March 1, 2009
To all my family, friends and associates,
In keeping with my inability to focus on any one thing at a time, I’m attempting another triathlon. However, this isn’t any race; it’s the Vineman Ironman 70.3 Triathlon in Sonoma California on July 19th. This half-ironman distance triathlon involves a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and a 13.1 mile run. And what better way to do it than by raising money for cancer research. If you ever watched any of the endurance races on TV, or in person, you may have asked who all those people in purple were. Well, now I’ll be one of them. I’ve joined up with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team-in-Training program. I’ll be training and racing for honored teammates Jason O’Hara and Alfred Duron.
Jason was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemai (ALL) at 4 1/2 and he underwent 134 weeks of chemotherapy enduring several hundred shots and harsh medicines, long hospital stays, and many days of being sick. Currently Jason is in remission and is hoping for a cure to his life threatening disease as it could come back at anytime.
Alfred was diagnosed this past December and is undergoing a very aggressive regime of treatment. He is currently at Stage 4B meaning that cancer has spread throughout his body and his prognosis isn’t very good. But he is strong and doing everything he can to fight this disease and win!
To help Jason and Alfred, as well as others like him, I’ve committed to raising $5,500 and to completing this half-ironman triathlon with Team-in-Training.
This is where I need your help. In return for my dedication to this event and to the sufferers’ and survivors’ battle with Leukemia, I’m asking for your support. Absolutely any amount will help. It all adds up! 75% of all monies go directly to research. This disease will affect over 100,000 lives this year and is the leading cause of death in children between the ages of 1 and 14. More than 5000 children will loose the battle this year. Jason is one of the luckier ones. However, the effectiveness of new treatment methods and advances in science bring us closer to finding the cause of Leukemia and related cancers. But it takes money and support from individuals to make it happen. Did I also mention that your support is 100% tax-deductible?
My training will be tough, and if any of you know how masochistic I am then you know how tough, but nowhere near as tough as the years of doctors’ visits, the months of chemotherapy, and the endless needles that cancer patients endure. To the thousands of leukemia patients, everyday is a test of endurance that I cannot imagine; theirs’ is a race much longer than what I’m training for.
Thank you so much for reading this through and for considering involvement in such an amazing cause. I have enclosed my personal web site address, so you can learn more about the program and the disease. Additionally, I have included the Vineman web site for the race information. I am also blogging daily about my experiences through the program and I would appreciate if you would keep up with my progress by visiting http://ikeloa.info! As for why ‘ike loa, you should visit my blog to find out!
My personal fundraising deadline will be here before I know it, so I ask you to give your contribution by May 15, 2009. I will be able to accept donations after this date and up to July 10th. You may donate directly from my web site or send me a check made out to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. On-line donations are safe and secure are the easiest way to make a difference. Likewise, you may call me and we can catch up because everyone knows I’m often in a fog and am horrible at keeping in touch.
Ice packs, Advil, and a personal cheering section are certainly welcome, too. Please pass this email to others that may want to help to find a cure!
Thank you again and with much appreciation!
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My blog: |
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My donation website: |
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Leukemia and Lymphoma Society: |
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Team In Training: |
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Vineman Ironman 70.3 Triathlon: |
