My Fundraising Page

26.2 - For A Cure!

*Thank You to FORT BEND PROPERTIES and Steve Kinne for the generous donation. If anyone is buying or selling a home in the Houston area then Steve is your man. He is AWESOME!!*

www.FortBendProperties.com

WHY?

Many people ask me why I will run over 500 miles during the next five months. Why do I put my body through such agony and pain? Why do run no matter the weather? Why have ice baths become my best friend? The answer is simple. Melanie! She is my friend, my sister and my hero. Five years ago Melanie was diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of 16. She was immediately admitted to hospital to begin chemotherapy. One day she was hanging out with her friends, and the next she was fighting for her life. As I watched her battle this cancer I felt utterly helpless. There was nothing I could do. It is now five years later and Melanie has beaten the odds and fully recovered. But my feeling of helplessness never went away. And that’s when I discovered I could run. I can run, and in doing so, raise money to fight this horrible cancer so that one day families won't have to go through what we did. This is also my way of showing that I am forever grateful that Melanie's life was preserved!

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

You can support me in this endeavor to end blood cancers by making a 100% tax-deductible donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Donations can be made securely via my web site or you can mail a check made out to the Society to the address listed below. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. And THANK YOU for your time and generosity.

TEAM IN TRAINING

OUR MISSION:

To cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

OUR VISION:

In 2015, the majority of patients with blood cancers are either cured or able to manage their condition with good quality of life. In some cases, diseases may be prevented.

ABOUT TEAM IN TRAINING:

Team in Training is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s endurance-training program that provides runners, walkers, cyclists and triathletes of all skill levels with professional coaching for major marathons, century rides, and triathlons. Each participant trains in honor of a local leukemia patient. During this time they also raise funds to support research for these cancers. Team in Training is the number one endurance training program in the country, and over it’s 20 years has raised over $850 million dollars for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission.

I hope you will visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!

RUNNING IN HONOR OF...

Melanie Brady

Wayne Cobia

Matthew Maultsby

Christine Bencivengo

Sean Muir

Steve Trost

Nicole Mascaro Workman

RUNNING IN MEMORY OF...

Johnny Romano

Trent DuVal

(if you would like a name added to this list please email me. These people are the true heroes and I will run any distance for them!)

Total Training Miles: way to many to count

Fundraising Total: $1,900 (oh, yeah!)

UPDATES

December 2nd Part II:

A big thanks to the anonymous donor who helped me reach my goal of $1,900!! You are awesome and I appreciate your generosity and support! It is not an overstatement to say that I couldn't have done it without you!!

December 2nd: I just finished my 4 mile run for the day and it was a chilly 37 degrees outside. It actually feels good to run in this type of weather. Anytime it's over 60 degrees it's just too hot! Two weeks ago I ran my first 18 miler for the season. It felt really good which was a surprise. I never time myslef so I don't know how fast I did it in but I still had energy at the end and felt like I could have kept going if I wanted to. Last week was an easy 14 miles and this coming saturday we do another 18 miles. Luckily my shin splints have about resolved themselves. I have a few other aches and pains in my feet but I just ordered new shoes this week so hopefully that will take care of those. I love getting new running shoes!! It's the best feeling, we are supposed to switch them in and out with our old but I never do because the new ones feel too good!

Last week we found out that Eric's uncle has Melanoma and that it is stage 4 and untreatable. They have given him 4-6 monthsh to live. We received another update last night and it has been 7 weeks since diagnosis and he does not look good. His nodes under one arm are so swollen that he can't put his arm down. He gets weak from just talking and spends a lot of time sleeping. Obviously this is a big blow to family and everybody is trying to deal with it all. One night while discussing all this with Eric and also talking about my close friend who is struggling through breast cancer I became frustrated. I began thinking that maybe we have cancer her for a reason and it is another trial that our heavenly father has placed here for our learning and growth. Maybe all my running is in vain. ( know I was being irrational.) Eric in his wisdom said it simply by stating "Ya, but kids aren't supposed to get cancer." That right there set me straight. He was right, kids aren't supposed to get cancer and Leukemia seems to target children and young adults. So I guess I will keep running... whew!

Anyway, sorry if this post doesn't make much sense. Like I said at the beginning, I just finished my run for the day and the blood may not have returned to my brain yet!! Love to all and Merry Christmas. January 18th is right around the corner and I can't wait!!!!

November 12th: Thanks for the gentle prodding from Andrew to get a new post up. I hadn't realized that I didn't write an update about Trent DuVal. Trent is the little 8 year old boy from Utah who has leukemia. Last week on November 4th he passed away in his home. Here is his write up for his obituary.

Trent Daniel DuVal

"Trent Trent"

Born June 8, 2000 to Jeffery and Tiffany DuVal, passed away November 4, 2008 in Riverton, Utah. Our "Hero T" Trent Daniel DuVal passed away on November 4, 2008 in his favorite place, home. His battle with Leukemia was hard fought. Trent never gave up the fight and never doublted his Heavenly Father. Whether climbing any obstacle he found or playing swords, he was full of life. Always finding the joy and fun in everything. Trent was always thinking of others and how they would feel oftentimes neglecting his own pain and needs. His battle touched more lives than he could ever imagine. He will be missed and thought of often. We love you Trent and look forward to seeing you again. Trent is survived by his parents, brothers: Bradley and Nathan DuVal, grandparents, and many loving extended family and friends. He is preceded in death by his Grandma Great Cazier and his Aunt Carol. The family wishes to thank the doctors at Primary Children's hospital that tried everything in their power and to the nurses that became part of our family. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 8, 2008 at the Herriman Utah Stake Center, 13675 S. 5600 W. A viewing will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, November 7, 2008 at Jenkins-Soffe South Valley, 1007 W. South Jordan Parkway (10600 S.) and from 9:15 - 10:15 a.m. on Saturday at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations to be made to Primary Children's hospital. Condolences may be shared online at

www.Jenkins-Soffe.com

Trent has touched many lives. He is another true hero to me.

As far as the training is going, we are at the point were we are really putting in the mileage. Saturday we do 16 miles then 18 miles the next week. From now until Dec 20th when we do our big 21 miler, my body will take a beating. I'm suffering from extremely bad shin splints that are requiring me to do ice massage every morning after my runs and again at night before bed. Motrin has become an essential part of my diet these days. I discussed all this with my coach and he explained what is going on. He said that the calf muscle is growing so quickly that the fascia, (sp?) the sausage like casing that surrounds the muscle, isn't able to keep up so it is getting stretched, irritated and inflamed. That is what is causing all the pain. Luckily, it is not serious injury that will end the season for me. But it is extremely painful but should resolve itself by december when the fascia is able to catch up to the muscle. Hopefully that day comes quickly because the whole thing is getting really frustrating. Even through all of this, it doesn't even compare to having a blood cancer so I will take this any day. My family has been blessed with health and strenght and for that I will be forever grateful!

November 2nd: Just a quick update today. We did 14 miles yesterday. Not too bad. Tried some "Gu" and it was nasty. Made me gag and almost throw up. But I got it down and it did give me a good boost. I want to post a link from the Houston Chronicle on Johnny Romano. It's very inspiring so please read it when you have a chance! Thanks again to everyone for all of your support!

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6090354.html

October 28th: Sorry it has been a couple of weeks since my last post. With school keeping me busy at night I forget to up this page. So thank you to a wonderful friend for the little nudge to write something. Last saturday we trained with the fall season who was doing their big 12/21 miler. (12 for the half marathon people and 21 for the full marathon people) These distances are the farthest you run before you actual event and you do this distance a month before your event. The running park where our group trains is the safest and easiest to navigate of all the training areas so they always do the long team runs there. We were scheduled to do 12 miles so we fit into the mix pretty nicely. There were a ton of people there, maybe 100 or) which was awesome. You are always running past people along the course and every time you do you yell GO TEAM to each other. It is really cool and very encouraging when you are putting in long mileage. The 12 miles for me wasn't too bad. My legs didn't start getting heavy until mile 11 so that was nice. It funny how you I never seem to be out of breath. My muscles always cave before my lungs do. This was the first run of the season that caused me to be sore the next day. It wasn't too bad and mainly only the gluts (did I spell that right?), I guess I can just say my rear end. It made me look really funny whenever I went to stand up or sit down in church. I had better get used to it though because I don't think we do anything under 12 until we start tapering our mileage right before the race. Next saturday we do 14 and then we do 12, 16, 18 and then 14 the sat after thanksgiving. Between now and december 20th when we do our 21 miler we will be putting in some major mileage which means we have to be really careful to not get injured. This is when a lot of people start dropping out or changing to the half marathon. So far my body has done well so hopefully that will continue. I've got a small issue with shin splints but I think I know how to keep those under control.

Okay, enough about running and on to fundraising. A couple of weeks ago I had the pampered chef party which went great! I just received a check from them today and with the other checks from them coming in I should reach my fundraising goal easy!!! Yeah!!! Plus I still have orders coming in so it just keeps adding up!!! Fundraising this season has been so successful! I have been able to reach more people who were willing to give and the shirt sales have been awesome! I still have more shirts but that is just fine because that means I can sell them next year when I hopefully do my triathalon!! So, thanks to everyone for all of your support. It is because of you that I am able to participate in this program! Together we are making a difference in the lives of those with blood cancers and together we getting closer to a cure. Two weeks ago there was the Nike Women's Marathon in San Fran and there were over 5,000 TNT participants there. Together they raised over 18 million dollars which pushed to total TNT money raised in its 20 years to over 900 million dollars. Isn't that awesome!! So thank you to each of you for being apart of that! Now, after all that, I'm signing off and hitting the books!

October 14th: Wow it has been a long time since I have written anything. Anybody who was following this blog has certainly stopped checking by now. Oh well, it still acts as a great journal for me!! As for the training things are going well. I had some minor leg surgery done almost two weeks ago and everything has healed up very nicely. It only put me down for about 4 days which was nice, and 9 days later I was able to do a 10 mile run so I was pleased. My doctor was not so pleased by that but he understands that he can't stop me. I've got a little more work to do on my right leg but that will have to wait until after the marathon. The fundraising is also going well. I had a pampered chef party this weekend which will likely bring in about $200 for LLS! Thank you to everyone who placed an order. As a closing thought let me mention TRENT DUVAL. Trent is an 8 year old boy who was diagnosed with Leukemia 15 months ago. Despite everything modern medicine has to offer, they have been unable to rid his body of the cancer. Last week Trent was sent home to spend his last days with his family. Please him and his family in your prayers. Trent's blog address is

http://trentduval.blogspot.com/

September 23rd: Today is a sad day. One of our honored teammates passed away this morning from complications of Leukemia. Little Johnny Romano was 10 years old and diagnosed 3 years ago. Today was supposed to be his last day of treatment if he hadn't relapsed in May. My heart breaks for this family. I know life is not fair but this is unacceptable to me. Johnny and his family will be forever in my heart and mind as I run. I pray that the Lord will comfort this family during this time. I know Johnny is now wrapped in his Savior's arms and is once again healthy and strong.

September 17th: Wow it has been a long time since I've posted anything here!! Hurricane Ike has really turned things upside down. I didn't run while we were evacuated to Dallas so I missed about 4 days of running. Once I got back home I started running again but it is really crazy running through the neighborhood and having to jump over tree limbs and debris. After a couple of days residents who had chainsaws had come around and cleared all the sidewalks but nothing has been removed from the neighborhood yet so it is still quite a site to see. Our team will be meeting again this saturday so we'll have to see how available gas is to see if I will attend. Poor Jonny Romano who is one of our honored teammates battling Leukemia has felt effects of the storm in that there are no longer direct donor platelets for him. Hopefully I can get over there this week and try to make a donation. His story is heartbreaking so please keep him in your prayers. Anyway, that's it for now. Just keep running, running, running...

September 1st: I went to donate platelets for Johnny Romano who is 10 years old and fighting AML. This would have been my second donation for him. I was so excited because they have specifically asked for A+ donors and that's my type! But when I got there they checked my hematocrit and my numbers where too low to donate. I was so bummed because I know how much he really needs these donations. Hopefully I can eat better and get my numbers up and go back and try again. No wonder my runs have been difficult lately. Even a small drop in your iron levels effect you when are training at this level. I really need to be focusing on what I'm eating which is something I am really not very good at.

August 31st: Yesterday's run was a killer for me. It was really hilly which I'm not used too and I haven't been sleeping much so I seemed to be dragging through the whole run. I think I need to get back into the habit of wearing my MP3 while running. It really helps to keep the mind occupied so you don't focus on the miles! Also, I've had people notice that the fundraised amount listed on the page doesn't match what i tell them. That is because it takes about two weeks for the money from shirt sales to get credited to the website. So, I will add a section at the top of the page with the most up to date fundraising amount! One last thing. I plan on sending out a monthly newsletter via email to everyone I know to help them keep up to date on how the training is coming so look for that in your inbox here soon! Thanks again to everyone for all of your support!

GO TEAM!

August 23rd: Okay I'm really tired today. Today as a team we did 4 miles which isn't bad at all but I did 6 miles yesterday and then donated platelets so I just seem to be dragging!! That's okay though. Hopefully I can recover this weekend and get some sleep. Getting up at 5:30am is getting really old but I can't complain when I read about Johnny Romano and how he is doing. Please read his blog if you have a chance. It really will change your life! That's it for now. Going to try to get some sleep. Thanks again to everyone for all your support!

August 22nd: A day in the life a child with Leukemia. If you think training for and running a marathon is hard. Try having Leukemia! This is a link to the blog of one of our Honored Teammates here in Houston, ten year old Johnny Romano.

http://j-grom.blogspot.com/

It's heartbreaking to hear his story but it is one that needs to be told. I am going to try to go make a direct blood donation to Johnny this morning so hopefully that goes smoothly. Again, this is why I run and why I will continue to run until a cure is found!!

August 12th:

As the season gets underway I need to say a few Thank You's. First to Eric who has always supported me 100%. He has never complained about the hours I am gone pounding the pavement and he hasn't mentioned the pile of stinky running shoes I seem to be collecting in the closet! My two little angels also deserve a big thank you! They have become my number one fans. They love wearing "race shirts" so they can be like mom. And they are so patient when mom is less than happy from lack of sleep from morning runs. I love coming in the door from a long run and getting big hugs from both girls. The hugs never last long though because they get pretty grossed out by the sweat dripping off of me. (Thank you Houston for this horrible humidity!! It's a good thing the marathon is in January!) One last piece of good news is that Melanie is going to run the last 3 miles of the marathon with me! I am so excited because by then you are in so much pain that any distraction is very much welcomed! I love you Mel and can't wait to run with you!! It may be like a quick walk to you though since I will be really dragging by that point!! Anyway, one last thank you to all those who have donated and/or offered encouraging words. Over these next 5-6 months there will be many mental ups and downs so I appreciate everyone who helps keep me going!

August 5th

LET THE TRAINING BEGIN...This is the first week of official training. Right now I'm doing 4 miles during the week and 6-8 on the weekend. Luckily I am ahead of the team as far as training so hopefully when we start really building our miles I can avoid injuries. It's crazy to think that over the next 5 months I will run over 500 miles to prepare for one day of 26.2 miles. That's a lof of miles but this is something I have become passionate about. It's time we find a cure and through this program that day will come. Last year the houston chapter of Team in Training raised over 1.9 million dollars. That kind of money is really going to make a difference when it comes to funding research. Thank you again to everyone who has donated or purchased a T-shirt, without you, we would be much farther away from a cure!

July 28th

L saturday I was able to attend one of the information meetings that explain how the program works and recruits people to be apart of this program. As an alumnus of the program I was asked to talk for a few minutes on the program and how it has effected me. I have to say it was just awesome being there and telling others about this program that can be life changing. My coach was from last year was there as well so it was great to see him again and here him talk about the program. The whole event got my heart pounding! It is so great to know that we can make a difference in the lives of people suffering from blood cancers. One last interesting tidbit. As I was leaving gymnastics with my two little girls there was a sign on the front door talking about a 24 year old girl in the area who was just diagnosed with AML (same type as Melanie) and they were putting together fundraisers to pay for her bone marrow transplant. It just breaks my heart to see young people have to deal with such an aggressive and fatal cancer. I guess that's why I RUN!

GO TEAM!

July 21st

OUT FOR BLOOD T-SHIRTS are on their way. Order now before they are gone! Shirts are $20 with 100% of profits going to TNT. To order a shirt please send a check made out to Tammi Law at:

9015 Morningstar Drive

Sugar Land TX 77479

On your check please note your size. If you live out of the Houston area please include $3 for shipping and handling. If you are sending a check please also let me know by email so I can be sure to set a shirt aside for you. Also if you want to order multiple shirts that will need to be mailed contact me so we can discuss shipping because it won't be $3 per shirt. That would be crazy!!

*A big thanks to "Misfit Runners" who designed and printed these shirts! They are awesome!*

July 19th

A very big THANK YOU to the anonymous donor out there! Please, please email me so I can thank you and enter you into our drawing. Things are really starting to come together so I'm getting really excited. I did 8 miles this morning and it was brutal in this heat. Hopefully it will get me ahead of the game though before the official training starts. Thanks again to everyone for your generousity!

July 18th

Okay the time has come to start fundraising. Thank you to those who have donated so far!! I'm excited to get our OUT FOR BLOOD shirts out there so hopefully I can make the contacts I need to make for that this weekend. They should be awesome shirts! I'm also trying to brainstorm on what I can do for people who donate $100 or more so if you have any ideas send them my way!

Official training starts August 9th so I've got a few more saturdays to sleep in before the pain begins. Thanks to everyone for your support! With your contributions we are making a difference in this world!

GO TEAM!

As I was scrubbing my bathroom and thinking about what sort of prize to do for our big donors I thought that maybe I could do a raffle. So for those who donate $100 or more before August 31st. Your name will be entered into our drawing to recieve 1 of 2 $50 Chevron Gas Cards. Or, if you are local you can choose a restaurant or store of your choice. I'll be flexible. Anyway, that's pretty cool right? (Last year I only had a handful of people donate that much so your chances are good!)

Beware I have a feeling this page will turn into some major rambling on my part. I guess that's what happens when you feel passionate about something!