrolytes, and calories to keep a body going. More soon!
21-APR-2011: 49-miles today from Mom's place in Highland Park, NJ, to Princeton, NJ, with a few of the miles chalked up to missed turns. Windy conditions. Rolling terrain in New Brunswick, Franklin Township, and Kingston; to flat terrain along the Delaware and Raritan Canal. Nice folks in Princeton!
24-APR-2011: Decided to pass on the rainy hills yesterday in favor of 53-miles today with the Bike and Brunch folks. Temperatures in the upper 80's with glorious sunshine! Seems like summer arrived! Pedaled from home in Arlington out to Vienna, VA, to meet up with the group. Then, out to Ashburn, VA, to Smith's Switch, and back to Vienna. Relaxed for a time and headed back to Arlington. Whew!! Got to pay more attention to dealing with the heat. Nice folks everywhere on a very crowded W&OD bikeway!! Thanks to Bike and Brunch!!
1-MAY-2011: 66-miles out from Berryville, VA, in the most beautiful ride of the year! Blue skies, lush green fields, horses, apple blossoms, riding along the Shenandoah River, and so much more to enjoy! Gently rolling hills were a delight over much of the ride, with a few "challenges" to climb along the way. Getting better with hydration and nutrition to stay strong and alert over the long distance rides. Wonderful post-ride party at Steve's place in Berryville. THANK YOU!! Getting stronger!!!
2-May-2011: 20-mile recovery ride from Fletcher's Landing in Washington, DC, out to Bethesda, and back around through Rock Creek Park. Followed up with a great Bike and Brunch picnic!!!
4-MAY-2011: 22-miles from home, around the Shirlington/Lake Barcroft loop (lots of HILLS), a good dinner back in Shirlington, and to home. Getting stronger!! We were rained upon for a short time. But, with rain comes rainbows. We saw a double from horizon to horizon, with the primary rainbow as bright as can be! Thanks to Rob and Karen for organizing the ride!! Thanks to everyone else for looking out for each other.
Hey, if you've read down to here, please, send me a note to afeller@ieee.org. Just curious. Thanks!!! art.....
Nick ONeill | |
John Wertime | |
John Wertime | |
Lynn Heinrichs | |
John Wertime | |
John Wertime | |
Sherry Steiner | |
John Wertime | |
John Wertime | |
James Pruett | |
John Wertime | |
Sharon Steen | |
Frieda Feller | |
Michael Callaham | |
Mary Bullen | |
Carol Sniegowski | |
Laurie Kahn | |
Rich Hebble | |
Bryon Sweeney | |
John Transue | |
Derya Kramer | |
fay kasser | |
Katina Kypridakes | |
Debby | |
Marv Goodman | |
Jesse Rosario | |
Margo Stead | |
Frieda Feller | |
Arthur Feller | |
John Wertime | |
Joel Cohn | |
Joel Cohn | |
Lorraine Brown | |
Kim Wilkerson | |
Susan Centofanti | |
Kim Wilkerson | |
Joycelyn C. Tross | |
Diane & Sal Zaga... | |
Paul/Cindy Wackerbar... | |
Assadulah Sediqi | |
Lisa Wu | |
Carol Gordon Carlson... | |
Susan Centofanti | |
David Astri | |
Katie Axley | |
Aimee Denney | |
Debby | |
Bari Duda | |
Adam Kemp | |
Eugenia Johnson | |
Mike S. | |
THE HENNIG'S | |
Sharon Robinson | |
Barbara Bassano | |
Nancy Bristol | |
Nan Motolinsky | |
Lenore Garon |
Do you have technical issues or questions about our website?
For assistance, contact us by email, or call us at 888-LLS-7177
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS) is a global leader in the fight against cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all monetary donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by tax laws. Please check with your financial advisor if you have more questions.