Wednesday, May 07, 2008

26.2

26.2 may not mean much to you, unless you're a runner. Then you probably know that 26.2 is the number of miles in a marathon. And that is exactly what I have begun training for. It won't be my first one (I 'ran' the Twin Cities Marathon in 2001) and said then if I ever did another one it would have to be for a good cause!

Well, a few weeks ago Steve and I both joined a Team in Training team to train for the San Antonio marathon on November 16, 2008. Now for those not familiar with Team in Training, it is a team of people raising not only money, but also awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society and are coming together to Race for a Cure!! Here is a picture with just a few of the team's members. I have decided to make Thursdays my 'Team in Training' blog day. I'll be sharing about the special people that we are running in memory of; the details of our training; etc... If I figure out how to knit and run at the same time, I'll be sharing about that as well!! If you would like to be a part of my 'team', I am looking to raise over $4100. It's easy to donate by clicking here and checking out my Team in Training website. For every $25.00 donated, your name will be entered into a drawing for a variety of items.. some yet to be determined!! If you would prefer to donate by check, just email me at jriggs@mwsupernet.com with your address and I'd be happy to send you our support letter and donation form with a self-addressed stamp envelope for you to return it in.


Our family has been personally affected by these diseases in the loss of 3 very special people, who I will share about in future posts, and who we are running in memory of. We also run in honor of a local 'hero' who we got to meet tonight.





Jared is a 6 year old, extremely energetic boy who was diagnosed with AML (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia) in August of 2007. He has been in the hospital most of these past 8 months receiving intensive chemotherapy. He is in remission now, and is home with his family planning on going fishing and camping this summer. You see him here with his 304 'bravery' beads that he got for every test; procedure; stick; poke; ambulance ride etc.. that he has been through since his diagnosis. (He is VERY proud of his beads!!) There is even a little bald head bead for when he lost his hair. (Click on the picture to enlarge it and get a closer look at Jared's beads....there are a lot of them!!)






As the front of our team t-shirts say "If you think training for a marathon is hard - try chemotherapy!". I hope that you will join me by stopping by every Thursday for my TNT Update, and by donating on my donation page if you feel so led. We can all join the race to cure cancer.

Until Next Time.....

12 comments:

rohanknitter said...

Wow! That is so awesome and what a great cause. First of all, people who can run a marathon totally amaze me! And I can't think of a better cause...the picture of Jared with all his bravery beads breaks my heart. He is a brave boy indeed. I can't imagine what it's like for him and for his parents.

Lovs2Knit said...

Jared should be proud of his beads, he's one brave boy! I look forward to reading about your training. I can't think of a better thing to donate money towards.

Crafty Pancakes said...

What a wonderful cause to raise money and awareness for! I look forward to reading about all of your training and stories. You are making a difference for so many people. I'm happy to have donated.

Mari said...

Go Team!

You are making such a difference!

Give Jared a hug from me next time you see him.

Anonymous said...

You amaze me. You always have!! I will add Jared to my prayer list. I know first hand the power of prayer and the hope, encouragement, and peace that it brings!! I will also pray for you and S as you train for this worthy cause!!

I would love to be at the finish line....hmmm....Renae????

Anonymous said...

you are amazing! i get winded from DRIVING 26.2 miles. jared looks like a happy guy-- his bravery beads are a great idea and serve as a powerful testament to his strength and resilience.

Angeluna said...

Good for you, Janice! I have a cousin and a close friend (and knitter) who will be running that marathon with you.

My son, a grown-up, has AML type II and has been in hospital since November. Today is TRANSPLANT DAY! It is exciting and scary. It took a long time to find a matching donor.

Since you are doing this for such a good cause, you might want to mention how very, very important it is for healthy young people to sign up on the National Bone Marrow Registry. Also for families to donate cord blood when they have a baby. It is thanks to one of these heroes that my son (also a Steve) has a shot at getting his life back.

All my best wishes!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful cause you are running for. And I have run 3, and I would rather run a marathon than have to fight cancer any day, trust me, so I will be following your progress and part of my destashing is going to your cause.

Angela said...

What an awesome thing to do! We met at the Spring Fling in St. Louis, and I could tell what special people both you and your husband are. Good luck with your training.

monica said...

That is so wonderful. I wish you and Steve much success in your training. And what a great looking kid with all his bravery beads. Kids are so amazing, amd the ones going through all those treatments and scary procedures are even more amazing.

Good luck to you in your running, I about died today square dancing with a bunch of 4th graders (with my TED hose on I might add) so I can't even imagine runing a marathon.

Bonnie O. said...

Janice! I am in awe that you have already ran one marathon and that you are training for a second one. And it IS a great cause. All the best to you and Steve as you train.

Bonnie O. said...

OH! And I forgot to say how cute and brave Jared is! I love the bravery beads. Poor guy to have had to go through so much.