What an exciting year it has been for me so far! I will start by telling you that I made a New Year’s resolution. I decided to start running. Now I have not been caught running in years, but I decided that I needed to do something big to celebrate my thirtieth year of life. I decided that I would train to run, oh, a 10K. I announced this at a meeting that I had with some volunteers. Well, little did I know that one of my volunteers would change my thinking within ten minutes. She explained that a 10K would be great, but wouldn’t it be better to run a marathon and help a whole lot of people in the process? Who can say no to that? Really, 26.2 miles is not that much…

YES IT IS! To someone who has never competed in anything larger that a 5K! Is it anything compared to someone fighting cancer? Not at all! I had the pleasure of spending time with my patient honoree, Marilyn Gleason, and her husband Mike. Marilyn was diagnosed with Hodgkins and, thanks to the help of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, has been in remission for ten years! I look at Marilyn and am reminded that cancer is not a selective disease, it’ll strike anyone. It’s time to do something about this!

This is where I need your help. I will run 26.2 miles on June 23 in Anchorage, Alaska. I have personally committed to raising at least $4400 to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In the past, I may have asked you to donate money to different causes. You probably did it to help me reach my fundraising goal. I am now asking you to do it for Marilyn, my friend Nora and the many people who are suffering from Hodgkin’s disease, lymphomas, and other kinds of cancers including breast and lung cancer. We all know people suffering from cancer. Here is our chance to help. The money that I raise will help support on-going research toward a cure for the many types of this disease as well as help families like the Gleasons defray medical costs.

I ask you to please make a donation to this cause and I will run this marathon to show you how much I appreciate your desire to help. You can sponsor an amount for each mile that I run or a flat amount. You can make your check out to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, or you will find a credit card payment option. Your donation of $20, $30, $50 or whatever you can give would make a great difference - it all adds up!

I will keep you posted on my progress over the next four months. Any prayers, humor, or words of encouragement would also help me greatly! So I can track my fundraising progress, please mail your tax-dedutible contribution by April 6. Of course, if you need some extra time, I’ll be accepting donations until we cure leukemia!

Please email me at: abick@hotmail.com