In preparation for a fundraiser tomorrow (Thank you Ashley!), I revisited some of the information that I was given at the beginning of this endeavor.  This is why I am running 26.2 miles. 

Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are cancers that originate in the bone marrow or lymphatic tissue as the result of an acquired genetic injury to the DNA of a single cell.  The cell then becomes malignant and multiplies continuously.  This abnormal accumulation interferes with the production of healthy blood cells.  An estimated 823,349 Americans are living with blood cancers.  Every 5 minutes someone new is diagnosed with a blood cancer.  Every 10 minutes someone dies.
LEUKEMIA
- In the United States, 218,659 people are living with or in remission from leukemia.
- Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20.
- The relative five-year survival rate for patients with leukemia has more than tripled in the past 46 years. 
LYMPHOMA
- There are 544,266 people today living with lymphoma: 138,313 have or are in remission from Hodgkin lymphoma;  405,953 have or are in remission from Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
- Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is the fifth most common cancer in the United States, and its age-adjusted incidence rose by nearly 84 percent from 1975 - 2004.
- The five-year survival rate for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma rose from 73 percent in 1975 to 86 percent in 2004.
- The five-year survival rate for NHL patients rose from 48 percent in 1975 to 64 percent in 2003.
MYELOMA
- In 2007, 19,900 new case of myeloma will be diagnosed in the United States. 
- Overall five-year survival has shown significant improvement since the 1960s, but was still only 34 percent in 2003. 

THE LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services.  Founded in 1949, we are relentless in pursuit of our mission:

Cure Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and Myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

The Society has invested more than $550 million in research since its inception in 1949, $61.6 million in fiscal year 2006 alone.  Research funded by the Society has led or contributed to advances such as chemotherapy, bone marrow and stem cell transplantation, and new, targeted therapies that kill cancer cells without harming normal ones. 

The Society also provides education for patients, families, and medical professionals; support groups for patients, families, and friends; and patient financial aid to help cover qualifying expenses, like prescription co-pays and transportation to treatment.

Thank you so much to all of my friends and family who have already donated.  I don’t think that you can really even fully grasp the difference that your money has and will make. 

 Last week, on Saturday morning, I ran exactly 9 miles.  I ran for so long (over an hour, closer to two) that I had to eat “gu.”  Gu is a gel full of carbs and sodium and sugar.  It is designed for athletes (often runners) who will be active longer than an hour and use all of the energy stores in their body.  In order to be able to keep going once all of your energy has been depleted, you have to eat this (sort of gross) gu stuff and wash it down with a few good swallows of water.  I’ve put off doing this for as long as possible, but last weekend I could it avoid it no longer.  Fifty minutes into my run, I slowed down ripped open my vanilla bean gu and squeezed it into my mouth.  Not so bad.  EXTREMELY salty and EXTREMELY sweet at the same time.  Didn’t know that was possible.  A few swigs of water and I began running again.  I had about fifty more minutes to go.  Three or four minutes later, I glanced at my watch and then glanced back again to confirm.  I was going faster than I had in the beginning.  I felt great.  I couldn’t believe what a difference the gu had made.  My tired muscles didn’t feel so tired.  Miles 5, 6, and 7 seemed to fly by.  With about a half mile left, I realized that I was out of gas.  I looked at my watch again and noted that if my run were to continue it would be time to eat another gu.  I was blown away.  That stuff works.  My body needed that energy because it couldn’t store enough at any one time for me to run (well) longer than an hour.

And that’s the story of how I became a believer in GU.

Well, I made it.  Just barely.  My goal was to raise 25% of $4,000 by March 18th.  Here it is March 19th and I have raised $1,021. 

 My next goal is to complete my fundraising by May 19th.  That means I need to raise $2,979 in exactly two months. 

 Here goes nothin’…

Well, some have called me crazy, and I can’t necessarily prove that they are wrong, but I am very excited to tell you that I plan to run 26.2 miles on June 1^st, 2008 in the San Diego Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon to raise funds and awareness for research leading to a cure for leukemia and related cancers.

Leukemia is a malignancy of the blood-forming tissues – bone marrow, lymph nodes and spleen. It appears as uncontrolled multiplication of abnormal blood cells. When leukemia strikes, millions of abnormal and useless white blood cells accumulate in the tissues, preventing the production of normal cells. It is estimated that leukemia and its related cancers will strike over 100,000 Americans this year. Every week 1,155 Americans will lose their lives to this disease. Leukemia is the number one killing disease of children, yet affects 10 times as many adults. The cause of leukemia remains unknown. However, the effectiveness of recently developed treatment methods and steady advances in research bring us closer every day to finding the cause of leukemia and related cancers and probable cures.

I am running this marathon in honor of a little boy named Cole, who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia at the age of 3 ½. He is almost 6 years old now and has finished the first of three intensive treatments.  He lives with his parents and two sisters in Tacoma and he loves playing baseball and Playstation with his dad.  He begins pre-school this fall.      

As a member of Team In Training, I have a coach, a mentor, a training program and over 150 teammates to support me. I have committed to train 5 days a week with team trainings on the weekends, and I’ve promised to raise $4,000 in donations to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Even as I write, I am a little sore from my training run this morning, but I know that I can do this and I cannot tell you in words how excited I am!

I hope you agree with me about the importance of this cause. Please help support me by giving generously. Seventy-five percent of all funds go directly to research, and your contribution is tax deductible (Tax ID # 13-5644916). Contributing money is a powerful way to be involved when you can’t give your time and every little bit helps.  If your company matches charitable contributions, please include matching forms with your donation. 

Please come back to AnnGuthrie.com to keep track of my progress through my blog which I plan to update weekly with the help of Chris, my loving husband and supporter in this endeavor.  You can also donate online through this link or simply click the team in training logo on the right hand side.  Of course, I also would greatly appreciate your prayer and encouragement as I take on this new adventure.

With my sincere thanks,

Ann Guthrie