This time I'm joining a different type of team. A specific team. I'm running with Team in training, but I've joined with a number of friends to honor the life of Ruben Garza. Please consider donating to Team Ruben. Here is the reason we are joining in this battle. You can go to the team website and find my name on the right hand side to get to my personal page or just donate here. So far 47 of us are running in honor of Ruben. Including his wife (engagement picture below.) Please help us to give others a reason to fight. To live. To never experience this loss. To make a difference.

Dec 07, 2011

Team Ruben isn't just a normal TNT group... it's a band of friends forming a family to rally in memory of an amazing person... Ruben Garza... this one's for you!!

Ruben loved music, especially Pearl Jam & U2, so he always told us to "live life with the volume turned up loud." He danced through life showing us how to appreicate the moment and listen to the world around us. Because of him, we're training and most importantly, fundraising to find the cures for blood cancers.

Ruben was diagnosed when he was 25 years old, underwent both - a bone marrow and stem cell transplant, and spent a lot of time living life "normally" (not going through treatements). He actually joined TNT in 2004 and participated in the Cap Tex Tri and he was amazing. He was a terrific Teammate, an avid supporter and above all, the best friend anyone could ask for. He valued life in a way that most of us dream about.

He had a type of blood cancer that was "uncurable" and yet he defied the odds (no doubt thanks to research funded by LLS and the continuous development of new therapies) and LIVED for a solid 12 years before it began to truly turn on him. Most people never thought of him as being sick, much less someone with a potentially deadly disease. He never did either.

In February of 2010, Ruben told friends he wasn't well. He said he was literally fighting to live. Luckily, months earlier, he met the love of his life and she made him fight... she gave him purpose and reason and the desire to hang on. (THANKS JEN!!) And she was the binding force that spoke up and the reason we all banded together, and with the help of friends and a fundraiser, he entered a clinical trial and the odds were good. Ruben and Jen got married in November 2010 and it was a spectular celebration and we've never seen Ruben happier. Life was good... life was expected. Unfortunately, the 12 years of treatments caught up to Ruben and his body began to fail... his organs were exhausted and started to give up. We knew this day was coming, yet, somehow you are never quite prepared.

Ruben passed on October 12, 2011 with his wife, Jen, by his side. He went peacefully, as expected. You see, Ruben had this quality about him that exuded peace, acceptance and faith. He taught us how to believe in not only ourselves, but others and the bigger reason we all exist. He is and will always be a miracle... an angel on earth put here to show us how to truly live life.

We are priveledged and honored to have known Ruben and while our hearts break because we cannot see him in this life, we know that he is smiling down on us with the best soundtrack ever played in the background. We will continue to think of him and live life to the very fullest, with the volume set to the highest threshold.

Please donate generously and send this to anyone & everyone you know so that they too can give $5, $25, $100, anything to help us fund these cures. And the more the merrier, so if you would like to join Team Ruben... Bring it! You're more than welcome and we'd love to include you on our Team, in our family.

We are relentless for the cures,

Team Ruben

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Amanda