Hello Friends and Family,

Welcome to my Team In Training Webpage.

Getting up every Saturday at six am to meet my team and enjoy another glorious day on the road is the highlight of my week. I love to ride and feel that warm sun on my face knowing I am helping those that can't get out doors due to their misfortune of having leukemia or lymphoma. We ride for them and we ride to help find more effective treatments and eventually a cure for blood cancers.

Yesterdays ride was very challenging. 40 miles with over 2800 feet of elevation gain.

We rode all through South Orange County through Laguna Hill, Mission Viejo and Ladera Ranch.... all hills.

As a Team we have already raised over $45,000 thanks to all of you for your generous donations.

So, where does the money go?

As you know, the money we raise helps blood cancer patients and their families by funding research to find cures and better therapies, and provide information and support throughout the cancer experience.

Big Picture: Since the first research program funding in 1954, the Society has invested more than $680 million in research to find the causes and cures for blood cancers. The research budget in fiscal year 2009 was approximately $69 million, including funding for 127 new grants to researchers at academic institutions and $1.8 million in contracts through the Therapy Acceleration Program. As of June 2009, LLS was supporting 388 research projects and 9 research contracts in the U.S., Canada and 11 other countries, with a total commitment of $281 million, including:

. Leukemia research: approximately $140 million

. Lymphoma research: approximately $109 million

. Myeloma research: approximately $32 million

Local Picture: This year, the Orange County/Inland Empire Chapter is supporting a Translational Researcher, Wen-Hwa Lee, PhD at UC Irvine, with a grant amount of $600,000 over 3 years. Dr. Lee is developing “IBR Compounds as Rad51 Recombinase Inhibitors for Leukemia Treatment”. It is anticipated that this newly discovered Rad51 inhibitor will be beneficial in treating both CML (chronic myelogenous leukemia) and AML (acute myelogenous leukemia).

What can a donation of $25, $50, $100, or more do?

A donation of $25 provides patients and their families with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their specific disease and helps them make informed decisions about their treatment options.

A donation of $50 makes a Family Support group possible with a trained facilitator where support can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members.

A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures.

A donation of $250 can provide laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their research studies.

A donation of $750 allows the Patient Financial Aid program to provide 5 patients with a $150 stipend to help with treatment-related costs.

A donation of $1000 makes possible one-on-one conversations with health care specialists who provide patients with information about their disease, treatment options, and helps prepare them for questions for their health care team (Information Resource Center – IRC)

A donation of $100,000 or more can fund one or more research grants!

On behalf of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, thank you very much for your support. I greatly appreciate your generosity.

Teri Kahlen