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Dear Friends, Family, And Colleagues:
To the point: I am running a marathon to raise money for cancer research and I am asking for your support. It is the end of the year and a wonderful opportunity to make your donations count (doubly or even more if your company has a gift matching program). It is the holiday season and gift giving is a joyful thing, especially when a gift can be so generous as to benefit both the receiver and a greater good. No matter how or why you may donate to this cause, you can’t lose-- and someone else has a chance at a win of beating cancer.
Now, to tell you a little more about what I am doing and how this works: When my best friend’s younger brother got married this past year, his wife was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer just days later. “In sickness and in health…” – no truer words were spoken. I followed their journey everyday as they updated their blog, where they let family and friends know the ups and downs of treatment and how they could be helped. Stephanie West has not only survived the difficult treatment, she has survived cancer. She used to be a runner and told me recently she’s not sure if she’ll be up to that again. I believe she will, but in the mean time… I’ll run for her instead.
I am running for Stephanie West- I will be running the Rome Marathon with Team in Training, the fundraising arm of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Over the next few months I will be out in Central Park in the cold, wearing my shoes out. Also, I will be out among friends, family and colleagues doing everything I can to raise $5,900 (or more!) for this cause.
Since its inception twenty years ago, Team in Training has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for blood cancer research. What does that money do? Twenty years ago the survival rate for these types of cancer was less than ten percent. Now, the survival rate is near NINETY percent. That’s the kind of good that can be done. But I won’t give up on the marathon at any point less than 26.2 miles and we won’t stop fighting battle until the survival rate is this: everyone lives. Of the money being raised three-quarters goes directly to blood cancer research and patient support- the last portion goes to overhead costs.
There are many ways to give: the easiest way is through this shortcut: http://tinyurl.com/runchelrun, which will direct you to my fundraiser website. You may also write checks made out to The Leukemia Lymphoma Society and mail them- email me at chel_oreilly@yahoo.com to request that address. And feel free—especially please do—forward this to other people in your life that they may be moved to donate as well. The help of every and any person is greatly appreciated.
If you want to cheer me on or see how sore I am after practices I will be periodically updating a blog about my experiences and progress too. That’s at http://runchelrun.blogspot.com
I cannot thank you enough. And there are others who are even more grateful than I can say.
All the best to you and yours this holiday season,
Chel O’Reilly
chel_oreilly@yahoo.com
602-432-8611
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