Dear Team in Training,

Well we have made it to the 8 month mark as of yesterday. Ronin had his last treatment for this phase last week and gets a 2 week break before we start the next one. This is a blessing because he has had a very rough month and gets very sick as soon as he knows we are going to the hospital. They give him Zofran which is supposed to help with nausea but it does nothing for him. Last week we put together a play list on my iPod for him with calming music and all his favorite songs to try and calm/distract him. It worked for about an hour while we were in the clinic room but as soon as we headed back to infusion he was so sick. It's so sad and hard for me because I think it's just all catching up to him, he was so good and polite for so long and now he is DONE. He screams "grab your purse and LETS GO!" and is sick the entire time we are there. I feel for him and don't even try to quiet him down because this sucks and if it was socially acceptable I would throw myself on the floor and scream to!

His Oncologist says that some kids develop a physically sick response to just being at the hospital because they know what is coming. Just because they don't have a lot of outward pain that we can see they remember how the chemo makes them feel and it's their body revolting because all of this takes place before they even do chemo. They want to try giving him adavan before appointments and start the IV Zofran as soon as we get there and see if that helps.

If he makes counts on the 18th then he will begin Maintenance on the 19th. This is the last phase and it lasts just under 3 yrs. We are participating in a study so we are not quite sure which arm we will be randomized to until the 19th. They are trying to lower the toxicity and long term side affects by using the same chemo drugs as standard protocol but changing the dose and the frequency. All I know is with all of them we are only at the hospital once a month and that would be a great thing for Ronin right now. We have been up there approximately 1 a week to even 4x a week at one point. He does so much better at home and his side affects are easier to handle so the new schedule is welcomed.

On a brighter note Ronin loves Sonic the hedgehog and Shadow and has been begging to have his hair like Shadow. My sister and my cousin Heidi made him Shadow hair and sewed it onto a hat and it's huge, heavy and awesome! It just makes me smile:)

Christine Aguilar

Hey all!

Sorry it's been a while, I've been a little busy!

Training has been great! (Still working on getting past mile 8, someday!!)

But more importantly, this update is about Ronin.

Ronin is our sponsored teammate, a local 4 year old boy who is fighting Leukemia.

Sadly, he's not doing well at all. He's so tired of being sick, and his family is helplessly watching as he goes through rigorous treatments.

So this is just a reminder, that this is for a bigger purpose. It's not about the race or the team; it's abour Ronin and all those battling blood cancers.

Now is our time to act! To cure this aweful cancer!

I'm asking for your help with a donation. . . Donate what you can, and please tell your friends.

We have to do everything we can to help save Ronin.

Own or manage an awesome business? Wanna get the word out about your company while helping the Lukemia and Lymphoma Society? E-mail me today!

Silent auction BBQ is on Saturday July 28 at 5:30 PM. Feel free to come and join the festivities all while promoting your company or product!

All donations are tax deductable and greatly appreciated. :)

EXCITING NEWS!!!

RockMyRun.com is having a fundraiser day for my TNT efforts! JULY 12th!

All you have to do is sign up and buy a mix on July 12th! 50% of all proceeds will go straight to LLS!

Rock My Run is a product of Rock My World, Inc., a business focused on providing GREAT workout music for active people. Specifically, Rock My Run provides running mixes, designed by popular, professional DJ’s that will increase the enjoyment and performance of a person’s workout or race.

People interested in a more enjoyable running experience come to Rock My Run and are able to find mixes that have music they love, in a variety of lengths, genres and (eventually) paces. Plus, all of the mixes have a listing of the songs that are in the mix so runners always know what they're getting!

Check it out! It's definately been a huge help in my training!

http://www.rockmyrun.com/

Hey all!

First off, I'd like to take a minute to thank those who have already donated! Each contribution brings LLS one step closer to beating cancer.

As for an update on my training:

It's been difficult to make running a habit. As cathardic as it is, some days I'd rather just veg out with my puppies! I try and do at least one type of exercise a day (yoga is awesome after a long run) even if it's just 15 - 20 minutes. How do you stay motivated?

I've also been working on building distance while cutting my time (basically, running faster lol) but I'm having a hard time staying motivated. Running in the heat is unbearable! The only way to avoid the heat is to run really early, and as many of you know I'm not a morning person. Sunday was probably my best day run/walking 8 miles.

I'll be honest. . . the whole time I was running all I could think about is how much I wanted a hamburger!

Keeping my diet hadn't really been too hard - until my dad got the grill out - and now I'm screwed. :P We've had Rudy burgers three times in the last week and I'm LOVING IT.

More to come! Love love love you all.