July 14, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

I’ve enjoyed two seasons with TNT so much that I couldn’t resist signing up for another. I’ll participate in two events this fall: the Big Cottonwood Marathon in September, a local event down one of our gorgeous canyons, and the 10th Anniversary Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco in October. I am a captain of the fall team, providing personalized support for team members, new and alumni. In addition to being a captain, survivor, honored-teammate and alumna with TNT, I am a mentor for individuals contacting LLS for BMT support. This year is TNT’s 25th Anniversary and I am happy I can continue participating with this truly successful and life-saving organization.

In May I qualified for the Boston Marathon. As I finished the Ogden Marathon I didn’t anticipate a qualifying finishing time but, as it turned out, with my time of 4:06:50, I made it! So, if I can get a spot in the 2014 Boston Marathon, I plan to be there!!!!! That is a big leap from where I was almost exactly four years ago, having just been diagnosed with blood cancer and about to set off on the long road of a bone marrow transplant. And now, here I am today: happy, healthy and running long roads of a very different kind!

For those of you who don’t know, Team in Training (TNT) is an endurance sports training program whose members raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). A national organization, LLS is an important resource for people with blood cancers—leukemias, lymphomas, myelomas, and MDS (what I had). LLS provides information, family support services, financial assistance and research funding. In exchange for fundraising, TNT provides participants with professional coaches, camaraderie, a training schedule and incentive (it helps in getting up for early runs on hot summer days).

Like last year, I am an honored teammate, theoretically an inspiration to others; actually I’m a tangible story of someone who has survived. Cancer is expensive financially, physically and emotionally. I am grateful that I am here and can help raise funds so that others’ stories can have happy endings, too. Now in its twenty-fifth year, TNT has supported almost a half million couch-potatoes-turned-athletes to collect over $1billion for LLS services.

Many of my fellow blood cancer survivors are here today, like me, because of the generosity of people like you who have supported our efforts to raise these life saving funds. So thank you, thank you for your consideration and for joining my team. YOU are my heroes! GO TEAM!

Hilary Jacobs

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ut/nikesf13/hjacobsth0