My Story
Hi Everyone!
As a person whose life was saved by cancer-drugs funded by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), I have dedicated my life to "paying it forward" and raising funds to wipe out this rotten disease. I have become even more determined after meeting literally thousands of people whose lives have also been impacted by this disease.
I joined the Team for my very first season on January 23rd, 2010. This was the day after my final treatment of my Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The Chemo drugs, Rituxian and Prednisone were inside of me doing their magic, and I was ready to give back. The Rituxian drug that I received targeted the bad "B" cells that lived in my blood. It wiped out the bad guys, and sent me into a remission. The Rituxian drug was partially funded by Team in Training/ Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The Walenstroms NH Lymphoma was now under control, but it is still a non-curable form of blood cancer. The Lymphoma left me with extreme nerve damage in my legs and feet. Today, it still feels like there is a bus parked on my feet 24 hours a day, never moves. My legs feel like concrete or like I am wearing ice blocks. I've lost 50% of my hearing, and I still have bad head pressure. But I won't let it stop me. I am now on 10th season with the TEAM, and I am on a mission to save lives from this rotten disease. I totally believe that you can't let anything stop you of your dreams. You just Go For It no matter what! My familly tried to stop me from running that marathon back in 2010 (they said I was crazy!)-- but, after realizing they couldn't stop me, they joined and started fundraising as well. We have raised over $110,000 in the past four years.
As a person whose life was saved by cancer-drugs funded by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), I have dedicated my life to "paying it forward" and raising funds to wipe out this rotten disease. I have become even more determined after meeting literally thousands of people whose lives have also been impacted by this disease.
I joined the Team for my very first season on January 23rd, 2010. This was the day after my final treatment of my Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The Chemo drugs, Rituxian and Prednisone were inside of me doing their magic, and I was ready to give back. The Rituxian drug that I received targeted the bad "B" cells that lived in my blood. It wiped out the bad guys, and sent me into a remission. The Rituxian drug was partially funded by Team in Training/ Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The Walenstroms NH Lymphoma was now under control, but it is still a non-curable form of blood cancer. The Lymphoma left me with extreme nerve damage in my legs and feet. Today, it still feels like there is a bus parked on my feet 24 hours a day, never moves. My legs feel like concrete or like I am wearing ice blocks. I've lost 50% of my hearing, and I still have bad head pressure. But I won't let it stop me. I am now on 10th season with the TEAM, and I am on a mission to save lives from this rotten disease. I totally believe that you can't let anything stop you of your dreams. You just Go For It no matter what! My familly tried to stop me from running that marathon back in 2010 (they said I was crazy!)-- but, after realizing they couldn't stop me, they joined and started fundraising as well. We have raised over $110,000 in the past four years.
I have been told so many times that running marathons, ultramarathons and half-ironmans are crazy and impossible for someone with my diagnosis, but I have been able to do all of it. Others that have Waldenstroms NH Lymphoma describe their legs like thatof Frankenstein, and they don't even want to climb up stairs. The pain is that nasty! The more pain that I feel,......the more determined I get to fund new cures! My cancer diagnosis has actually propelled me to do the impossible, and it really got me moving as I take nothing for granted in life. I believe that we all have dreams that we put off in our lifetime, maybe because of timing or we just might believe impossible.
Well.........It's time to prove the possible!!
Well.........It's time to prove the possible!!
Please join me in my dream and maybe run a 10K or marathon ,take singing lessons, learn to ice skate and go for it collectively. Please SHARE this message with your friends and family and let's all make 50000 dreams come true as we fund new cures. In the past, diseases like polio, tuberculosis, malaria and others were once said to be uncurable or impossible. Yeah Right!!
Please join me in supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) by making a donation to my fundraising campaign. Every dollar I raise counts as one vote . But it is not about winning this campaign for me, it is about winning the fight with cancer.
Please join me in supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) by making a donation to my fundraising campaign. Every dollar I raise counts as one vote . But it is not about winning this campaign for me, it is about winning the fight with cancer.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
LLS's continued advancements over the years, are responsible for the blood cancer survival rate doubling and tripling; in some cases, the survival rate has even quadrupled. 9 out of 10 children now BEAT Leukemia that was considered impossible in 1955.
And many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are now used to treat patients with rare forms of stomach and skin cancers. They're even being tested in clinical trials for patients with a range of cancers including lung, brain, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers. LLS funded drugs like Gleevec, Sprycel, Arinza, Tasigna and Zolinza are now being tested for patients with other non-cancerous diseases like Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Multiple Sclerosis.
We really are changing the face of blood cancer!
All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. They'll not only support LLS research but patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services as well.
