Lets Rock and Roll!

Racing to Save Lives

Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

This year I am participating in the Rock N Roll Seattle Marathon in honor of my brother Joseluis Abreu on June 27, 2009. Although he is my younger brother, I consider him my twin. We both love sports and video games, and we have very similar personalities. We were even born the same year! I was born on January 13 and, 10 months later, Jose was born November 30.

Unfortunately, Jose was very ill for about a year before it was discovered that he had cancer. In 2005, I was away at school and I felt so useless. When I came home for Thanksgiving that year, he no longer looked like the baseball star that earned him all the trophies that decorated almost every room in the house. He was thin, pale, and walked around coughing all day and night. I could never fall asleep. I would wake up panicking, heart racing, praying to God that everything was all right. For me it was the worst sound imaginable; it was the sound of suddenly losing him at any moment.

He was finally diagnosed with Lymphoma around Thanksgiving, 2006.

Soon we would find out that the inflamed lymph node on his neck, caused by the lymphoma, was irritating his throat and causing his severe cough. It was the worst and best news all at the same time. We knew what was making him sick, but it was cancer. Thankfully, the diagnosis got him the medical attention he needed. After 6 months of chemotherapy, my brother seemed like his old self again. Yet every time he goes to the doctor, we all hold our breath. Will it come back? I close my eyes at night and I pray that it doesn�'t or that God would give him a break and give it to me. At least I have a job and medical insurance. I wish it were me all the time.

But things happen for a reason. Now that I am with TNT I feel that I can contribute in a positive way. I can help raise money that will fund research for Lymphoma and Leukemia as well as services to patients and their families. Your donations will help support ongoing research that has helped diagnosis and treat my brother. My brother is still here and I am very grateful for that.

Therefore, please consider donating on my web page and help me reach my goal. If you have it in your heart to donate but can't, please send me your words of encouragement. I need those too! Forward this information to everyone you know who wants to donate for a great cause. Every little bit counts! Thank you in advance for your donations and inspiration that will keep running.

Sincerely,

Kelly Abreu

I'm training to participate in an endurance event as a member of

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. All

of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia,

lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling

blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we

need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

4/16/09 - My extraordinary journey

So far so good. It's been about a week and a half since I officially started my fundraising and I have raised over $400 dollars. Thank you so much for all of you that have donated already! As you can see I still have a long way to go but I am hopeful. I gotta do this, I can do this. I know the economy is bad but I am strong believer that a little goes a looooong way. I knew it would be difficult for me to accomplish but that's why I had to it. My brother's journey was something extraordinary and surreal. It is hard to put myself in his shoes so I will put on my own running shoes and go on my own extraordinary journey. If one day our efforts end the suffering of everyone affected by cancer it will all be worth it. In the mean time I will put myself out there to raise money and cross the finish line. Keep checking in on my progress and for future updates.

Let's Rock and Roll!!!!!!!!!

4/21/09 Getting Lost

I'm into week three in my fundraising and I have raised more than $500, yay! I still have $4000 to go but I'll try not be be discouraged. I know I just have to spread the news and keep training hard. Last Sunday I didn't wake up on time for team training but decided to walk on my own. I ended up getting lost on the trail and started jogging to get back to my car. I ended up traveling over 10 miles in two and a half hours! Next time I'll wake up on time, lol.

5/12/09

I have about a month left before I need to turn in my last donation. So far I have raised $900! I still have a long way to go but I am not discouraged. I raised over $200 dollars in a recent raffle. It was great. Wrights Gourmet in South Tampa and the Nature Shop in Downtown Tampa both donated gift certificates for their services. I want to say thank you to those businesses as well as everyone who bought raffle tickets:

Connie Coe

Joanna Jackson

Barbara Smith

Casey Garcia

Richard Latta

Kacee Martinez

Eneida Townsend

Stacey Stromnes

Sloan Lewis

Alejandra Marin

Justine Kindya

Amnerys Valdes

Patrick Ho

Shara LaColla

Liza Ank

Jeff Chronister

Kathy Sirianni

S.Sirianni

Amy

Maribel Vega

Victor Velasco

Paul Edwards

Mirtha Chavez

Ryan Daly

Valarie Williams

Tavia Stokes

Twila

Thanks! Stayed tuned for more fundraising events coming up. Don't forget to spread the news and thanks again for all your support. It means the world to me and everyone out there affected by cancer.

6/4/09

It's been a while since my last update. I'm coming down to the wire but things seem to be coming together. I've had a few gaps in my training but I think I will be alright. I bought a pair of shoes that don't give me any blisters for once. At work, I teamed up with another coworker and was able to raise $ 477 through a bake sale. It was great! Half of the proceeds will go towards a mission trip to Honduras. On Tuesday, June 9th, I have a Beer Tasting at Datz Deli in South Tampa. That should be a lot of fun too.

Going to the marathon will be bittersweet. I've been working really hard to train and fundraise and I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. One thing I've learned is the generosity of others is greatly misunderstood. It often comes when you least expect it, or unannounced, and in ways you never imagined. Emoting gratituded becomes very difficult when a thanks is simply not enough. What a great experience.

7/26/09

It's been almost a month since I went to Seattle. It was a an experience I will never forget. Flying to Seattle was an adventure in itself! I couldn't believe I was heading to the west coast for the first time to run a marathon! We all had a great time exploring the city and trying to stay relaxed for the race. Other people have told me that the weather there was always rainy and gloomy, but it couldn't have been more perfect on race day. Not cloud in the sky, perfect to spot 2 bald eagles in the pine trees. I finished the marathon in 3 hours. Slow, yes, but I was enjoying every minute jogging around Lake Washington and the Seattle suburbs and listening to the bands along the way. The route was gorgeous. After the race I was surprised I was still walking, lol. I'm glad I had a wonderful team of friends to share it with. There were 1400 TNT particpants and we raised 4 million dollars! I was on a runners high for a week after that. It felt good to run, but it felt great to know it meant something. Thank you to all my supporters! We all made a difference.