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Racing to Save Lives

Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

Dear Friends & Family,

I have committed to running 13.1 miles to help cure blood cancers! Yes, you read that correctly. I am training for the Chicago Rock ��n�" Roll Half Marathon and raising funds to support the good work of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I am completing my first week of training with their Team In Training program right now, and am loving every minute of it!

You may be asking yourself why I decided to take on this challenge. It�"s simple: my girlfriend Heather�"s mom, Karen Blackmon, is now a survivor of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma thanks to the LLS funded research that developed the miracle drug, Rutuxin, that saved her life. Over the past 20 years, Team In Training participants have raised nearly $1 billion to fund cancer research, patient aid, and patient programs. I want to make a difference too!

So, I am running this race to honor Karen and survivors like her, as well as those that have passed away from these cancers that currently affect over 900,000 Americans. Karen has always played a significant part in my life, and has been a second �Smom� to me. If she had the willpower, and endurance, to fight and conquer this horrible disease, then I too can find the endurance to run 13.1 miles! I will be crossing the finish line on August 2nd with both Heather, and her husband Paul, and we will be thinking of Karen every step of the way.

I used to run (okay, well jog) in college and have completed a half-marathon once: in Ann Arbor, Michigan of all places⬦Go Bucks!!! So, I am excited to train and run again! Granted, we are talking three children later, but I am determined that I will be successful because this time, I�"m training for a cause bigger than myself. I know there will be blisters, and shin-splints, and have never trained on little hills much less, mountains, but I know that every step that I run will get us one step closer to finding cures!

Please join me in this journey by making a donation to support my fundraising campaign! My goal is to raise $500 by June 3rd and at least $1,400.00 by July 1st and I hope to raise much more! Please visit my website to make a 100% secure, tax-deductible donation and read about my fundraising and training progress: http://pages.teamintraining.org/va/chcdist09/tsheridtmn.

If you prefer, you may mail a check to me at:

Tonya Sheridan

2 Stuart Court

Luray, VA 22835.

All checks should be made out to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or LLS.

For those of you who are scrapbookers, stay tuned to my blog: http://inallsassiness.blogspot.com for fundraising events later in May, and in June.

Thanks for your support, and your prayers. I am excited to be able to do this, especially in honor and memory of so many who cannot!

Tonya

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

6/3/2009

Words cannot express my thanks to each of you for your support! The encouragements, and sponsorship has been amazing!

I am doing well with my training...I am now up to about 6 miles and have loved cross training on my parents wii (did you know, you can really get a work out on that?).

I have met my first goal of $500.00 and am now on to tackle the additional $900.00. Thank you to all who have purchased my cards==that part alone has brought in over $50.00!

Along this journey, I have had the honor of having others share with me their own stories of loved ones battling Leukemia and Lymphoma. I am truely touched that they were able to share them with me. So today, I commit to running in memory of Judy and Geri's Sister as well.

Thank you to all for sharing this journey with me.

Tonya

6/29/2009

I continue to have the honor of hear others share their stories, and these past few weeks, I was even more touched. My dear friend Margret, shared with me sweet memories of her cherished husband who passed away after a long fight with Leukemia. She wrote the following poem in memory of her amazing husband for me to share with all of you:

N ice

A lways Loving

T rustworthy

H My Hero

A lways there for me

N ever Negative

B rave through sickness

O ther people first

L ots of fun

T houghtful

O utgoing

N ever far from my mind

I was touched by Margaret's thoughts. She is a remarkable woman. And her husband was a remarkable man. A Christian. A man who gave of himself effortlessly. Who taught Sunday School each week. And a man who never once complained about the pain, or the treatments. So, I am continuing to run for Karen, but am also running for Nathan. And all of those who cannot run for themselves.

And, I am celebrating many blessings this Monday! My Fundraiser, Cropping for Change, this weekend was a huge success and I was blessed by great friendship & generosity from my fellow scrapbookers as well as from Close to My Heart for giving me the means to make it all happen!