Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! to all who have helped me reach my minimum fundraising goal of $1800. Your generosity is greatly appreciated, and I pray that God will allow these funds to be used wisely in the development of treatments and cures for leukemia and lymphoma.

My fundraising period is not over yet, and I am planning to participate in three more fundraisers later this month. Two of them will be held at some Ruby Tuesday locations in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. This restaurant will be graciously donating 20% of its sales on August 20 and 27 to Team in Training/Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Guests simply need to give a flyer to their server and 20% of that sale will go to LLS. I will be volunteering at the Cold Spring, KY location on those nights. So come on out for a great cause and some great food. The Blue Ash an Kenwood locations are also participating.

Also, I plan to volunteer for the Color Run in Cincinnati from August 22-24. I'll provide more details as they come in, but I do know that the more volunteers we provide for this event, the more money the Color Run will donate to Team in Training.

I know there are still some people who would like to donate to my efforts here, so I have increased my personal goal to $2100. Obviously, people can still donate if/when that goal is reached too.

Thanks to the many folks who generously donated to my efforts, I have transferred out of the Cincinnati Half Marathon and into the Nation's Triathlon in Washington, DC on September 8. As a result of this switch, my fundraising URL was changed, so the new page no longer shows all of the people who donated prior to the switch. However, I was able to obtain an image of the list of people who had already donated and would like to post it here as a way to say "Thank You" for your generosity.

The names of those who have donated since the switch will appear on the right. Thanks again for all your support. I am really looking forward to the Nation's Triathlon to Benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It will be a good challenge for me, and will take place almost exactly seven years to the day from when I went into remission.

I still have about $500 to raise, so any amount you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Here's the list of those who contributed before the change:

Seven years ago today I was undergoing my first round of chemotherapy. The bright orange fluid pictured below is a chemo drug called Idarubacin.

By God's grace, I've come a long way since then. I'm so thankful for the doctors, nurses, and others who helped cure me. I'm also grateful for the researchers who spent countless hours developing the treatments that allowed me to enjoy these past seven years.

A large part of the funding spent on leukemia and lymphoma research has come from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Besides funding research for life-saving cures, the LLS also helped us by paying for supplies I needed once I was released from the hospital.

I want to do my part to help others who find themselves in situations similar to my own. That's why I signed up with Team in Training. I have the opportunity to do something I enjoy (competing in a triathlon) while raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

As I write this post, friends and family members have generously helped me reach nearly 2/3 of the $1800 I need to raise to participate in the Nation's Triathlon in Washington, D.C. on September 8. This unique event specifically raises money for the LLS. So while I'm training to swim 1.5k, bike 40k, and run/walk 10k, I will be trying to give back to a great cause.

Team in Training members also swim, bike, and run in memory or honor of a hero (a current leukemia or lymphoma patient, a survivor, or someone who has lost their life to one of these diseases). Obviously, I will be thinking of my own battle as I train and compete. But I have also chosen to run for the strongest little girl I've ever met, Peyton Sherrell. She is a Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor who has gone through so much in her young life. You can read more about her in my hero post.

Any donation you can make is greatly appreciated. Even small amounts like $10 or $20 can add up quickly. All donations are tax deductible and more than 75% of all funds raised go directly to the mission of LLS. Also, with any $50 or more donation, I will send you a signed copy of my book, God and Cancer. Check out the great reviews on Amazon for more information about this book.

If you aren't able to donate any money, please pray for safety during my training, Peyton's ongoing recovery, and that more cures will be found for these awful diseases. So much progress has been made already, but there is still more to do and we can play an important part in the effort to wipe out leukemia and lymphoma.

Here's a shot of me wearing my "Relentless" Team in Training shirt while finishing the Aurora BayCare Triathlon in Green Bay last month.

Thanks for reading!

On July 12, 2006, I was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia. At the time, I was a Christian school teacher earning about a third of what a public school teacher makes during a year. And since I couldn't teach for the first few months of the school year, the school could not afford to pay me. We had virtually no income for several months.

While insurance took care of the vast majority of our medical expenses, it would not cover the cost of some supplies I needed once I was released from the hospital. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society stepped in and paid for these necessities for us. We were told that they didn't normally cover the items we needed, but they made an exception in our case. They also sent books and videos to help my wife and kids understand what was going on, and they gave my wife an 800 number to call if she ever needed to talk to someone or just needed someone to cry with.

(Crossing the "Finish Swine" at the Cincinnati Flying Pig half marathon)

Now I have an opportunity to give back. I signed up with Team in Training for a few reasons. First, I want to do my part to help the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society continue their work to develop cures for these awful diseases. Second, I want the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to be able to help others who are in situations similar to what I was in. Third, I'm excited to be part of a team that will improve my ability to complete triathlons and other endurance events while raising crucial funds for a great cause.

My current goal is to raise $800 and then participate in the Cincinnati Half-Marathon on October 19. If I can raise a little more than twice that amount ($1800) then I will register for the Nations Triathlon in Washington D.C. in September instead (which benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society).

Would you consider partnering with me to attain these goals? All donations are tax deductible and more than 75% of all funds goes directly to the mission of the LLS.

Also, if you donate $50 or more, I will send you a complimentary copy of my book, God and Cancer. Check out the book's Amazon page for details and reviews.

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.