AUGUST 23, 2013

Our team received some very nice publicity this morning through an article written by John Faherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Here is a link to the story if you'd like to check it out.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130823/NEWS10/308230050/Team-will-bike-110-miles-overseas-for-cancer-research?nclick_check=1

We are less than 2 weeks away from our trip to Scotland...2 weeks from today we'll be in Glascow! Thanks to everyone who has supported our efforts; we started training back in March and we believe we're all prepared and ready for the big ride. A couple weeks ago we rode over 100 miles and a few members of the team have actually gone over 100 a couple times. Now all that's left is to keep our legs fresh and go over to Scotland and 'Kick Cancer's Arse!'

Our fundraising continues to move toward the $50,000 mark - with one last push I think we'll get there. Our Benefit night from last month netted around $15,000 so that gave us a huge boost. Any help you can provide would be humbly appreciated. You can obviously make a donation directly through this link.

Only 2 weeks to go; ready or not Scotland...The Yanks are coming!

JULY 22, 2013

It's been awhile since we've updated the webpage so I thought I'd take a few minutes to let everyone know how we stand. We are very close to the $20,000 mark - in fact, based on donations I have and I know are coming I'd say we're closer to $22,000 or $23,000 - almost halfway to our $50,000 goal!

This weekend (Saturday, July 27) we're holding our 'United for the Cure' fundraiser at Kings Island Golf Course. There is still time to attend but we need to know in the next couple days. Please let us know if you are interested - we have a fun evening planned with some great auction items including sports and theater tickets, weekend get-a-way packages and a one week stay at a beautiful vacation home in South Carolina!

Finally, a quick update on my health situation. My treatments have gone well and all indications are I'll have my final round on July 31 and August 1. This all started back in mid-February so I'm looking forward to seeing the latest round of Vince vs Lymphoma come to an end. I've appreciated all the support and well wishes and I'm most thankful that I've been able to maintain a fairly active lifestyle and continue to do the things I enjoy doing. Yesterday I rode 80 miles with our Scotland team and felt very strong at the end - I feel very confident we'll all be ready to ride when we get to Scotland in early September.

We're really trying our best to get to the $50,000 mark in our fundraising. Should we make it we'll have the opportunity to name an LLS research grant in honor of the person of our choice - that has been our goal all along and we certainly appreciate all the contributions we've received at this point. If you would like to help us get to $50k, it's easy to make a contribution from this site. With everyone's support I know we can get our goal.

Thanks again for all your support and we hope to see you all soon - maybe at Kings Island this Saturday night (July 27)!!!

June 14, 2013

Our team has picked up a 9th rider, we welcome John DeBanto to the team!!!!

June 13, 2013....UNITED FOR THE CURE!!!!!!

Thanks to everyone who has made a donation to our Team in Training page! The response has been overwhelming and we feel we are on our way to our $50,000 goal! On the training side, we plan to ride 60 miles this Saturday morning and will continue to add miles on a weekly basis. Our goal is to build to a 100 mile ride two weeks before the the event in Scotland and we should be ready for the ride.

From time to time we are going to share stories from our team mates which capture the spirit of why they are committed to LLS and this ride. Today we have the story of the Carns family. Several months ago, Tom Carns didn't even own a bike but he's been training hard and has done a great job getting over his 'fear' of sharing the road with cars, trucks and other motor vehicles. Tom is one of the nine riders who will be out to 'kick cancer's arse' when we go to Scotland; and since he's been to Scotland before, we're counting on Tom to take us on a tour of the finest pubs Scotland has to offer following the ride. Here is Tom's story as told by his children; Katie, Christy, Tommy and Kelly....

Dear friends,

Soon our dad will be biking 110 miles with his team of 8 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The first time we learned of LLS was in 2000, when we walked in the Light the Night Walk in honor of our mom, who had recently been diagnosed with Lymphoma. Then, the four of us were between the ages of 7 and 12, too young to get the KC and the Sunshine Band reference that served as the name for our group, all of us walking in mom’s honor to raise money for LLS and finding a cure.

We were too young too understand precisely how to pronounce Acute Lymphocitic Lymphoma, or how it would affect us as we got older. What we did understand, little by little as time progressed, was that Lymphoma would change a lot of things for us.

At first Lymphoma meant that Mom might lose her hair and gain a wig or two; later, that she might miss a soccer game, and eventually that we’d find ourselves in the family room listening to Mom tell us that she would miss a lot of things as we all grew up.

Our mom died of Lymphoma in August 2001. We still remember how Bellarmine Chapel at Xavier University was so full during the ceremony, that she insisted it be called a memorial Mass instead of a funeral, that the first row was 30 degrees hotter than the last where loved ones stood against the air conditioners that lined the walls.

Before the memorial Mass, when we had all realized that Lymphoma would give us a hard time, we also learned what good friends do during hard times—how they come to blood drives (even if just to see how well Tom Carns, cold towel on his forehead, confronts his fear of needles), how for dinner they make us meatloaf and pot roast and any other meat we learned to put barbeque sauce on in the case we didn't like it, how they would make breakfast for our mom everyday, knowing but not caring that she might not be able to eat it.

How ten years after her death, they show up to Mass and margaritas. We can’t explain how much it means that a decade later, our mom and her “four little angels” are still so loved.

Before she died, she started two charities—one to give brand new coats to kids who need them and one to give scholarships to kids who would have to leave their Catholic school as the result of a life-changing event.

What our dad won’t tell you is that she had a bit of help in starting them. What he will tell you is that she’s proud of us.

And what we will tell you is that we’re extremely proud of him. Being a single father of four kids under the age of 14 wasn’t an easy job. But we're doing pretty well now, so we know he did something right.

We’re proud that he’s riding 110 miles for LLS in September. It's an especially big feat considering this time last year the man didn't even own a bicycle. We would like to thank you for all for your support now and over the past 15 years. We can’t wait to see the day when a cure exists.

God bless,

Katie, Christy, Tommy & Kelly Carns

UNITED AGAINST CANCER!!!!!

Teams are made up of individuals. Without them, there is no team.

Welcome to team United for The Cure Team In Training home page.

We are about to embark on a 'once in a lifetime' journey. On September 8, 2013, our team of Tom Carns, Tom Collins, Marshall Esler, Garth Brandwein, Vince Hopkins, Gordon Massa, Ken Murawski and Tim Wolf plan to participate in the Pedal Scotland Bike Ride for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). We will be riding 110 miles between the cities of Glascow and Edinburgh and in the process we plan to collectively raise over $50,000 for the LLS! Many of you receiving this have supported us in our past efforts and we hope we can count on your support for this event, as well!

We've been talking about doing this ride for several years and this year it's finally coming together. Many on our team have been impacted by a blood cancer, either personally or through a family member or friend. Ken has been treated for leukemia, twice. Vince is currently being going through his third treatment for lymphoma. Marshall lost his father to lymphoma, Tom Carns lost his wife to the same disease. Gordon's daughter, Morgan, was born with a form of leukemia and Tom Collin's daughter, Maya, has gone through 2 bone marrow transplants as part of her treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Below is Tom's account of Maya's battle - we think you'll agree she is a very courageous and inspirational young lady.

"My name is Tom Collins and I have many reasons for wanting to find a cure for blood cancers but one very special reason I want to share with you…

On April 11, 2011, my seven year old daughter, Maya, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Due to the specific type of AML, her only hope for survival would be through a bone marrow transplant. Even with the transplant, the doctors informed us that her odds of survival were statistically about 30%. Devastated… is the only word to describe it.

Over the next six months, Maya endured more pain and suffering than most of us will deal with in our entire lifetime. Intense rounds of chemo, pain, constant fevers, unending nausea, visits to the Intensive care unit, losing her hair and being confined to isolation 4 out of the 6 months she was in the hospital. On September 1st, 2011, she received a bone marrow transplant and finally returned home the following month - six months and three days after being admitted to the hospital. Maya spent the next few months regaining her strength and was pretty much confined to the house with limited visitors due to high risk of infection for her new immune system…this meant no school, hanging out with friends, going to sleep overs, going shopping or any place with lots of people around… But each day brought more progress and she eventually started to get that twinkle back in her eye.

In May 2012, just as things were just starting to get back to ‘normal’, we received news that her cancer had returned…

But Maya faced this new challenge with even more determination and was once again admitted to the hospital to go through the process again. She received her second transplant August 2, 2012 and I’m happy to report she is currently back in remission and doing well.

Maya is a warrior in the true sense of the word. She has gone through so much and has been a true inspiration to so many. Her unwavering courage, determination and infectious smile have personally given me the strength to carry on throughout this journey. This is why I am committing to doing this 110-mile bike ride. I have never attempted anything like this before but I believe it is a challenge worth doing if it helps to find a cure for Maya and all those warriors who are fighting against these horrific blood cancers.

Please join our team in supporting this great cause. Your generous donation will go a long way towards finding a cure once and for all!"

And here are a couple links if you want to learn more about Maya and her courageous journey:

http://www.mayagracecollins.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP3_2dvsbnM

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mayacollins

The LLS recently launched a new marketing campaign. We've been talking about 'someday' for over 50 years and the LLS has decided it's time for everyone to realize, 'Someday IS Today'. Now is the time to cure all blood related cancers.

You can help the LLS reach this amazing goal. Please make a donation in support of our efforts with Team In Training and help advance the research for treatments and cures. With your support we can reach our $50,000 goal and help put an end to all blood cancers TODAY! Feel free to check back to our page from time to time to see how we're doing. We'll also be adding more stories about our team mates, friends and family members. We appreciate your consideration and support....

Someday IS Today!!!!