Hello there!

As you likely know, I am once again participating in Team in Training in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This year, I will be attempting to complete the Tahoe Rim Trail Run 50K on July 20th.

I've done very little trail running in my life, and nowhere near that far. In fact, I think I can safely say I've never even walked or hiked that far in one day. So to say I am intimidated is an understatement. But the primary reason I signed up for this craziness is because I believe with everyone's help, we can find a cure for blood cancers. So to that end, I've comitted to raising at least $3,000 this year to support LLS.

I have two very good friends who continue to inspire me each year to return to TNT. They also inspirely me weekly as I think about them when the runs get tough. Becky is a 17 year suvivor of Hodgkin's lymphoma. She is wicked smart, amazing baker, and feeds me when I'm really hungry after a bike or a run. Todd is 7 year survivor of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. He is one of the most positive people I've ever known. I've had the honor of training along side with him for numerous TNT events. These two people are in my life because of organizations like LLS, and because of people like you who support the reserach and patient services LLS has to offer.

Would you please consider supporting me in my possibly unachievable goal of completing and 50K and a definitely achieveable goal of supporting blood cancer patients, their families, and researchers as they search for a cure?

All of your donations are tax-deductible and secure through this website. You can also make a check out to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and get it to me. (email me for where to send the check to: mcheung72@yahoo.com) Every dollar counts and will make a difference in someone's life.

With much love and gratitude,

Melissa

PS. If you company does matching, please let me know. I'm happy to help.

PPS. If you need some suggestions on how much to donate, consider the following:

• • $40 - 1 dollar for every year of my recent big birthday
• • $50 - 1 dollar for every kilometer I will attempt to run at the race
• • $310 - 10 dollars for every miles I will attempt to run at the race (for those who want the miles conversion
• • $75 - 10 dollars for every month I will be training on the trail
• • $100 - 100 dollars for every time I've run 26.2 miles or more
• • $250 - $10 for every plate of nachos I will likely eat during the training season

PPPS. You can following my training antics on my blog: http://melathalon.blogspot.com/