I'm training for the Queen Bee half marathon (13.1 miles!) on October 10, 2015 through the Team in Training (TNT) program and will be fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) along the way. This is a cause close to my heart because I'm a leukemia survivor, but also because the list of people in my circle of family and friends that have been affected by cancer is too long! I want to see cancer cured in my lifetime and am taking strides (literally) to help make that happen. A donation to LLS helps provide funding for lifesaving research that will help cure blood cancers and breakthroughs that cross-over to many other cancers.

This just in ... I'm front page news : ) ! I was featured in a human interest article that will run in the Loveland Herald (our local paper) and the Cincinnati Enquirer Community Press section. Click here to read the article.

I'm a leukemia survivor and wouldn't be here without the research funded by the LLS and the support provided to me during and after my treatment. I'm running to raise money to cure cancer, but I'm also running because I CAN. There were SO MANY days when I was waging my war against cancer that I had to say "I can't" because the drugs had made my body weak, because I was too sick, because I needed to rest and recover. But not anymore, now that I CAN, I'm running for life! For my own life, for the lives of all that have lost their battle to cancer, for those that are still waging their war against cancer, and for all of the heroes I've met along the way. 

My Story

I was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) on July 5, 2005, at the age of 26. I started treatment in October, and after 6 months of chemotherapy was deemed in remission, but not cured and I’m still watched by my oncologist and seen in clinic every 3-4 months. I celebrated NINE fine years of remission in May, but I'm not cured and my fight with cancer is never far from my mind. Now that I'm a mother and wife, my concern has shifted from simply "what will my treatments look like when / if my cancer returns and will I be able to beat it again?" to "will I be able to fight this horrible disease again while also caring for my family?"

LLS literally saved my life and gives me hope for the future

The chemotherapy regime used in my initial treatment was one of the first my doctor had administered as the protocol had been published just months prior, and LLS had funded the research! Most patients diagnosed with CLL are men in their 60s and although they know that CLL always returns, until last year, there was no standard relapse treatment protocol. In February 2014 the FDA approved the drug Ibrutinib for use in CLL patients who have previously been treated. The research was funded by LLS and was completed by Dr. John Byrd, right up the street at OSU! This is HUGE, and proof positive that research leads to results!

How I’ve shown cancer who’s the boss

This isn’t my first half marathon and it’s not the first time I’ve asked you to donate on my behalf to LLS. This Queen Bee half marathon will be my 7th endurance event and 6th half marathon (you know I can’t let you forget that I started this crazy journey with the Flying Pig full marathon in 2008 through TNT). I’ve fundraised for LLS in a variety of ways since my diagnosis and have raised over $34,000 thanks to the generosity of my friends and family. I’ve also been involved with LLS as a volunteer and honored hero and have shared my story and message of hope at many meetings and events; including the 2014 Man & Woman of the Year campaign where over $700,000 was raised for LLS (see the video below). Outside of fundraising, I’m doing my part to stay healthy so that if and when my cancer returns, I’m ready to FIGHT. As the Mom to two young girls it’s important to me that I show them that with perseverance, hard work, and a little sweat (ok, a lot of sweat), many small strides can make a huge impact!

THANK YOU for your support no matter how you give, monetarily or through kind words and encouragement, it all truly means the world to me!

* March 2006 with my oncology team, Nurse Liz and Doctor Komrojki *

* 2014 Man and Woman of the Year campaign video shown at the grand finale event * 

* Sharing my story with a crowd of 600 in May 2014 as the Woman of the Year honored hero for the LLS Tri-state chapter's Man and Woman of the Year campaign *

* Our family -  Charlotte Rose (2) and Anna Elizabeth (4) *

* After taking a few years off to have my girls, I returned to running for TNT with the inagural Queen Bee half marathon in October 2014. My team, Moms on a Mission, raised over $12,000 for LLS! *