Crazy Girl is at it again … and this time it’s personal…

12.8.10 update -- Training continues to go well and I am on track to actually run the whole thing - this run/walking endurance thing is finally paying off and my knee continues to get better after retwisting it in July. About six weeks ago I started being able to run distances. I'm not running very fast, just a slowpokey jog that's at a steady pace, but I am finally running! Last Saturday I ran for 2hrs 40min without walking - that's huge for me! This Saturday is only a two-hour run and the Saturday after that is our longest run - 3hrs. I anticipate being on the race course for about 3.5hrs, so if all goes according to plan, I will slowly jog the whole thing in January. It's really exciting!

Update on Emily

Emily had a successful bone marrow transplant, was in the hospital for a few weeks and was able to go home and is continuing to get better on a daily basis. On 10.10.10, she celebrated her 8th birthday at home.

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I am fundraising and training for another endurance event, and this time it’s personal. As I fundraise for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and train for my next half marathon, I am doing so in honor of my friend's niece Emily and a friend from college (Elizabeth) who just told me that she is a 22-year lymphoma survivor (she battled lymphoma when she was 19 and WON!)

On January 8, 2011, I will be participating in the Disney World Half Marathon. This is my ninth half marathon (hence the nickname “Crazy Girl” – I’ve also done four marathons, yeah, I know, crazy…), and second time fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This is the first time though, that it’s been personal. I have committed to raising funds in honor of Emily and Elizabeth to help the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society continue with their mission of funding research and much needed patient services to honor those who fight these cancers daily.

Emily is the niece of a good friend of mine from college and is the same age as her daughter. She was diagnosed when she was 3 1/2, went through treatment for a few years and then went into remission in 2008. Unfortunately, Emily fully relapsed in May and had to begin undergoing treatment again. Thankfully her sister is a bone marrow match and Emily is now awaiting her bone marrow transplant at the end of August.

My training will be tough, but nowhere near as tough as the years of doctor visits, the months of chemotherapy, and the endless needles that Emily, Elizabeth and other cancer patients endure. To the thousands of leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and myelodysplastic syndromes patients, every day is a test of endurance that I cannot imagine; theirs is a race much longer than what I am training for.

My goal is $3,333 and any amount helps. Your donations, great and small, will go a long way in helping support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society accomplish their mission, and of course, your good wishes and positive vibes to sustain me in my training and your heaps of praise as I cross the finish line will also be graciously accepted. (Not sure how much to donate? $13.10 for a half marathon or $26.20 for a full marathon are some ideas. Every little bit helps and it all adds up!)

My personal fundraising deadline will be here before I know it, so I ask you to give your contribution by December 31, 2010. I will be able to accept donations after this date and up to January 31, 2011. If you decide to donate and have someone that you’d like me to walk in honor or in memory of, please let me know and I will add their name to my race day jersey.

Thank you again and with much appreciation!

Cindy

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

Thanks to funds raised by past Team in Training participants and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, five-year survival rates of Leukemia have nearly quadrupled in the last 48 years. The death rate for children has dropped by over 60%. However, there is a reason we still raise money for research and patient services. Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20. Anyone can get leukemia. Blood cancers affects all ages, races and sexes. It does not discriminate and more than likely, you know someone who has been affected by this disease. The causes of leukemia and related cancers remains unknown but the effectiveness of recently developed treatment methods and steady advances in research bring us closer everyday to find the cause of leukemia and related cancers and probable cures.