Many people know that for over a year I’ve been actively involved with the Greater Bay Area Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. Last fall I trained for and ran in the Nike Women’s Half Marathon and raised $2700 for blood cancer research. I ran in honor of a friend, Maggie, who was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2012. I’ve made so many good friends through Team. I’ve met survivors; people who themselves survived blood cancer and people who were survived by someone who didn’t. I run for all of them. I met some very special people last Fall. Stephanie Waxman, who was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of leukemia 2 years ago; who walked the NWHM with Team Stephanie and crossed the finish line just over a year after being diagnosed and undergoing a life-saving bone marrow transplant; who is now running with us this season. Christine Attia, who joined our team in August (3 months before the race!) and just 4 months after she lost her fiance, Dave LaRiche to Acute Myeloid Leukemia in April 2013. He was just 27. These two extraordinary women touched me deeply. Their stories were so relate-able. We three continued on to subsequent seasons; Christine and Stephanie on the Summer Team and I on the Spring Team. Little did I know then what a monumental Fall season we were about to embark on.
Christine and Stephanie had been throwing around the idea of forming another team with LLS/TNT to raise money directed specifically towards AML. “Wishful thinking” has resulted in a campaign that Christine has spearheaded called, Team on Fire. I went to an event honoring Dave on the 1 year anniversary of his passing and Christine told me that this was an idea in progress. I told her then, “I’m IN!”. (The survival rate of AML 5 years post-treatment is still only 25%). Well, our respective seasons ended. I signed back on to be a Mentor for our Fall season and I talked to Christine again. This time the campaign has grown and the goal of Team on Fire is to raise $250,000 aimed at funding research and treatment specific to AML, and she’s asked me to be the Team on Fire mentor. Of course I was so excited I actually almost burst. (And after I regained my composure I said YES!!!)
And so we begin, with Christine as Captain, Stephanie and Lois Markovich (cancer survivor!) as Honored Teammates and myself as Mentor, Team on Fire as of today has 29 AML-fighting, run-spired members and we’re growing. This is a NATIONAL campaign through Team in Training, so anyone, anywhere can join our fight. We need to meet more survivors and our hope is that with more research and advancement specific to AML, we will. Our Dave, and our Maggie, and every other person diagnosed with a form of Leukemia will not be discussing end-of-life at age 27 or looking at a 5-year survival rate, because AML will be a cancer that has a high cure-rate. WE CAN DO THIS. WE WILL DO THIS.
I am so incredibly proud to be a part of this team and to be surrounded by such strong and determined people. All survivors in their own right.
To give you an idea of the beauty, courage, strength and determination that has developed over the past year, please visit the Team in Training Homepage, where Christine was interviewed just after she rocked the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in October 2013.
http://www.teamintraining.org/alumni/stories/christine_attia/
My single hope is that everyone reading will take a look at my page, at our Team Page and learn about what we are going to do. By raising enough money to fund a specific grant, this will make a difference in the recovery of AML patient’s and their families. I hope that you might follow our progress. Maybe come to an event. Maybe dig even a bit deeper and make a donation to me or our Team. I’m looking forward to sharing this journey with you.
Here is the link to my personal page: http://pages.teamintraining.org/gba/nikesf14/bkellyj5jp
Here is the link to the Team On Fire team page: http://pages.teamintraining.org/gba/nikesf14/TeamOnFire
THANK YOU for reading. Happy Running!
Brie
runfunfood. 