Got any spare change?

In order to help with the fundraising, I am sending out a letter to my friends, family and coworkers. Here is the letter.

Dear friends,

In today’s society, “cancer” is unfortunately no longer an unfamiliar word. It is estimated that more than 1 million people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer this year in the U.S. alone. Among these are the bone cancers, including lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma. These painful diseases affect all sectors of the American population, with leukemia being the deadliest cancer among children and young adults. However, due to recent research, the 5-year survival rates for bone cancers has doubled and in some cases tripled since 1960.

In order to help foster this research and promote cancer awareness, I am participating in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training Program. This program began in 1988, when Bruce Cleland of Rye, NY formed a team that raised funds and trained to run the New York City Marathon in honor of Cleland's daughter Georgia, a leukemia survivor. This team raised more than $300,000 for the Society.

In continuing with this tradition, I will be training to participate in the Tour de Tucson in November of this year. This is a 109-mile race in and around the city of Tucson, Arizona. That’s right, over a hundred miles through the desert. But it’s a “dry heat”, so I’m pretty sure I’ll survive it. With less than three months left until game time, I’ve got a lot of work to do to get myself in shape!

I will also be raising funds for cancer research. Please help me meet my goal of raising $3500 for this important cause. Visit my web site at http://www.active.com/donate/tntok/ajudd to donate, or contact me for other methods of donation. Consider a gift of $100 (less than $1 per mile). Of course, all donations are greatly appreciated. Even $25 can go a long way. And at least 75% of all donations go directly to research. Do what you can to support the 800,000 Americans living with bone cancers and help find a cure!

I will be posting pictures and updates at the above website throughout the process.

Thanks for all your help!

For more information about the Team in Training program, visit http://www.teamintraining.org/hm_tnt

Read about the efforts of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society:

http://lls.org/hm_lls

The statistics came from the 2006 LLS Facts Brochure.