Why We Do This Running Malarky

The Fall Season kickoff was excellent. The TNT office gang made it interactive and fun as much as possible. The enthusiasm and energy was high. But so too was the message of why we are doing this. We had two of our three honored patients with us, Mary and Sami, and we heard from another young child searching for a bone marrow transplant, Christopher.

Mary Ascherl
Mary was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) in Feb 2006. CML is a form of chronic leukemia characterized by an unregulated growth of cancerous cells coming from bone marrow (myeloid). One of the huge breakthroughs in fighting blood cancer in this century has been the discovery of the drug Gleevac, and fortunately for Mary, CML is one of the forms of Leukemia that Gleevac has turned from a death sentence, to a controlled status, but not cured. Before Gleevac, Mary would have had 3-4 years left to live. But now, although she'll have to take Gleevac forever, she'll be able to be strong, and help others understand about Leukemia for a very long time.

Sami Stanley
Sami was diagnosed with cancer in the stomach when she was 18 years old. When she was told she had cancer, she was part of her high school musical, not long before testing for her black belt, and living the life of a regular teenager. Sami's diagnosis was "Lymphoproliferation Disorder" which causes one cell to grow rapidly, causing huge immune deficiencies. Sami had 40-50 ulcers in her stomach from it when she was diagnosed.
She was hospitalized for much of the next two years.
During one release from hospital she went to her prom, wearing a wig to cover her bald head. The Lymphoma moved to her sinus and her eye was swollen shut. But she was able to be released again and attended graduation wearing a baseball cap (but no wig this time). She missed half of her senior year, but was admitted again, as her Lymphoma had turned into Leukemia and required a bone marrow donation from her sister.
After 18 months in and out of hospital, and after 3 relapses while going through treatment, Sami is in remission, and now after passing her 21st birthday, has realised what being a survivor means.
Sami's message to everyone was that the fundraising we are doing to beat these blood cancers, more than just putting money into research, it is giving people a second chance at life. There is a big difference to just living and being alive.

The new season for Northern New Jersey has over 100 athletes signed up to run and walk marathons and half marathon, to ride the 100 mile bike rides, and to take on Olympic distance marathons. If you are interested in joining one of our teams, whether you are from Northern New Jersey, or any other state in the US or in Canada, then check out our organisation's website.