Racing to Save Lives

Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

I'm training to participate in an endurance event as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers (especially to those innocent, young children who are suffering at such an early stage in their lives). These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - A Cure!

As some of you may or may not know, in October 2009, I went in to have routine surgery to remove a cyst from the middle of my lower back. It turned out that the cyst was not a cyst at all, but actually a cancer called DFSP, a very rare form of cancer that occurs in the skin. Although benign, it was aggressive, had been misdiagnosed in my body for over 5 years (thus it had a lengthy headstart) and was on the verge of metastisizing into the rest of my body. I was LUCKY, very lucky, that the "cyst" was bothering me enough to warrant a trip to the dermatologist for an exam.

I was extremely fortunate to have had a great job (which allowed me to work from home during my ordeal), good health insurance (to pay for the multiple surgeries), and an excellent support group (to help me recover after surgery).

Others are sometimes not as fortunate and experience great challenges and suffering as a result of chemotherapy, intense surgeries, not to mention the overwhelming burdern of medical expenses.

This is why I have chosen to run in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's "Team In Training" Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon on June 5th in San Diego.

I have a personal goal of raising $5800 as a team with my colleague Amanda Jones. I am reaching out to as many people as I can to ask for support in donations as well as in encouragement. This is something I have never done before. I ran track in college as a sprinter. Long Distance to me was 400 meters (once around the track)!

But, when I put things into perspective, it is a small task to overcome compared to the daily challenges faced by the victims of blood cancers.

SO, please consider giving what you can. Times are tough, but giving is as easy as clicking a few buttons on my link below. We effortlessly swipe our cards daily to buy: fast food, an over-priced latte, alcohol at the bar, and those seductively packaged, bulk items at Costco:) You get the point.

Thank you in advance and I am training extremely hard to represent US well in my efforts.

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnr11/chattix

or you can make out a check to: LLS and mail it to PO BOX 45481, Seattle, Wa 98145.

I hope you will visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress.