In support of Kari running for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society with Team in Training, I am posting her fundraising letter in hopes that YOU will feel inclined to donate. Thank you in advance for your support. Here is Kari’s letter:
Racing to Save Lives
What I am doing:
I am running in the Portland ½ Marathon this year on 10-10-10. I’ve never been a runner. In fact, the only reason I couldn’t get an A in high school P.E. is, because I couldn’t run the mile. Times have changed, and so have my goals.
On May 5th, I signed up to become a member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) – Team In Training (TNT) – program. Team In Training will guide me in my journey to accomplish my goal and in turn I will raise funds to support this worthy cause. Over the next 5 months, I will be on a strict training regimen and will run over 400 miles. This is where You come in.
Why I am doing it:
25 years ago this year, my older brother Kevin lost his life to Leukemia. Ever since then, I feel there has been a little piece of me missing.
Kevin was diagnosed on March 28th 1983 with acute myelogenous leukemia. He was 10 years old, I was 8, our little sister Jaime was 3, and our little brother D.J. was not quite a year old. My younger siblings and I were so young that we didn’t understand the full extent of what was happening to Kevin. The one regret I have is not loving my big brother while I could, while he was here with me. Instead I was a messy, pesky little sister who did whatever I could to annoy him. I guess that’s what little sisters do.
Kevin undertook a lot of chemotherapy treatments. Something a child should never have to endure. In 1983, there were not many options for Leukemia patients. Somehow my parents managed to hold our family together despite the constant sadness of having to see their child in continual pain.
Kevin needed a bone marrow transplant. Because Kevin and I had the same mother and father, I was tested to see if I would be a match. Nothing in life is perfect, and my DNA wasn’t a perfect match. On September 16, 1985, Kevin lost his battle with Leukemia.
This is why I choose to run. I want to do for Kevin today what I wasn’t able to do 25 years ago. I am running to help find a cure for Leukemia. I am running to help make those families’ lives who are stricken with blood cancers a little easier. I am running so no other little sister has to lose her big brother before they can grow to become best friends. And, so no other older brother has to suffer the way my brother did.
What your donation does:
In 1983, not only was treatment limited, but so was family assistance. Families of blood cancer patients had to rely on one another for support. Today, the LLS is there to provide support to patients, families, and others who are directly impacted by these blood diseases.
This is what your money provides:
•A donation of $25 provides patients and their loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options.
•A donation of $50 makes possible a Family Support group with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members.
•A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures.
•$500 could provide patient aid to a person with Leukemia or a related cancer for a year.
•A donation of $1,000 makes possible one- on-one conversations with health care specialists who provide patients with information about their disease, treatment options, and helps prepare them with questions for their health care team.
How you can support me:
I NEED your support to help accomplish my goals. My goal is to raise $2010 by September 16th. I appreciate any amount you can donate. It all adds up and remember every donation is 100% tax deductable.
Also, please don’t keep this message to yourself. Please share this letter with everyone you know.
If you want to see how my training is coming along you can visit and share my blog http://runstrongrun.wordpress.com/.
Please donate by visiting my website http://pages.teamintraining.org/oswim/portland10/kstrong.
Thank you for all your support!
Kari
