Six years ago my dad trained to cycle the perimeter of Lake Tahoe as a member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. At that time, I could not fathom why he was raising money to ride around a lake when he could just pay the initial fee and bam! That would be it. That's before I realized what Team in Training strives for. The members are raising funds to help stop Leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin Lymphoma and Myeloma from taking more lives. My father was completing the event in honor of all the individuals who where and are still battling blood cancers. Little did we know, 5 years after the completion of his event, my father would be diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) which is a group of diseases that affect the bone marrow and blood.
The past year not only was he diagnosed but treated and is now free of the disease. I write as though it was a piece of cake but the days were not so sweet. The weekly Blood, platelet transfusions, chemo therapy, hospital visits, and eventually bone marrow transplant all come at a price and you bet that price is real high. Luckily my father was covered and was able to get the treatment that he very much needed.
So here I am. Memories remind me everyday of the events that have occurred this past year. Sometimes I lose sight of whats truly important, from just going by my day to day activities, and then I visit my parents and it reminds me that there are things that could be done that could improve someones health, like my dads, by just taking some time out and being active. What to do? You ask. Well donating blood/platelets was one thing. For the past few months I have been donating platelets every two to three weeks. I've donated blood before and wanted to take it one step further by donating platelets. By donating that hour to 2 hours of your time, you are not just donating extra time to ones life, by you are providing an invaluable gift to their life. The next step I took to be active, was to join the Be The Match Registry with the City of Hope Hospital to hopefully, one day, accomplish what my fathers donor set out to do- and save a life.
So whats next? What do I do now?
That's what I've be continuously asking myself these past few weeks. That's when I received the email. A few months ago, while my father was still in the hospital, I signed up for informational newsletters from Team In Training and here it was, an invitation to an informative soiree for an upcoming training event and it's being held walking distance from my home. Need I say more?
I couldn't sign up fast enough. On October 16th, 2011, I will be running the Nike Womens Marathon. Yes. That's what I said. MARATHON. This is big- no, a HUGE- step for me. This adventure is not my usual pursuit by any means. But we have one life to live, right?
So as I train, a mile at a time, there's something you can do to give me that little push of inspiration. Donate to assist me in reaching my fundraising goal of $3,200. It would be a 100% tax-deductible donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You wouldn't just be contributing to my race, but towards making life easier for those who are battling with blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line- a cure!
You bet I'll be updating my progress frequently, so please be sure to visit back often.
Till next time,
Peace, love, and happiness.
The past year not only was he diagnosed but treated and is now free of the disease. I write as though it was a piece of cake but the days were not so sweet. The weekly Blood, platelet transfusions, chemo therapy, hospital visits, and eventually bone marrow transplant all come at a price and you bet that price is real high. Luckily my father was covered and was able to get the treatment that he very much needed.
So here I am. Memories remind me everyday of the events that have occurred this past year. Sometimes I lose sight of whats truly important, from just going by my day to day activities, and then I visit my parents and it reminds me that there are things that could be done that could improve someones health, like my dads, by just taking some time out and being active. What to do? You ask. Well donating blood/platelets was one thing. For the past few months I have been donating platelets every two to three weeks. I've donated blood before and wanted to take it one step further by donating platelets. By donating that hour to 2 hours of your time, you are not just donating extra time to ones life, by you are providing an invaluable gift to their life. The next step I took to be active, was to join the Be The Match Registry with the City of Hope Hospital to hopefully, one day, accomplish what my fathers donor set out to do- and save a life.
So whats next? What do I do now?
That's what I've be continuously asking myself these past few weeks. That's when I received the email. A few months ago, while my father was still in the hospital, I signed up for informational newsletters from Team In Training and here it was, an invitation to an informative soiree for an upcoming training event and it's being held walking distance from my home. Need I say more?
I couldn't sign up fast enough. On October 16th, 2011, I will be running the Nike Womens Marathon. Yes. That's what I said. MARATHON. This is big- no, a HUGE- step for me. This adventure is not my usual pursuit by any means. But we have one life to live, right?
So as I train, a mile at a time, there's something you can do to give me that little push of inspiration. Donate to assist me in reaching my fundraising goal of $3,200. It would be a 100% tax-deductible donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You wouldn't just be contributing to my race, but towards making life easier for those who are battling with blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line- a cure!
You bet I'll be updating my progress frequently, so please be sure to visit back often.
Till next time,
Peace, love, and happiness.