Tuesday, July 29, 2008

"In order to save my life, they'd have to almost kill me."

As promised...

One of my Teammates in Training presented us with a Mission Moment before we embarked upon our mini-triathlon on Saturday. Joe is a young bloke, big cyclist. Upon seeing him initially, you wouldn't think he'd ever had cancer. However, he was diagnosed with Burkitt's-- aka non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Apparently it's super rare and after exhausting all other options, he was left only with an experimental treatment. Can you even start to imagine the emotional intensity of that situation?? Honestly, it blows my mind. Anyways, he decided to give the experimental treatment a shot. He said it was essentially taking the amount of chemo someone should receive over two months and administering it over two weeks. "In order to save my life, they'd have to almost kill me." The most remarkable part of it all? The experimental treatment worked. Joe is now participating in the Chicago Triathlon and has done many cycling events prior. The research that LLS is conducting to find these new treatments is hardly some clowns goofing off in a laboratory tinkering around with chemicals. And it also isn't an organization that gets nowhere in its research. The research that is being done is to actually find cures, and the things they find are working! How exciting is that? How can that not motivate you to support their pursuit of a cure? I am blue in the face from preaching about the quality and integrity of LLS, but there's just something about hearing it from someone who has experienced their success first hand that really drives it home.
Joe made another important point: it's because of organizations like Team in Training that a lot of the research LLS is able to conduct is possible. On Saturday we learned that the Chicago Team has raised over $100,000. That's phenomenal and I am so proud of all my donors who have contributed to that!

We are definitely in the home stretch of fundraising. The last leg is always the hardest. We are sitting strong at $1,455 (two checks are being processed, that is the discrepancy from the website). That leaves $545 to raise before the 4th. Let's push through and finish this strong. Let's enable LLS to continue their extensive research that will find more answers in the realm of blood cancers. DONATE today.

Below are some pictures of the mini-tri from Saturday. They're very telling.


This was our transition area. Note the grassy knoll-- not a beach. Whatever, I don't hold a grudge.


Getting ready... ...Panicking...


Herky-Jerky Hip Coach addresses the TEAM. Find my facial expression, it's worth it.

Headed down to the water... "Sometimes I wonder what the hell I got myself into..."

The 'stampede'.. haha

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