Saturday, March 29, 2008

Reporting from Moody Gardens, Galveston, Texas

Before I head to rest and then again to wake at 4:30 AM to prepare for a 7:30 start (my age group goes first along with the elite athletes), I wanted to leave one last dispatch (thanks to Mike W. for bringing his laptop on the trip).

We just finished our Pasta Party, which as planned, offered a healthy dose of "acknowledgment, inspiration, and motivation." And a bit of instruction for our day tomorrow - repetition helps.

We heard from a 31-year old father of three who told of his story of surviving stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma. October 23, 2003 was the day he got the news - the day he'll never for forget. Today, he thanked all of us, and by proxy all you, for making his survival story possible.

We also met the father of two of our team mates - two sisters who decided to join TNT in support of their father who is doing well after being diagnosed with a rare blood cancer. Gleevac has made all the difference to him, a drug made possible by funding from LLS.

Positive energy abounds with this crowd. I wanted to send some of that energy and positivity out to all of you through the ether. Your support and donations have been noticed. And from the survivors I met this evening, I'm able to send you their thanks and appreciation.

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