Yes, I'm off on a new adventure! I have joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program because it is hard to resist such exciting challenges for such a great cause. I've committed myself for the next 5 months to training for the Anchorage Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon and fundraising $4,000 to support the Society's mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

I know you are thinking, "A 26.2 mile marathon? Fundraising $4,000? Are you crazy?" Well, I thought so too at first, but Team In Training is the largest marathon training program in the world and if the other 30,000 people across the country can do it, then so can I!

I will also be running in honor of my new friend, Alicia Silva, a 34-year-old mother of two who was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma but is currently in remission. Her picture and more information are included with this letter. I am also running in memory of Jennifer Ray, a 26-year-old single mother of one who passed away last July. She was a former U.S. Army soldier and daughter of a co-worker. Jennifer courageously battled leukemia for over two years and is survived by a beautiful 3-year-old daughter.

Did you know that leukemia is the #1 disease killer of children between the ages of 1 and 14 and ten times more adults get leukemia? Over 640,000 people will be diagnosed with a form of leukemia this year and more than 60,400 will die. This said, the Society has made amazing progress. In 1960, the cure rate for kids with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia was only 4%. Today, over 80% survive more than 5 years because of advances in research and treatment. Over the past 5 years, the Society and Team In Training has provided $102 million to support research to find cures and advance the treatments for leukemia and the related cancers.

I can do the marathon part of the Team In Training challenge, but I need your help to meet my $4,000 fundraising goal. All donations to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society are 100% tax deductible and very much appreciated. If you are able to sponsor me in my Team In Training challenge, please go to "form link" (under "links"), download a form and either charge your donation or make your check payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. (Please be sure to note my Participant ID #670-105 on your check.) To be able to reach my goal of $4,000 by the deadline, I'm asking for donations to be received by March 30, 2001. Donations received after that date will be accepted and appreciated.

Thank you for your support in advance. Team In Training is a great challenge for me but it is nothing compared to the challenges Alicia Silva and other leukemia patients face on a daily basis. I will keep you up-to-date on my training and fundraising progress and I look forward to crossing the finish line in June, thanks to your support!

Sincerely,


Molly O'Donnell
Team In Training Member