Racing to Save Lives

Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

I'm training to participate in the BigD Marathon on April 5, 2009 as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am competing in this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission.

The Honored Hero

One of the unique aspects of the Team in Training Program is that of the Honored Hero. The Hornored Hero is a very special individual from the local community who has battled, or is battling, leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, and who have agreed to share their experience to inspire and motivate Team In Training (TNT) participants. These individuals are the reason that we train and compete and the reason that we ask for your monetary support.

One of the Honored Heros for my team, The North Cities Team, is Austin Moreno. He is the son of Kim Moreno, one of our Team Mentors. Austin is a fantastically brave 4 year old who participates in a program named Beads of Courage. Beads of Courage is a unique program designed to honor the challenging journey kids take while experiencing cancer and related treatments. Through the program the collection of beads of courage serves to honor the milestones achieved along each unique treatment path while symbolizing the courage these kids have. Each individual bead he receives has special significance about his treatment. Below is the guide to the beads:

Beige - A Bone Marrow Biopsy/Aspiration

White - A course of Chemotherapy

Orange - Central Line/port insertion or removal

Blue - Clinic Visit

Magenat - Emergency/Ambulance/Unususal Occurance

Brown - Hair loss/thinning

Lime - Isolation/fever/neutropenia

Tortise- Lumbar Puncture

Purple - Morphine/Dopamine/PCA Infusion

Silver/Black - Pokes (IV starts, Blood Draws, IM Injections, Port Access)

Glow in the Dark - Radiation treatment

Light Green - Test/Scans (EKG, ECG, MRI, CT, Bone Scan)

Red - Transfusions

Aqua - tube Insertion (Catheter, Chest)

Yellow - Overnight at Hospital/ Inpatient Admission

Dark Green - Stem Cell Harbest/Dialysis/TPN

Silver - Surgery & Dressing Change

Square Heart - Transfer to PICU

As you can see in the picture, Austin is truly a brave young man! You can learn more about Austin's journey by visiting his Caring Bridge Site.