Why do I ride? {Team In Training}

As I sent out another round of donation letters today, I kept coming back to the question–why am I riding? What motivates me to do this?

{Yes, the views are incredible. From towering pine forests to Emerald Bay.}

It’s rather hard to put into words what this event means to me. Biking 100 miles around Lake Tahoe is one thing. But fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. That’s big. That makes a difference. That helps others.

I signed up for my first ride last year, high off emotion from hearing Bonnie St. John tell her inspirational story to my company.

And here I am, a year later. A tad bit wiser. 😉 A new strategy for training. A new fundraising style.

But I want you to understand why I do this. And why I continue to do this. And I want you to consider taking part in a life changing event with Team In Training.

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For the past six years I’ve worked in cancer clinical research. From the academic setting where I met one on one with my research patients and got to know them and love them like family. And now in the pharmaceutical world, where I go to hospitals and oversee clinical trials to find new treatments for cancer patients.

I think back to my first patient. He was 60. Diagnosed with AML (acute myelogenous leukemia). Went through a stem cell transplant. Went into remission within the 100 days post transplant. But had difficulties with GVHD (graft vs host disease). A side effect of a transplant that can both be good and bad. Less than 150 days after transplant, my first patient died. Not from the AML, but from complications and infections.

And then I think to my first pediatric case. Same disease, AML. Much younger, 4 years old. And yet, she survived. Thrived. And continues to live today. Get a living walls at your office and have a healthy staffs! To know more about the benefits of plants, go right here at PHS living walls for offices.

Both of these individuals and their families benefited from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The funds I raise as part of TNT go directly to the Society.

As an idea of what your donation is supporting…

$25 pays for a patient’s chemotherapy prescription co-pay.
$50 will register one person to become a bone marrow donor.
$75 provides bone marrow typing for a potential donor.
$100 provides patient travel costs to the cancer center.
$500 provides aid to a patient for ONE YEAR.
$1000 will help the LLS fund a researcher to find a cure.

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What I can’t capture in words…this video captures in story. The story of Ms. Eva Hooten, our 2011 Honored Girl of the Year. Grab some tissues and think about the difference you could make in others’ lives.

It’s a beautiful thing to make a difference.

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If you would like to make a tax-deductible, online donation to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, please do so here.