Racing to Save Lives

Hello everyone! I am selling reusable shopping bags that I made out of recycled t-shirts and one can be yours for a $10 minimum donation!

Check out my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/emmy.foley to see all the bags I currently have, then tell me which one you want in the comment section when you donate and whether you want it shipped or want to arrange an in-person exchange.

I also have lots of shirts laying around waiting to be turned into bags--if none of the bags I have already made suit your fancy, I can turn another shirt I have into a bag for you, or can make a bag out of a shirt or other material you provide me (I just made 4 bags out of a graduation robe, for example!) Additional shirts I have include black Hot Topic-esque message shirts, shirts with stripes, shirts with a wide array of designs and styles: yellow shirts, black, white, green, you name it.

Thanks for your support!

Emmy

Hello one and all, I'm back to do it again! My name is Emmy Foley and this Summer and Fall I will be training with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training in preparation for a century (100-mile) bike ride happening on October 24. I train and ride in memory and honor of all those women, men, and children out there fighting or who have lost their fight to blood cancer. But the most important man in my life, the one I am always thinking of every time I'm raising money or training on my bike, is my dad.

So let's get started, here's my story of why I got involved with Team in Training! In late 2006, my dad broke his back during a seemingly non-eventful fall while water skiing. A few weeks later, he was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma: cancer of the plasma cells. What did these events have in common, you ask? One of the effects of this cancer is bone thinning and as a result of the cancer and the fall, one of his vertebra collapsed! By the time he was diagnosed, he had already shrunk 2 inches without anyone even realizing it. The thinning got so bad that at one point he even cracked ribs leaning over the arm of his chair to pick up a magazine. I couldn't stand sitting ideally by watching him in so much pain--I had to get involved. So, in early 2007, I went out, bought a bike, and joined Team in Training. I completed my first ride in November of that year and raised a lot of money for a GREAT cause. I loved my experience so much, so now I'm back to do it again!

A couple weeks ago, I got an email. A friend of Dad's from his Myeloma support group, Richard Knowlton, had lost his battle to Myeloma. I looked him up; he was only 4 years older than Dad. He died at age 55. It wasn't only that which got my attention, though. Richard underwent the same stem cell transplant as Dad, 2 months after he had his. The January after I completed my first TNT event, Dad had the transplant. I'm pretty thankful I wasn't present during that time, as it was pretty nasty. After what can be described nicely as a very rough year, Dad came out on top--his cancer is now in remission. While Dad's transplant was a success, Richard's was not. It could have just as easily been the reverse. 10 years ago, heck even 5 years ago, it would have most likely been both of them in caskets. We have come SO FAR in the advances for the treatment of blood cancer. It's already saved Dad's life. However, there's still lots of work to be done. He still has cancer--there is no cure. It can come back with a vengence at any time. The 5-year survival rate for his cancer is still only 41%. But we can make a difference. We can help fund the research to cure blood cancer.

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!