Team in Training

Dear family and friends:

On March 17th, 2012, my brother T and I are running the CareFirst Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in our nation’s capital, Washington DC. We’re running with Team in Training (TNT), a national organization focused on training athletes to complete endurance events all over the world. TNT provides coaching and support as we prepare our bodies for the grueling distance. In turn, we must raise a mimimum of $1200 per person to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s work toward finding a cure for blood cancers.

But I bet you’re wondering why we’re putting ourselves through all of this? In May 2011, T and I got the news that everyone dreads. Our Dad, P, had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

For several weeks we all held our breath while he underwent tests, doctor appointments and more tests. In June, we got good news. Our Dad’s cancer was indolent, follicular lymphoma – a slow moving form that readily lends itself to treatment and can often be managed for the duration of a person’s life with limited adverse impact. Relieved, we joked that he had hit the cancer jackpot. No one wants cancer, no matter how slow moving, but his particular diagnosis was met with some relief.

In late July 2011, our Dad finished nearly three weeks of radiation, a treatment the doctors said could CURE his lymphoma. All signs point to his complete recovery and we’re hopeful that his November 2011 doctor visit will reveal just that. In the mean time, he’s busy enjoying life and staying active. Our Dad has never been one to take life lying down and that was his commitment when he told us about his diagnosis – that while there might be tough days there would be no giving up.

So clearly, we’re running to honor our Dad, our own Greek warrior, in his fight with lymphoma. But just as importantly, we’re running for families who aren’t as lucky as we are – for those patients for whom a round of radiation is just the beginning. We’re running to ensure that someday soon, no child will have to hear the words drop from their father’s mouth, “I have cancer.” And no parent will have to watch their son or daughter surrender their childhood to this disease.

Every dollar we raise contributes to the vital cause of finding a cure and we can’t do it alone. If you’d like to pledge your support, donations can be made by accessing our fundraising websites.

And if you’d like to come support us as we burn through 13.1 miles, we’d love a cheering section – come on down!

Thank you for your support! It means more than we can say to our family and to countless others.