Racing to Save Lives

**UPDATE ON 09/19/2008 SHAYLA'S Doctors Ran Out of OPTIONS for her CANCER, NO MORE TREATMENTS WILL BE GIVEN**

Please consider a donation in Honor of Shayla who is just 18. Much Love and Support goes to her family from mine at this time. May they find a life time of memories, and many life times worth of love during this time with Shayla. Life is cruel, Cancer is Crueler, and death is always guaranteed. However death often takes the brightest souls far too soon before they ever have a chance to really shine on the world surrounding them. Please help another family not go through what theirs is facing right now.

I'm here to tell you that on November 22, 2008 I will participating in my first endurance event El Tour de Tucson with Team in Training for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. This event is a 109 mile bicycle race through Tucson Arizona, and I will ride it in honor of Shayla Mitchell my good friend Darla’s little sister, and in remembrance of Stacey Rhymer a friend of mine from Bicycling.com’s discussion board.

Team in training will spend the next several months training me for this race, while I fund raise $4200 for their cause. Three-quarters of the money I raise goes directly to research, treatments, and programs for people with blood and lymphatic cancers. 107,000 people will be diagnosed this year with one of these cancers. To put this number into perspective on average one person every five minutes is diagnosed. If you think this will never affect you or someone you love, take a moment to consider Shayla’s story, or Stacey’s story.

Shayla's Story:

I’ve known Darla since the 4th grade. She and Shayla share the same birthday of June 13th exactly nine years apart. Darla’s bond with her sister is exceptionally strong due to the sharing of this special day. When she found out her sister had cancer she was thus hit exceptionally hard emotionally. I am greatly honored that they are allowing me to share their story with you, and that I can help raise money for the very cause that is trying desperately to find a cure for Shayla and others in her position.

Shayla is eighteen years old and fighting her second round with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. They found the initial tumors iJuly 31, 2007, just before the start of her senior year of high school she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Her senior year should have been carefree full of memories, and preparations for college instead she was given chemotherapy, and radiation to irradiate the tumors. She also received a pace maker, and went through numerous tests, and surgeries. By early 2008 Shayla had great news she was in remission, unfortunately that news did not last and in May 2008 a tumor was spotted on a scan. Shayla’s Hodgkin’s has returned, and now she battles an even harder fight this time, as the best chance of cure for these cancers is in first line treatment. She has had to endure a second surgery to replace the pace maker, and a massive infection. She reccently had to go through the removal of the second pacemaker for another infection, and harvesting of her bone marrow for stem cell transplantation. She will soon undergo high intensity chemotherapy to wipe out her immune system and prep for the transplant. Shayla’s family remains strong by her side, and she smiles on through her fight. Through her sister Darla, and her father Tom I will follow her story, and continue to update you through my training.

Stacey's Story:

Stacey’s story is far sadder than Shayla’s because her type of cancer is treatable but not often curable. Stacey has CML (chronic myelogenous leukemia). Her options were either a risky bone marrow transplant with a 20% survival rate or to go onto medication that would control the disease allowing her 2-5 years of time with those she loved. She chose the medication rather than the experimental transplant. The first medication that she tried caused too many symptoms for her to stay on the treatment. The second however was a success, until last autumn. The treatment started to cause her breathing problems, and they had to take her off of the medication. Instead of being depressed Stacey kept a pleasant outlook and hoped to see one more year with those that she loved. In July however she came to the cycling board with devastating news in a cynical manner that many of us were amused by, she titled her thread “Final Jeopardy” and in the text she put “What is four to six weeks?” Sadly that was the time her doctor gave her till as she lightly puts it her “extinction”. Stacey’s strength has shined through in her posts on the board. She has never wanted any one of us to be sorry for her, and has challenged this impending end of her life with wit, sarcasm, humor, strength, and wisdom. All of us on the forum have been touched by her stance on her last days.

Stacey loves bike riding and at this time is still with us, though she sleeps more and more as the days pass. It is with honor that I ride for her at the end of the year since she will no longer be able to pedal. Her screen name is Refugee Rat on the bicycling boards because she loves rats. I’m pleased to announce that my training, and trip I will be joined with a stuffed rat from her collection. In her honor I will take her stuffed friend for one great ride through Arizona. It is her spirit and joy I hope to gather by doing this. I will also be gathering the photos that I intend to send to her family. She may not be able to pedal, but I believe that her spirit will be there for this one great ride with me.

Buy a Mile Program:

• Mile 1 Nino Vaghi National Mailing Systems
• Mile 2 Chris Andrews
• Mile 3 Glenn Obey
• Mile 5 Michael Markauskas- Dont Ask Dont Tell
• Mile 8 Nick Tevis
• Mile 12 Brian Bradley
• Mile 13 Darla Holmes and Shayla
• Mile 17 Brenda Jones
• Mile 22 Kayleigh and Lillian Horstkamp
• Mile 23 Stephanie Bradshaw
• Mile 26 Elizabeth Goldman
• Mile 69 Greg Wilson- Birth year 1969
• Mile 73 Grace Markauskas
• Mile 109 The race to the finish Shayla & Stacey

For a donation of $30 (minimum) you can "Buy a Mile" of my race. The miles are First come First Serve, and one per personal donation. Donate your $30 and tell me which mile number has significance to you and I'll list it here for all to see, and place it in the remembrance book I am working on as well. Through your donations we can help eradicate Leukemias and Lymphomas one mile at a time.

Thank you

Bianca Reed

Upcoming Fund Raising Events:

• 08/28 Training at NVCC Manssas Campus. Come by and see me train on a trainer from 11:30-1:30pm. Check out the information board, pick up a coupon for Unos Doughnation night, buy a mile, or drop some spare change.
• 08/31/08 Doughnation Night @ Unos Manassas. I will be sending out coupons for this shortly keep your eye out! You'll bring the coupon in during Sunday August 31st order a meal, and 20% of your meal goes to the Leukemia Lymphoma society! What could be better, you get pizza and beer, someone else gets money to help fight cancer!
• 10/30/2008 Happy Hour! There will be a costume contest and drawings for gift certificates!

News & Training Info:

• 09/28/2008 My longest ride ever 42 miles,a nd first ride in the rain. I'm tired but I feel great!
• The first training on 08/23/2008 was great! I put in 7 loops at Haines Point! I am sending out more emails this week, and We're pushing the Uno's Donation night pretty hard right now. I hope everyone can attend! Dont forget 08/28 you can come see me train at the NVCC Manassas Campus!
• 08/16/2008 We had the kick off meeting and it was GREAT! Everyone was so nice! I cant wait to start the group rides on the 23rd ! :)
• 07/30/2008 The first two fund raising events are in the works. I've contacted Uno's who have agreed to do a Doughnation night, and I'm working on a parent's night out idea. Greg offered me his trainer the other day as well to enhance my training experience.
• Shayla came through her 4th heart surgury to remove her pace maker well. The doctors also believe that they now have enough bone marrow to do the transplant. She will remain in the hospital until the transplant is complete.