Steve Mezak's Insane Alaska Ski Marathon Fundraising Page

Images from Steve's training and skiing in the Tour of Anchorage on March 8, 2009

Was I insane? Race results, moose encounter & photos here. . .

I finished the Tour of Anchorage! Now there is a more serious competition amongst my teammates at being the top fundraiser on the team. At race day I was at number five. That means only four of my teammates have had more donations so I am close. I met my goals of finishing the race and seeing a moose. I even exceeded my original goal of raising $5,000 for LLS. Maybe I aimed too low? You can help me and our team go even further.

If you'd been thinking of contributing but haven't, it's easy. Just click the Donate Now button on the right. It's definitely NOT too late, but they'll close this fundraising page around the beginning of April.

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Racing to Save Lives

Dear Family and Friends:

Are you hoping the economy will improve soon? Me too. But instead of just sitting here and waiting for my business to pick up and the recession to end, I signed up to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) by completing a 25K Cross Country Ski marathon on March 8th in Anchorage, Alaska.

Have I cross country skied before? No. Am I in perfect physical shape? Well, not yet. Am I crazy? Maybe. But I am committed to skiing those many miles in Alaska, and heres why:

• People dont stop getting cancer when the economy is in a slump. Now, more than ever, LLS can use your help. The money you donate not only goes to fund research, but it also financially helps families deal with the cost of hospital stays and medication, which (as many of you know) can be substantial.
• Everyone can use another deduction on their taxes. 100% of whatever amount you donate to LLS is tax-deductible. And at least 75% of the money you donate goes directly to fund research and patient services. Thats one of the highest percentages out there among charitable organizations.
• If that doesn't inspire you, how about this... Leukemia is the number one disease killer of children under 14 years of age and strikes 10 times as many adults. But the research you can support makes a difference. Survival rates have increased from only 3% in 1960 to over 80% today.

Ive joined Team In Training, an endurance training and fundraising program that benefits LLS. I have committed to raising at least $5,000 to support their efforts to treat and cure blood cancers (leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkins disease, and myeloma), and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

I signed up because I want to give something back. One of my best friends from college is Professor David Cyganski. David went into the hospital eight years ago for what he thought was a simple hernia operation. Instead the doctors found he had advanced Hodgkins lymphoma. He underwent aggressive treatments of chemotherapy and radiation and is now in remission and back in good health. And get this! Since his recovery he became co-inventor of a system to locate missing firefighters in burning buildings thereby contributing to the saving of many future lives himself. LLS helped make that possible.

Regrettably, not everyone is as fortunate. I am also training in memory of David Thomas. He was a boy my kids used to play with about 12 years ago in our Sunnyvale neighborhood. One day he came to our door with no hair and about 20 pounds heavier from his chemotherapy. David did not survive his bout with leukemia and he was gone within a year.

As I train, a mile at a time, it is with passionate hope that I can make a difference so other patients and their families will not have to share the experiences of either David. This year, an estimated 110,960 new cases of blood cancers will be diagnosed nationwide, and some 55,100 patients will die. I want to do what I can to change those numbers, and those outcomes.

Please help me reach my fundraising goal by making a 100% tax-deductible donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Im going to donate my own funds to cover my training and travel expenses, so that 100% of your donation will go directly to the cause.

Enter an amount you can contribute and

Click on the Donate Now button above *

How much should you donate? Here are suggested (but zany) contribution levels different than the more normal amounts suggested above and what they expect over in accounting.

• $______ == Amount you would pay not to train and complete a ski marathon in Alaska (+)
• $155.34 == $10 for every mile of the marathon skied on March 8, 2009 (25 km = 15.534 miles, but you knew that)
• $84.00 == $7 for every week of the rigorous training schedule (includes a generous quantity discount)
• $52.00 == $1 for every year of Steves age (multiply by 7 for contributions in dog years)
• $25.00 == $1 for every kilometer of the marathon (Whats zany about that? Oh yeah, its a marathon in Alaska)
• $9.99 == Money is tight (but youll skip a couple Venti Gingerbread Lattes this winter to help)

*** Please remember to ask your employer about matching gifts (even if its a zany amount).

(+) If you donate $250 or more, I'll personally send you your choice of a Team in Training hat or shirt == or both if you donate $500 or more.

Do it now! You will inspire our honorees, me and the rest of my ski marathon team!

If you would like me to ski in honor or memory of someone you care about, please include their name. Ill be proud to carry their names, along with David and David, with me as I make my long journey in the snow along the coast in Anchorage.

This is a bigno HUGEstep for me. Skiing. Outdoors. Up and down hills. In cold weather. And thats all before I even see Alaska for the first time! But if it contributes to the discovery of a cure, or makes life easier for those with blood cancers, then Im happy to put out the effort. The Team in Training coaching is tremendous and your added support of a donation will make it all worth while.

With warmth, love and thanks,

Steve Mezak

509 Waterlily Lane

Redwood City, CA 94065

* If you prefer, you can mail your donation to me as a check made out to LLS. You will receive an "official" thank you from the Society in a few weeks.

P.S. Visit my blog to see my training progress. Thanks for your support!