I used to buy mochas almost every day. I stopped for two reasons: calories and money. A tall mocha costs around $4 not including a tip. That's nearly $20 per week on coffee. Twenty dollars may not seem like very much, but to a cancer patient, it can go a long way toward valuable testing or treatment. A prescription for anti-nausea medication costs about $32. One week of low grade chemotherapy: $54. Monthly blood analysis: $100.

So instead of buying those coffees, I think I'll use the money to help find a cure for cancer. Will you join me?

We're now about six weeks into our training and, depite first smoke and now mosquitoes, I'm still traveling along the trails. Some days slower than others, but always moving forward (and sometimes upward as we train along the Equinox Marathon trail).

Recently award-winning actor Michael C. Hall (from Six Feet Under and Dexter) partnered with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to share his story of being diagnosed and treated for Hodgkin's Lymphoma and to encourage people to support LLS' vital cancer research. In his PSAs (http://youtu.be/yVfJH-3IKrE) he talks about how treatable and curable Hodgin's can be. Yet while it is for many, it's not curable for everyone—Hodgkin's took my sister. So I continue to work with Team in Training in hopes of some day finding a cure for EVERYONE. I hope you'll join me in supporting LLS.

Racing to Save Lives

Welcome to Andrea Swingley's Team In Training home page.

Once again I'm training with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training (TNT). This year, in addition to participating in the Equinox Marathon & Relay in Fairbanks on September 17, 2011, I'll be training for the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco on October 16. I will be running to raise funds and support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's mission of finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma, and improving the quality of life of patients and their families. In the 20+ years since its inception, TNT participants have raised more than $1 billion to support blood cancer research and patient services.

I am participating in this event in memory of Stephanie (in the photo with her two sons), my sister who battled Hodgkin's lymphoma for seven years before losing her fight, and all others who are battling blood or other cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line -- a cure!

TNT provides a dedicated coach, a training program, and teammates to encourage and support me as I train. I've committed to follow the program and train with the team on weekends.

Please make a tax-deductible donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission. Any amount you give will help -- it all adds up! With TNT, 75% of every donation goes directly to research and patient services.

I hope you will check back frequently to see my fundraising progress. Visit my blog to see how my training is going, or follow me on Facebook or Twitter, where I frequently post updates. Thanks for your support!