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Hello everyone and welcome to my Team In Training home page!

On October 17, 2008 I went to St. Susanna's Meyer Center expecting to participate in a parish fundraiser and was greeted with a sea of masks bearing my face - at that point I realized I had been completely duped and Julie had pulled off quite a surprise to celebrate my 50th birthday (my actual birthday was a week later on October 24). I was genuinely honored and touched that so many people took the time to help me celebrate turning half a century old because not long ago I truly wondered if I would actually reach the big 5-0.

As most of you know, I was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma in October of 2005. At the time I was 3 weeks shy of my 47th birthday and in the back of my mind I honestly wondered if birthday #47 might be my last. On the outside I tried to be as positive as possible but inside I'm not going to lie - I was very scared because I had no idea how my body would respond to the therapies I would be receiving.

My chemo treatments would take over 6 months to complete. We hit a few bumpy spots along the way but for the most part things went smoother than I expected. I was very fortunate to be in the care of a wonderful doctor and I don't think I'll ever forget the day (April 17, 2006) he told me there were no longer any visible signs of the lymphoma in my body. April 17 has become a special day for me; a day I'll annually celebrate along with Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, our wedding anniversary, the Oscars and each and every birthday.

Had I been diagnosed with the same disease 20 years earlier, I don't think the results would have been the same - in fact, I probably wouldn't have celebrated that 50th birthday. For that I owe a great deal of gratitude to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). Without the millions of dollars raised over the years by the LLS it's very possible drugs like Rituxan - a key drug in the treatment of follicular lymphoma - may have never been developed and monumental days like my April 17th might never have occurred.

The only way I can repay the LLS for what they've done for me is to aid their mission to find treatments and cures for all blood related cancers by the year 2015. Last year I participated in America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride in Lake Tahoe and with your help we raised close to $8000 for the LLS. The ride was such a tremendous and rewarding experience that I've signed up to ride again - this year's ride is in Ashville, North Carolina. On June 7, I'll be riding in The Fletcher Flyer, a 100 mile trek through western North Carolina and I would like to, again, ask for your support. As I mentioned, the LLS's goal is to find treatments and cures for all blood related cancers by the year 2015 - that is only 6 years away! With your help, we can make that goal a reality. Please join me in this effort. You can easily make a donation through this website and all contributions are tax deductible. I realize we are going through a very difficult economic period but trust me; no donation is too small and all donations will be greatly appreciated. More importantly, every donation will bring us a step closer to finding cures for all blood cancers.

I can't thank you enough for all you've done to support our family the past 3.5 years and I hope the LLS will continue to merit your generous support!

Wth Peace and Blessings,

Vince