A plea for help from my inbox. I encourage you to help any way you can…
Hello! As you probably know, October 24,2005 I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy: Ethan Luke Denly. Ethan is now 3 months old and beginning to sleep more consistently at night. With this change I have gained a little more energy and I now find myself capable of actually exercising on a regular basis. Imagine that!
I also recently found a couple of hours (while folding laundry) to watch the movie ?Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.? In this movie (WARNING!!! Spoiler ahead!) a young girl dies of leukemia. Yet it is not her death that weighs most heavily on your mind later. It is the way that she lived the short life she had. Her courage and compassion were inspiring. It reminded me of my long held desire to someday complete a marathon on the behalf of patients like her.
By doing a little online research, I found the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society?s Team in Training website. After careful consideration and even a trial period where I tested my ability to include such rigorous training in my daily life without sacrificing my priorities (i.e. caring for Ethan, keeping a clean house, studying my Bible, etc.), I decided to go ahead and commit myself to participating in their program.
I am now training to participate in the San Diego Rock ?n? Roll Marathon as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training. All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I’m completing this marathon in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people (our Honored Teammates) are the real heroes on our team.
The San Diego Rock ?n? Roll Marathon will take place June 4, 2006 and consists of a 26.2-mile course running through the downtown and Mission Bay areas. Maybe someone slipped a little crazy serum into my epidural line, but I actually believe that I can do this! I know that not everyone suffers from the same insanity as I, so don?t worry. I?m not asking you to join me. (Although I?d be happy to point you in the direction of registration should you be a fellow victim of this particular mental illness!) Instead, I am writing in the hope that you will be gracious enough to ignore my insanity and focus on the real problem at hand: there are currently no cures for these diseases.
Completing this marathon will be challenging but it pales compared to what cancer patients endure. I hope you agree with me about the importance of this cause. Please help me to honor the courage of these cancer patients by donating generously. Contributing money is a powerful way to be involved and make a real difference; and 75% of donations go directly to research. Of course, your good wishes and support will also sustain me in my training and during the marathon.
My required fundraising minimum for participating in this event is $1700, but I believe that with your help I can not only meet that goal but surpass it. So, whatever you can spare, please don?t hesitate to donate. My deadline for meeting the minimum of $1700 is Saturday, March 18, 2006 and donations can take up to 3 weeks to process, so PLEASE have your donations in no later than February 24, 2006!!! Donations are fully tax deductible and are welcome no matter how small or large. You can donate with a check or money order made out to the “Leukemia & Lymphoma Society” (mail to my address below) or, you can donate online at this secure website:
I hope you’ll visit my web site often and be sure to check back frequently for updates. I also have a blog on which I record my daily training progress: shesgettingthere.blogspot.com
If you donate $100 or more, I will include your name as a Generous Donor on both my blog and the hat I will wear at the starting line.
If you would like me to race in honor of a loved one you lost to cancer, someone who is battling cancer, or a survivor, please mail or email me their name and I will include them as an Honored Teammate listed on the back of the shirt that I will wear at the starting line.
Thanks for your support!
