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I'm TRIng to cure blood cancer... you can help too!
Nov 07, 2008 by Donny Munshower
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Hello Everyone! And welcome to my Team In Training home page.
On March 29th, 2009, I will be competing in a Lavaman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii. This will include a 1.5k swim, a 40k bike ride, and a 10k run. <sigh> :-)
As a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training, I'm raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma,
Non-Hodgkins lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am completing 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!
I have very little personal experience with this organization and blood cancers in general. In the process of fundraising I have learned that my grandmother, Lu Becker, had multiple
myeloma, and my great-grandfather, Buryl Becker, had leukemia. I'm so glad that I'm able to do this event in their name, as well as the other 30 Honorary Teammates on my list. On behalf of them, and everyone else that has, or will develop, a blood cancer, thank you for your support!
Over the course of the last 2 months, I have wanted to connect with more people who have been affected by these cancers. I want to honor 32 �Honorary Teammates� for each mile that I swim, bike and run in this event. Why 32? Because there will be 32 miles of swimming, biking, and running, and I want an honorary teammate for every single mile. When I get tired or want to give up, I only have to think about my honorary teammates to get me through it!
I'd like to introduce you to my Honorary Teammates:
1. Frannie LaRussa - Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (currently fighting); diagnosed in May 2005
2. Grandma Lu Becker - Multiple Myeloma (passed away)
3. Great-Grandpa Buryl Becker - Leukemia (passed away)
4. Carol Hayes Skov - Multiple Myeloma (passed away); diagnosed at age 51 and passed away 11 months later
5. Barbara Swisher - Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (survivor); diagnosed in Oct. 1991; was given 3 months to live
6. Gumecindo Banda - Acute Myeloid Leukemia (passed away); a very proud father and is deeply missed each and every day
7. Ethel Branman - Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma (passed away); first diagnosed at age 46, again at age 53, and again at age 59; loved life and enjoyed every day; lover of art, music and theater
8. Robert Branman - Hodgkin's (survivor); diagnosed at age 26; graduated from UCLA Law School when diagnosed; studied and passed the Bar while under treatment
9. Carol German - Leukemia (passed away); diagnosed while she was young
10. Marion Celi - Myeloma (survivor); had a stem-cell transplant that was successful
11. Yvonne Shen - B cell type follicular Lymphoma (survivor); got cancer at age 62; caught it early, otherwise would have had only 6 months to live; had chemo and radiation
12. Meg Eddy - Myeloma (currently fighting); discovered she had cancer on Dec 23, 2008; will know more about her cancer on Mar 2, 2009; (my prayers and thoughts are with you Meg)
13. Hannah Mikal North - Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (passed away); diagnosed at age 7; always had a smile on her face; on the night she passed away, she colored with her daddy and wrote "I love you" to each family member
14. Matthew Wakefield - Hodgkins, then Hodgkins plus Non Hodgkins (currently fighting); first discovered the cancer at age 18, and again at age 23; has had chemo, radio therapy, and a stem-cell transplant
15. Michelle Tull - Hodgkin's (survivor)
16. James Lopez - Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia T cell (currently fighting)
17. Patricia Enright - Leukemia (passed away at age 83); She was always very proper and an amazing lady! One her most memorable moments was being hit on by Bob Barker on The Price is Right for her 80th birthday (4 years ago)
18. Beryl Taylor - Multiple Myeloma (currently fighting); age 66 after surviving breast cancer; she lives in Spain and is originally from England; she and her husband are retired and have two children and 6 grandchildren; she travels to Houston for treatment each year and is doing very well.
19. Barbara Morgan - Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (survivor); grew up in Sacramento and was a drama teacher; currently retired and living in San Diego.
20. Carol Kackelmeyer - Leukemia (currently fighting); age 52.
21. James Karnazes - Leukemia (passed away); was known to his friends as 'Jimmy the Greek'; he was funny,loved to cook and was the most giving person; he passed away in September of 1996 after a long and painful battle; he was very passionate about his beliefs and causes he fought for.
22. Carson Cloyd - Leukemia (survivor); age 11; diagnosed 2 years ago
23. Lenora Kneeshaw - Lymphoma (survivor); age 55; diagnosed 10 months ago
24. Richard Meunier - Lymphoma (passed away); his passion was his 7-children; owned a 1-man Barber Shop in Seal Beach for 30 years and was born and raised in Burlington, VT.
25. Jeff Thiem - Childhood Leukemia (survivor); now in his 30's; has a wife and daughter; is the brother-in-law to #5, Barbara Swisher.
26. Blanca M. Escobar - Hodgkin's Disease - Stage IV (survivor); diagnosed in June of 2003, at the age of 26; did Chemo from July '03- Dec. '03; finished her teaching credential in the meantime (wow!); went into remission Jan. '04... her New Year's Day news!!!!; has been in remission ever since.
27. Bing Alejandria - Burkitt's Lymphoma (survivor); diagnosed in June 2008; is a wife and a wonderful mother of three.
28. Tracy Robeson - Leukemia (passed away); died 6 years ago at age 42 after being diagnosed with a very fast moving leukemia; the time between diagnosis and death was two and a half weeks; the chemo killed the cancer but the chemo killed her body.
29. Maria Beatriz Perez � Acute Myeloid Leukemia (survivor); diagnosed in June 2007 & had bone marrow transplant in December 2007; she is a wonderful wife, an amazing mother of 4 & a loving grandmother of 2.
30. Honor Williams - Leukemia (passed away); was known to his family and friends as "Jack"; taken away in his early fifties and is greatly missed.
31. Alison Kelley - Hodgkin's Lymphomia (survivor); received 8 rounds of Chemo, and will be doing 4-5 weeks of radiation treatment; she is a wife and mother; teaches drama, criminal science, religion and is the unofficial counseler at her school; lives in Chula vista.
32. Julie Matthews - Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (survivor); cancer came back in June 2008 (she had been in remission since 2005); received a bone marrow transplant in October from her little sis, and is back on the path to leading a full, healthy life!
(Thank you to everyone who's contacted me about adding an honorary teammate)
I have stories and pictures about my teammates, but so little space to write about them- words do not do them justice. These people are loved and were wonderful individuals, some being taken away much too soon. With your help and your donation, we CAN find a cure for blood cancers. Please help me and many, many others be survivors!
If you are a survivor, or know of anyone that you'd like me to add to my honorary teammates list, please let me know! (drmunshower@gmail.com)
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In the process of fundraising, I have planned a few events to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Please read below to learn about them:
(all donations are tax deductible)
Raffles:
- Nintendo Wii/WiiFIT Sports Package - ($500 value)
- 32" Hitachi 1.5 Ultra Thin LCD TV ($2000 value)
TICKETS:
1 for $5
5 for $20
15 for $50
(Tickets must be sold separately for each raffle prize- no combining tickets)
How to purchase tickets and register for events:
**Please read carefully**
Click on the "Donate now" button near the top, fill in your name, address, etc. The donation amount will equal the dollar amount of the events and/or raffle tickets you want to purchase.
[Ex. If you want to register for the Bowling event ($20) and buy 5 tickets for the Wii/WiiFIT Sports Package ($20), you will need to donate $40]. ALSO, please click the button "Message and Privacy". In the "Message box", please tell me which event you are registering for and/or which raffle and how many raffle tickets you are purchasing. Thank you!
If you feel uncomfortable purshasing tickets online, you can send me a check payable to: LLS, c/o Donny Munshower, PO Box 33524, San Diego, CA 92163. Please include a note saying what event you are registering for and/or which raffle you are buying tickets for.
Please call me if you have any questions or concerns at (619) 446-9787 or drmunshower@gmail.com
Thank you to all of my honorary teammates for inspiring me through this journey and adventure - my heart goes out to each and every one of you and a BIG thank you for visiting my page and hearing about my story and supporting me in words, prayers, or in donations.
Love,
Donny Munshower
PS. If you would like to get involved with Team in Training or learn more about the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, please visit their respective websites.
All events are planned and coordinated in conjunction with Jim Famolare
robert colbourn
Thu Nov 13 09:24:39 EST 2008
Marion Froehlich
Thu Nov 13 10:53:14 EST 2008
Jill Graygo
Fri Nov 14 01:43:19 EST 2008
M'Lu 'n Bob
Tue Nov 18 10:24:08 EST 2008
Tammy Summers
Wed Dec 10 04:04:24 EST 2008
Juan P. Murphy
Tue Dec 30 07:08:33 EST 2008
JoAnn Grau
Wed Dec 31 04:51:19 EST 2008
Vanessa Porras
Thu Jan 15 01:25:44 EST 2009
Joanne H. Leslie
Thu Jan 15 06:40:15 EST 2009
Doug Figueroa "Hand Health USA"
Sat Jan 24 03:10:21 EST 2009
Jason Hum
Mon Jan 26 05:20:22 EST 2009
Elizabeth Martinez
Tue Jan 27 01:57:19 EST 2009
Kala & Kai Lucas
Tue Jan 27 03:44:17 EST 2009
Mark Shen
Tue Feb 03 02:36:31 EST 2009
Eduardo Andrade
Tue Feb 03 08:31:42 EST 2009
Marie Fevinger-Munoz
Mon Feb 09 04:56:28 EST 2009
Anonymous
Mon Feb 23 12:04:00 EST 2009
Anonymous
Sun Mar 01 01:04:00 EST 2009
Susan F
Tue Mar 03 03:05:24 EST 2009
Maya & Brant Horio
Tue Mar 03 08:46:45 EST 2009
Anna Banda
Wed Mar 04 06:12:30 EST 2009