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Welcome to BK's Team in Training IronManningup Page---July 31, 2010--VINEMAN (2.4M Swim, 112M Bike, 26.2M Run)

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. Their mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkins disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. I have been involved with the LLS Team in Training (TNT) program since 2002 and have run 7 marathons, did the DeathRide and 14 half marathons in honor and memory of those with blood cancers while fundraising over $65,000 for LLS. I joined the LLS San Francisco Bay Area Board of Trustees in 2008 and became the Board President this year and I get to see firsthand how the funds raised go to research and patient services.

Well I have a few BHAGS (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) still. One is I always wanted to do a Full Ironman distance event (2.4M swim, 112M bike with a full marathon thrown in for fun at the end for a total of 144.4M in one day) so I am IronManning up. But I am not much of a swimmer so that will be a challenge. Two, I want to live to see the day that we find a cure for cancer. Every 5 minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer and every 10 minutes someone dies from a blood cancer so we still have work to do.

My event is the Vineman Full Ironman Distance Tri on July 31, 2010. I am excited to join my fellow teammates and to make a difference in the lives of people affected by leukemia, lymphoma and blood cancers in our community. I ask that you join me by making a contribution to my fundraising campaign. I am raising money in honor of many honorees I have met over the years. I am dedicating each week of my training to a different honoree and will be highlighting their story in my training blog at: http://bkironmanningup.blogspot.com/ In their honor, I will do whatever I can to raise funds to find a cure for this horrible disease.

I am excited about the training and to again make a difference in the lives of people affected by leukemia, lymphoma and blood cancers in our community. I ask that you join me by making a contribution to my fundraising campaign. I am raising money in honor of many honorees I have met over the years but especially for my late friend Brenda Donato who passed away April 15, 2007 after a two year battle with AML. Brenda was only 36, the loving mother of two boys ages 10 and 8 and was a huge part of our TNT family. She was an amazing lady who was so strong, so positive and was a true inspiration to so many. She was diagnosed with AML in early 2005 and got a stem cell transplant. She bounced back from that and with a vengeance she set out and ran a half marathon in October 2005, ran a marathon in January 2006 and did the Wildflower Triathlon in May 2006. She was planning to do the Anchorage Half Marathon in June 2006 when she relapsed. This time she needed a bone marrow transplant and they found a match. She got the transplant and soon after developed graft vs. host disease. Over time her lung capacity diminished to less than 20% and the doctors could not reverse the damage. Ultimately it wasn't cancer that killed her but complications of the transplant. I knew Brenda before she was diagnosed with AML and she was an athletic and fit person. I watched her go from someone who could do endurance events to someone who could barely breathe. In her honor, I will do whatever I can to raise funds to find a cure for this horrible disease. I just want to thank you for anything you can do to help this truly worthy cause.

With sincere thanks and appreciation,

Brian Kinion