Each year at the Leukemia Ball, fabulous prizes are given away as part of a raffle that benefits LLS. This year, there are TWO Mercedes!

Grand Prize: 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL450 4MATIC SUV (MSRP: $63,900)

Of all 7-passenger full-size SUVs, only the all-new GL-Class offers the innovative luxury, pioneering safety and rewarding performance that define a Mercedes-Benz.

First Prize: 2013 Mercedez-Benz C250 Sport Sedan (MSRP: $35,350)

Sophisticated elegance with sporty style. Top-rated safety with thoroughbred performance. Cutting-edge innovation with timeless quality.

Tickets are $100 and can be purchased via the form at this link, but just in time for the holidays -- and hopefully not the end of the world -- I've got FOUR tickets to give away to the next four people to donate at least $50. All you have to do is click the donate button to the right and make a donation. I'll take care of the ticket!

The Twilight series comes to an end this weekend with the release of Breaking Dawn, Part 2. While Twi-hards hit the theaters, take a moment to think about this:

Every four minutes another person in America is diagnosed with blood cancer.

Every 10 minutes, someone dies from blood cancer.

The good news is you can help in the epic battle against blood cancer without running a half marathon! Click the link, make a donation and then go see the movie!

The world lost a great soul yesterday. I'm still not able to write about it really. I'm hoping this week's miles help me find the words. In the meantime, safe home, Fred. You are one of the best men I've ever known, and I will miss you.

Fred C. White

Several times when I was younger we had plans to go to Disney World. Every time, something happened and we didn't go. I'm now 37 years old, and I've still never been to Disney World.

I've always loved Disney movies. In high school, I made my boyfriend watch them. I had the whole collection on video and headed to the theater when a new one came out. Robin Hood has always been my favorite. I can literally talk and sing along with the movie. Can't tell you how much my boyfriend loved that.

In what I can only call the irony of all ironies, my then ex-boyfriend ended up doing the Disney exchange in college. Mark never came home. Instead, he became a full-time cast member and lived Disney for more than 15 years. He was still a cast member when he died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on February 7, 2011.

A few months ago, Team Mark met in Nashville to run the Country Music Half Marathon to raise money in Mark's memory for LLS. We'd all grown up near Nashville, so it made sense to pick this race. It was the first time most of us had ever even considered running anything, but Mark would appreciate the "go big or go home" approach. We needed something mountainous to honor Mark, and the hills of Nashville turned out to be just what we needed.

Now, we're going to run one more for Mark, this time in the home of his adult life. The irony that it's Mark who will finally get me to Disney isn't lost on me. I can't wait!

Long Live the King!