This is a list of the Top 25 Fundraisers for the LLS in Virginia, as of Friday, August 17, 2012. And.... Who is in that #18 spot? Who is that??? OOOOOOOHHHH look it's MEEEEE!!! And more correctly, I should say, it's WEEEEEE or USSSSS!!! Because without my awesome supporters, my name would not be in that spot! You guys are AMAZING!!!

Our local cordinator, Josh, sends out these updates every Friday. Below is a picture of our progress for all of Hampton Roads. All of us raised over $17,000 in the last two weeks, and I am so proud to be a part of that! We are set to blow the goal off the chart! (We volunteered to make Josh a new poster this morning.)

And, by the way, our goal was really only $100,000, but Josh knew how awesome all of our TEAM mates and TEAM supporters are, so he raised the bar a little bit. I guess if you're training for an endurance event in the depths of a Virginia summer, you have to like a good challenge!

Let's keep those amazing donations coming! I know this week has been amazing, but I still have over $1,000.00 more to raise in just over a month! If you haven't donated yet, this is your chance, and the time is NOW!! Thanks again!

This summer I have been crafting my heart out, as well as training and running my heart out for Team in Training! But, the crafting has been for a good cause too! If you purchase any of the following products below, the proceeds will go to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

As I mentioned previously, I am still offering art lessons of all varieties, including photography, drawing, painting, sewing, and crafting for both adults and children. A two hour lesson is a $30.00 donation.

These drawstring bags can be yours for a $30.00 donation as well! They measure approxmiately 7x10", and are perfect for holding your running gear, sunblock, food/snack items, or works as a small purse/wrislet. There are four styles shown: retro flowers, gray faces, baby boy, and sushi. I have plenty of other styles and colors of fabric, so I can accomodate special orders! They are great for back to school, and it's not too early to be thinking about stocking stuffers either!

I am also selling recycled ("up-cycled") crayons for a $5.00 donation per bag. There are serveral styles and shapes, and all bags and crayons are multicolored. All crayons are approxmately 1x1", except for the Large Hearts, which are about 3x3x1/2."

Large Hearts

Small Hearts

Flowers

Small People

Assorted Shapes

These crayons are also a great back to school gift, and can be stocking stuffers as well! If you have a special request, please email me at oglesbmc@yahoo.com for more information!

And last but not least, I have been working on these zippered mini pouches! They each measure about 6x9", and 3" deep across the bottom. For a $15.00 donation, one of these can be yours as well! The styles shown are blue elephant and blue retro.

Blue Retro

Blue Elephants

As I mentioned with the drawstring bags, I have a variety of styles and colors of fabric, and can accomodate special requests as well. Please email me for more information!

I really hope you will donate and buy one of these pieces of handmade craftiness. And I hope you will enjoy using them as much as I enjoyed making them!

Hi Everyone,

At this point you all have probably received several messages concerning my fundraising efforts for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You may have seen the photos I've posted on Facebook, or here on my fundraising blog. Maybe you've read my reflections on training, maybe you haven't.

A lot of what I've talked about in these writing has been about ME and MY efforts. But this is NOT about me. It is about the people who are battling blood cancers, the doctors treating them, the scientists researching treatments, the caregivers and family members, and those who have lost their battles with a blood cancer. This effort is not mine, it is THEIRS.

I have had the opportunity to know and meet people affected by these diseases because of the LLS and Team in Training. It has helped give every step I take and every mile I sweat through personal meaning. And I'd like to share some of that with you.

My cousin, Nick Dupre, passed away from a form of blood cancer. He was about ten years older than me, and lived two states away, so I didn't see him very often growing up. I remember meeting him at a family reunion, and at a few other occasions. Somehow I knew that Nick was very sick, and it wasn't something that he would get over in a few days, like when I got sick.

I remember him coming to my house to help babysit with my Aunt Christie. He had a bandana on his head (due to the chemo, I'd assume now), and in the early 90s, that looked really cool. My sister Pamela couldn't stop climbing on him and asking him questions because she thought he was so special.

I remember my aunt, a singer songwriter, later telling me a story about how Nick told her she should open for this band that played at the Flood Zone in Richmond every Tuesday. "They're called the Dave Matthews Band, and I think they're going to make it big," he said to her.

When I was 14, I remember driving to UVA for Nick's graduation from the School of Engineering. Unfortunately, Nick had passed away the previous year, and I remember how sad it was that he wasn't there with all of our family. His mother Kathy walked on stage to accept his diploma, wrapped in blue and orange, to a standing ovation from the audience. I remember crying.

I remembered all of this several Saturdays ago, when it was 90 degrees at 6am and I was completing an 8 mile run. "Two Step" by the Dave Matthews Band was playing on my iPod, and with thoughts of Nick, my 8 miles were smooth sailing. Sweat poured out of me, sand caked the back of my legs, and the humidity was thick, but the mile markers ticked by. Not even the heaviness of a Virginia summer can get you down when you're training in honor of family, or patients still battling cancer today.

Please help me train for a cure by donating to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Let's do this for the patients, doctors, scientists, caregivers, family members and those that have lost their battles with cancer. We can do this with the following donations:

- $25.00 provides patients and families with free booklets containing current information on their disease, and helps them make informed decisions about their treatment options.

- $50.00 funds a Family Support group with a trained facilitator in a comforting environment in order to share experiences with patients and family members.

- $100.00 helps supply researchers with materials critical for their search for cures.

Donating to this cause is easy:

- You can mail a check to my address below, payable to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

- You can donate on this webpage

I didn't really get a chance to know my cousin Nick. But I've met other incredible people that are still battling forms of leukemia and lymphoma today. I've met survivors with amazing stories of courage and perseverance. Let's make this about THEM. Let's do this TOGETHER. WE can make a difference when we reach my goal of $3,000.00. Thank you once again for your support.

Love,

Melanie

1811 Hampton Blvd. Apt. B5

Norfolk, VA 23517

"Celebrate we will

Because life is short but sweet for certain

We're climbing two by two

To be sure these days continue

These things we cannot change"

~ "Two Step"

Last Saturday, we did not have our usual training at First Landing State Park due to recent weather. Instead, our training run consisted of running through a local neighborhood on an island, and along Great Neck Rd. Both portions of my run required running over a bridge large enough for a fishing vessel to pass under. I was scheduled to run 8 miles, so I ran over both bridges... twice!

Now this may not seem too impressive, especially considering where I grew up in Richmond. But I've only ever run in Norfolk and Virginia Beach... which are very, VERY FLAT!!! These bridges were an intense challenge for me, and the heat index was well into the 80s, making it a HOT and HILLY run! But I had no choice but to climb those hills, and since I have a little bit of a stubborn streak, walking up them was NOT an option!

Here is my view from the top of the first bridge, W. Great Neck Rd, looking towards the west.

This is the same vantage point along my run, just another view. It was a beautiful morning!

Here is my view from the bottom of the last hill, the very last part of my 8 mile run, on N. Great Neck Rd. While it looks pleasant and gradual, it sure didn't feel like it after a hot and sweaty run! I didn't allow myself to stop running until I reached the bottom. Then and only then did I KNOW that I had reached my goal!

Last week we also heard from a honored patient, who has battled a rare form of lymphoma three times. He thanked us all for our work to fundraise for the LLS before our run. Treatments developed by doctors and researchers have helped to combat his cancer, and can hopefully benefit others, and one day find a cure for blood cancers.

As I was running, I saw a parallel between the four trips I took up the hills and between the ups and downs of battling lymphoma three times. It's a challenge each time, difficult each time, and the outcome of cancer can be uncertain each time. I believe that with you help, the uphill battles of cancer can be smoother, more gradual, and with more positive outcomes.

I see the challenge of raising $3,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as a similar climb. I know that together we can get there, even if it is steep, or hot, or many miles long. Please help me to reach my goal by making a donation. With your help, through donations and support, we can make progress towards better treatments and ultimately a cure for blood cancers.

Once again, thank you for your support and donations!

Melanie.

This summer (beginning June 18th through August 17th), I will be offering art lessons as part of my fundraising efforts for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am a licensed Prek-5th grade art teacher during the school year, and I am proficient in a variety of media and techniques. So if you or your child would like drawing/art lessons this summer, please let me know! My email is oglesbmc@yahoo.com.

I will provide most supplies, and I can come to your home, local library, or outdoor area of your choice, or we can meet at my home in Ghent! (I do have a 20 mile/30 minute radius travel maximum.)

As part of a two hour session, I am asking for just a $30.00 donation! (You are more than welcome to donate more, or to have multiple lessons.)

Please pass this information to anyone you can think of! I also have business cards with this information that I will be putting out on the table at our group run on Saturday, so please take them and distribute! Thanks once again!

Sincerely,

Melanie O.

A year and a half ago, I signed up to run the Shamrock Half Marathon with an organization called Team in Training on behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). I can honestly say that I had no idea what I was getting into! But it was one of the best experiences of my life, and I am so thankful for everyone that helped me along the way.

This past March I completed the Shamrock Half Marathon for the second time with Team in Training, as a mentor to new participants. The coaches are incredibly knowledgeable and supportive, and I've had the good forturne to train with some amazing people. In October 2012, I will again complete a half marathon with Team in Training, but this time it will be the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco, California!

While this opportunity is one that I could not pass up because it is the thing to do, it is also very personal. The LLS is dedicated to finding cures for blood cancers, and a cousin of mine, Nick Dupre, passed away from a blood cancer. The father of a close friend, Charles Holmes, passed away from CLL, and her mother lost her fight with lung cancer in May. I have lost a dear friend due to cancer, and other loved ones are currently fighting cancer as well. I will be completing this race in their honor and memory.

I am asking that you help me by making a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. My goal is to raise $3,000.00, and with your support, I know we can do it! Research conducted by the LLS can also be a benefit to treatments for other cancers. The LLS invested over $76 million in blood cancer research in 2011 and with your help, we can increase that number in 2012! 76% of all LLS funds go directly to patients and families.

No donation is too small! Every cent makes a difference, just as every day that someone spends looking for a cure makes a difference! All donations are 100% tax deductible, and don't forget to ask if your workplace participates in matching gifts programs. Your donation will directly benefit patients and families in the following ways:

$25.00 provides patients and families with free booklets containing current information on their disease, and helps them make informed decisions about their treatment options.

$50.00 funds a Family Support group with a trained facilitator in a comforting environment in order to share experiences with patients and family members.

$100.00 helps supply researchers with materials and supplies critical to their search for cures.

Donating to this cause is easy:

- You can mail a check to my address below, payable to the Luekemia and Lymphoma Society

- You can also donate to my webpage (right here!)

I ask that all donations be turned in by FRIDAY, JULY 27th. If you are someone with whom I normally exchange birthday or Christmas gifts in December, consider making a donation to LLS your personal gift to me this year a few months early!

While I work hard to train for this event, I will keep you posted on my progress. I have already run 24 miles to train for the Nike Women's Half Marathon! Training during the summer can be difficult, but it's nothing compared to the battles faced by those living with, recovering from, and grieving due to cancer. Thank you for your donation!

Sincerely,

Melanie Oglesby

1811 Hampton Blvd.

Apt B5

Norfolk, VA 23517

Teams are made up of individuals. Without them, there is no team.

Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

I have a mission-to help find cures and more effective treatments for blood cancers. To accomplish that mission, I’m participating in a sports endurance event as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training. Like the other members of TNT, I will be raising funds to help find cures and better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. I’m improving the quality of my life by participating and with your support, I can help improve the quality of life for patients and their families as well.

Please make a donation in support of my efforts with Team In Training and help advance the research for cures.