Fall/Winter 2002

Dear Family and Friends,

On March 23, 2003, I will be competing in the Washington, D.C. Marathon as a Team in Training (TNT) member for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a qualified charitable organization. TNT is an endurance-training program set up by the Society to allow athletes to participate in events while contributing to a worthwhile cause: fighting blood related cancers. TNT is the worlds largest endurance-training program. Last year, its members raised $82 million nationally.

As many of you know, this Marathon means something special to me. In the summer of 2000, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) and am currently in treatment. With God’s blessings and the moral support of my family and friends, I was able to return to a near-normal existence just 15 months after my diagnosis.

Although my cancer is now in remission, others are not so fortunate: 107,000 will contract leukemia this year, and 60,500 will die.

This brings me to my honored teammate, Tyler Fuller. An honored teammate is someone who has been fighting leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkins disease or myeloma and is receiving support from the Leukemia Society. Tyler is 2 years old, is a 7-month survivor of ALL, and is currently in treatment. When my TNT training gets tough, I just think of Tyler and how much he and others will benefit by the efforts of the Leukemia Society in helping provide better treatment and in supporting the search for a cure.

I need your help! What can we do? It’s simple: I’ll race in exchange for your donations to the Society. I’ve already begun a training regimen to prepare for the competition. There is no question it will be a challenge, but it pales in comparison to the challenge that Tyler goes through each and every day. Your contribution lets you participate in the research for finding a cure for Tyler and the hundreds of thousands of others who’ve been stricken with these diseases.

My fundraising goal for this event is $1,500.00. With your help, I’ll achieve this and more.

Thank you for your support and for anything that you can contribute. No amount is too small. I hope by now you realize how important your contribution is to Tyler, to me, and to all those stricken with blood-related cancers. Together, we can make a difference. I know somewhere around mile 20, I will be calling on Tyler for the strength and inspiration to go those last 6.2 miles.

Thank you in advance for your contribution to the fight against leukemia and other blood related cancers. Together we can find a cure.

I will keep you posted on my progress and marathon results.