Dear Friends and Family,

I am writing this letter asking for your help because of two large challenges ahead of me. Number one is an Olympic Distance Triathlon (1500m swim, 28 mile bike, and 10k run) which I have always dreamed of doing. Number two is that I have pledged to raise $3400 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help fund Blood Cancer Research, Education, and Patient Services. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s mission is to Cure Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and Myeloma and also to help improve the quality of life of the patients and their families. Since 1954 LLS has funded more than $680 million in research.

For help with my first challenge I joined forces with the LLS’s “Team in Training†program. They offer structured training and race support to anyone who is willing to help with fundraising. This is where I was introduced to Hunter as my honored teammate. Hunter’s story is heart breaking. He was first diagnosed with AML Leukemia when he was just 14 months old. With countless rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, a bone marrow transplant, and long hospital stays Hunter was getting better, but was just recently diagnosed that the leukemia had returned for the 4th time. At the time I was introduced, Hunter’s family wasn’t sure how much treatment he could handle and sadly March 2010 Hunter had passed away. To read more about Hunter’s battle please visit his blog at www.healinghunter.com. I will be training and racing while holding Hunter in my heart. His struggle has deeply inspired me and motivated me to help make a difference.

The second challenge is where I need the most help. To myself and the majority of others $3400 is a large sum of money and I don’t expect anyone to donate the total amount, but please any amount that you can give to help me reach my goal and more importantly to help reduce the impact of Blood Cancer is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Jen Schenk