It's week 13 of training and I'm up to 13 miles! Tomorrow I'll be running 15 and it will continue to grow. I'm feeling great and ready to take on my third marathon with Team In Training honoring all those battling blood cancers. THIS will be my first international marathon and with all the training I'm doing, I PLAN to PR this one!

I am fighting, I am running in honor of those who can't. 

I have felt so blessed to meet Louis - he is running right along side me every week after being diagnosed only 4 months ago! Can you believe that? He is so strong and SOOOO HAPPY! I'd like to think I could be that positive while battling Leukemia, but I don't know. Louis is on a drug called Gleevec, this drug was developed with the funds raised by The Leukamis & Lymphoma Society and Team In Training. There were people like me who fundraised 20+ years ago who are allowing Louis to live today. I am so proud to be a part of such an amazing organization and I KNOW that my fundraising efforts will benefit someone in the future and ultimately help us find the cures.

Thank you for your support for this and the many events I've completed in the past. 

God Bless,
Amanda

Meet my New Friend and Teammate, Louis!

In 1985...

• The 49ers defeated the Dolphins in the Superbowl
• U.S. Vice President George H. W. Bush serves as Acting President for 8 hours, while President Ronald W. Reagan underwent colon cancer surgery
• Tommy Hilfiger established his brand 
• Microsoft Corp released the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0
• Back to the Future and Rocky IV were at the Theaters
• Duran Duran and Madonna were topping the charts

aaaannnndddd.... Amanda Duke joined the world!

On Monday, February 23, I'll turn 30 years old! I can't believe it. Do you know what I want for my birthday? I world without blood cancer! Please consider making a $30 donation in honor of my 30th birthday to get us one step closer to making my birthday wish come true! 

Thank you so much!

Meet Honored Hero, Peyton

Eleven-year-old Peyton Busch is a smart, athletic 5th grader who loves football and basketball and playing outside with his brother Braden.

On September 11, 2006, at the age of 3, Peyton's pediatrician did blood work. When it came back, the pediatrician said he thought Peyton had leukemia and they needed to leave immediately, and head straight to Texas Children's Hospital.

"My mind did this... Leukemia = Cancer = Death," Carrie (his mother) said, "I had no idea this was a blood cancer. I had no idea what the statistics were for survival. I had no idea what it meant that he was considered high risk. I went home crying with him and packed our bags."

"In the beginning the treatments were horrible," Carrie said, "For the first year and a half, I had to hold Peyton down to get his port accessed. He would kick and scream and hit me and cry and ask why I was letting them do this to him." He cried when they took the dressings off his port when he finished chemo. He spit the oral medicines at me. Finally, the nurses taught him how to swallow pills so they could get the medicines in without a fight.

In January 2010, after four years of chemotherapy, Peyton was done! His port was removed one week following his seventh birthday. Today, he doesn't really talk much about his cancer journey. He just lives a normal young boy's life. He has minor issues with his heart from the damage done by treatments, but fortunately, he is cancer free and now only has to return to TCH once a year!

"I would tell someone whose child has been diagnosed that it is going to be a long hard road, but that there is so much good that comes out of something so bad. I have met other great families through our journey that truly understand my fears and concerns and emotions. I have my TNT family."

Carrie will be running along side me in the Vancouver marathon. It seems so important that I honor her son.

Maya is one of my many inspirations for training and fundraising for LLS. She's such a sweet girl and she wants to be one of the many researchers that LLS funds one day!