Fundraising for Dominic

Running for Dominic

Dear Friends & Family,

Without a doubt, I am in the midst of the biggest challenge of my 44 years of life. The reason is two-fold:

Reason #1. On October 18th,2009, I will be running the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco California. That's 26.2 miles, and yes all at once. I have never run more than 5 miles in my entire life! Luckily, I am not doing this on my own. I have joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training (TNT) program. Through this program, I have great coaches, mentors and teammates whose support will help me cross the finish line.

More importantly even than my physical commitment to the program is my commitment to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in its effort to battle Leukemia and related cancers. These diseases strike some 107,000 Americans each year and acute leukemia is the number one cause of death of children under the age of 15.

Reason #2: My 14 year old son Dominic is one of those children. In January of this year, he was diagnosed with ALL Leukemia. Dominic, his father and I were in complete shock that this beautiful, once vibrant, healthy child now had a disease that could be fatal. We were also told that there was good news: with chemotherapy he had an 80% chance of surviving and going into remission. When we brought Dominic into the hospital on that fateful day and were given the news that he had leukemia, his organs were so enlarged that they were literally squishing his stomach and he could not eat more than a couple bites at a time. He was very emotional and cried a lot for no apparent reason, and he was so thin that all of his bones were protruding. His body was covered with red bloodblister like bumps that were called piciatta. His organs were on the verge of failing and without immediate hospitalization in intensive care he could have died in a day or 2. So the chemotherapy began within a day or so and has continued since. Less than one month after Dominic's diagnosis, we got more heart wrenching news. It turns out that he had a rarer form of leukemia, which, without a bone marrow transplant (BMT) he had very low odds of surviving. That began a search for the donor to match Dominic. He has continued with increasingly strong chemotherapy to keep him in remission until a donor was found. In May, we got the news that a match was found. Someone from out of the country had a 9 out of 10 match to Dominic which is considered very good. At this time Dominic just finished a quite nasty round of chemotherapy and is being prepared to enter the hospital this summer for a long journey of chemotherapy, radiation and transplant which is not without painful side effects. His stay will be 6-8 weeks in an isolated room in the UCSF 7 Long Bone Marrow Division (with healthy visitors over 12 allowed). Then he will go home to recover for the next 6 months to 1 year before going back to school and having a strong immune system again. We are all hopeful and optimistic that this treatment will save his life and help him to live a long, healthy and cancer free life!

I am so grateful for all the strides that have been taken over the years both by fundraising walkers and runners and by researchers to find a cure. I have decided to run this marathon both for Dominic and for future children who are diagnosed so that we may soon have a cure and so that other families will not have to suffer as we have.

One of the greatest contributions of the Society is toward research. Significant progress has been made in the treatment of this disease, and researchers are now optimistic that they will find a cure soon!

Research is the key to finding a cure, and funding for this research is essential. I have set a personal goal to raise $4000 toward this effort.

For those of you who know me as a raw foodist, you may be wondering why I am not trying to cure Dominic naturally with foods and other remedies. Believe me, everything is in play and I have done a lot of phone calling and hand wrenching to make sure I am making the best decisions. In the end, after praying and surrendering, I have decided that this is the best path to take at this time. After Dominic recovers, we will be using natural herbs, supplements and raw, green foods to help him become stronger than ever. He is excited about his future and about becoming a great skateboarder, body builder and snowboarder. I trust that there is a divine plan in all of this and I have been asked to trust, surrender and find a blending of both worlds. This is Dominic's right of passage and Dominic's journey. I am here to hold his hand and support him in whatever choices he makes along the way.

As I run the 26.2 mile marathon, you will be with me in spirit, and your sponsorship will inspire me to run stronger and faster to the finish line. A donation of one dollar per mile is suggested, but whatever you can do to contribute matters. It all adds up! With over 75% of your donation going directly to research, you truly can make a difference.

If possible, please send your donation along with the enclosed pledge form by July 15th so I can monitor my fundraising efforts. However, I will continue to accept donations until the day of the race.

Thank you so much for your support and generosity!

P.S. visit my facebook or twitter page for the latest news on Dominic's progress!

P.S.S. If you are interested in supporting Dominic and me personally during this time, I am also accepting personal donations which will help pay my bills while I am in the hospital and at home caring for Dominic over the next few months to a year. If it feels good, you can send a matching, or any amount, donation to me personally at 904 Evelyn Avenue, Albany, CA 94706.

Here is a link to my updated status as of 8-14-09

Tribute to Elaina and Dominic by Debbie

With Love and Gratitude,

Elaina Love