Cycling to Save Lives - Fund Raising - Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

[Monster Dave]

Hey everyone,

SheMonster and I (Monster Dave) have had some sad news recently come our way about a close friend of ours being diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL); one of the rarest of the non Hodgkin's lymphomas. Over the last few weeks, we have learned much about cancer, how aggressive it is, and how hard it can be on both a patient as well as their family. This form of blood cancer essentially causes blood cells to divide prematurely before they are able to help fight diseases in the body. While this form of blood cancer is rare (approximately 15,000 cases in the US), little is actually known about its cause. Needless to say, everyone feels helpless when it comes to facing the harsh reality of a battle against cancer.

This is where we come in, where we have chosen to not give in to the relentless response of “I'm sorry” and do what we can to help in the fight to find a cure for blood related cancers. We have decided that we want our friend to know that while our heart goes out to him and his family, we are out fighting for his chance to live.

We have focused my efforts by joining a national organization called Team In Training which works hand in hand with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America to help raise funds to support medical research, treatment, and awareness of these tragic diseases. As part of this organization, we are training with a cycling team made up of fellow cyclists who have also been affected by cancer, to ride 100 miles, at a national cancer awareness event at Lake Tahoe in June.

However, we need your help. We have each pledged to earn $4,400 over the next few months that will directly fund medical research and treatment of blood cancers. The support of those who are able to help us reach our goal will inspire both of us to push ourselves harder and faster to the finish line of the 100 mile event. Of the total sum that we earn, Team In Training will donate 75% to LLS which will go directly towards life saving research, education, and treatment of Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Hodgkin's disease. The best part is that LLS is a 501c organization, which means that any support contributions are 100% tax deducible.

If possible, and if you feel so inclined, I would appreciate a sponsoring donation. A sponsoring donation of .25 cents per mile is suggested, but any amount that you can contribute will make a significant impact. We have each setup Racing to Save Lives webpage (links included below) to manage our fundraising and to handle the submission of contributions.



SheMonster's Page:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/ambbr10/mzagel

Monster Dave's Page:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/ambbr10/dhelmink

Thank you so much for your time and support. Please check back often to monitor our progress. We will be posting updates regularly to our pages.

[Howie]

I donated in both your names.  Good on ya for doing this   Oru best to your friend.

[Charlief]

I applaud you and your wife.  Most people sit by and do nothing.

My wife was diagnosed with a pre-Leukemia disorder (myelodysplastic syndrome) in addition to having a low grade lymphoma late last year.  Right now she is static and no treatment is needed.  When she does need treatment... it will be with our greatest thanks that a cure be found thanks to people like yourselves.

Sincerely,

Charlie

[Howie]

I applaud you and your wife.  Most people sit by and do nothing.

My wife was diagnosed with a pre-Leukemia disorder (myelodysplastic syndrome) in addition to having a low grade lymphoma late last year.  Right now she is static and no treatment is needed.  When she does need treatment... it will be with our greatest thanks that a cure be found thanks to people like yourselves.

Sincerely,

Charlie

Oh man.  My best to you and your wife.

[Monster Dave]

Thank you both for taking the time to respond to our thread. We wish that there were so much more that we could do to help good things happen faster for those facing such challenges.

Our hearts go out to Charlie's wife and to those like her. We hope that in addition to our efforts, that sharing our positive drive and determination to help develope treatments and cures for blood cancers will also help bring about a heightened awareness by others that one man/woman can make a difference in someone elses life.

To Charlie, his wife and to countless others; it's in honor of your strength and courage that we will reach our goals.

From the bottom of our hearts,

David and Maureen.

[ducpainter]

I moved this to NMC because I feel it deserves better exposure than the classifieds.

If you don't like it here Dave feel free to move it back.

[teddy037.2]

 

I hate cancer.


best of luck with the fundraising 

[SheMonster]

I moved this to NMC because I feel it deserves better exposure than the classifieds.

Thank you for moving this thread here! 

I donated in both your names.  Good on ya for doing this   Oru best to your friend.

And a big THANK YOU Howie for your generous support!   It truly makes a difference!   

[Randimus Maximus]

Thanks to both SheMonster and Monster Dave for joining this cause. 

You guys are going to have a great time riding around Tahoe, it truly is amazing!

Stella and I both rode AMBBR last year with TNT, and I'm a mentor for this season's TNT group in Denver.

We all can make a difference!

[bryant8]

Thanks to both SheMonster and Monster Dave for joining this cause. 

You guys are going to have a great time riding around Tahoe, it truly is amazing!

Stella and I both rode AMBBR last year with TNT, and I'm a mentor for this season's TNT group in Denver.

We all can make a difference!

+1 on having a great time on your event ride.  It's a great organization and does make a huge difference.   

I'm a mentor for the North Texas Cycling Team going to the Solvang Century in a few weeks.  (Tahoe is on my list of events to do)

And one more thing... GO TEAM!

[Monster Dave]

Thanks everyone for your enthusiasm and support. We are trying to reach a rather large goal, but it will make a significant impact in our efforts to find both treatments and cures for cancer.

We appreciate your continued support. 

Dave.

[Got Duc]

Dave did you get my PM?

[Monster Dave]

Dave did you get my PM?

I just replied. I didn't realize that I had a PM waiting from you! Thanks for checking! I would have hated to have left you hanging!

[Monster Dave]

Maureen and I had some sad news come our way today via email on another front that serves as a reminder that people aren't the only victims of cancer:

Rocky a Security K-9 at a local hospital passed away after succumbing to cancer. Rocky worked in Security for 4 Years and was one of the first Security Certified Explosives Ordinance Detection (EOD) dogs.


RIP Rocky.


Thank you for continuing to follow our fund raising thread.

[Randimus Maximus]