Racing to Save Lives

On February 8, 2010, our cousin, Jeffrey Ma, passed away from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He was just 33 years old. Throughout his journey, he was outstandingly brave, courageous, and positive. He had tremendous spirit and optimism for someone who had to endure as much as he had to go through off and on for 20 years. And we miss him dearly.

To honor his memory and to help fight this horrible disease, we have decided to run the SF Nike Women's Marathon on October 17th, 2010, with Team in Training. Jennica will be running the half marathon and Carmen wil be running the full marathon. Please make a donation to support our team's participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission. Our goal is to raise $5700.

Jen's Thoughts:

When Jeff first called to tell me his diagnosis, I was shocked and heavy-hearted. But, he went out of his way to always comfort and reassure me that he would be fine when it should have been the other way around. That was his character. He'd always do his best to protect the ones he loved. Jeff was very kind, loving, and never ceased to make me laugh. He had an unerring ability to cheer anyone up. And I'm still heartbroken that he was taken from us too soon. Jeff was vibrant and full of life even when he was beaten down by chemo. And I will always continue to draw inspiration from his example to live daily life to its fullest. I will be doing my best to finish this race for the families and patients affected by this terrible disease, and for Jeff. There still isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of him. And I hope there will be a day when other families won't suffer the same kind of pain that we have from this disease.

Carmen's Thoughts:

I am completing this event in honour of my cousin Jeff Ma and all individuals who are battling blood cancers. Jeff and I lived together in Vancouver and we had a great time. Jeff was an amazing listener and the best restaurant and movie companion. He was a beautiful soul. I had many great moments with Jeff and I hope by doing this race, he will live in on our memories. This will be my second TNT event in his honour and this time I'm very excited about running with my cousin Jennica, especially in a race that benefits The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

We hope you will visit our web site and blog often . Be sure to follow our blog: Running For Jeff, as we will be posting our progress and photos from our training. Thanks for your support!

Jennica and Carmen