On April 27, 2014 I am honored to walk with my amazing teammates Tera Torres and Tracy Kimberling.  Together we made a differnence in San Francisco in the fight against blood cancer.  In April we will be taking on the streets of Washington D.C. in the Nike Women's half Marathon to make a bigger difference.  We are eager and determined to raise $50,000. In doing this we will earn a research grant in the name of a specific person for their type of cancer. This year's recipient will be my mother, Elizabeth Ann Hollen for Non-Hodgkins T-Cell Lymphoma.

     With your help I know we can reach that goal. Please consider partnering with me, Tera and Tracy through sponsorship or making a donation to support our participation in Team in Training and help advance LLS's mission.

     Fifteen years ago cancer entered my life and I was changed forever. My Mom, Elizabeth Hollen was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at the age of 52. I watched this beautiful woman fight this disease with dignity and grace off and on for seven years, until we lost her to the disease in 2005.

     Earning this research grant and tying it to the walk in Washington D.C. is important to me because my mom was a social studies teacher and she would take her students in the summers to D.C to tour and extend her classroom.  She was a passionate teacher who moved and inspired her students.  I cannot think of a better way of honoring her than achieving this goal for her in a place that meant so much to her.

     This past year, I participated in the Nike Women’s half marathon in San Francisco to raise money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Foundation with my current teammates Tera and Tracy.  My experience while training and completing the marathon moved and inspired my life more than I could have possibly imagined. 

     I came away from that experience understanding that our strength lies in our numbers and our mission lives in the hearts of those who are battling bravely and those who have lost someone they love to cancer. I am truly touched that Tera and Tracy believed so strongly in what I wanted to achieve and jumped in to help out.  For our part, we are committed to be part of the cure. It is our hope that you will partner with us on this journey and one day; very soon, cancer will be a distant memory. We will log the many miles and hours and you will be a hero in funding the research.

    Thank you in advance for your support of our participation with LLS.  Donations can be made online at our training website

http://pages.teamintraining.org/oswim/nikewhlf14/mashleys8e  and are 100% tax deductible.

Together, we will find a cure.

With thanks,

Marri Ashley

Tera Torres

Tracy Kimberling