Road To A Cure: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society #LLSTNT

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Motherhood and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Team In Training. All opinions are strictly my own.

This is a really long post but I want to share with you something that is very important to me. Something I think about often and how the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Team in Training program fits into that. (And a giveaway below)

I’ve been a part of Clay’s family for a very long time. 22 years in fact. So we’ve been through and seen a lot together. When my brother-in-law was a child, he was diagnosed with Leukemia. It was devastating for him, for Clay’s family. They had never dealt with Leukemia. No one really knew what to do or what to expect. It came on suddenly with no real warning signs. Until that point he seemed fine, playing like any other kids in the family and being a typical little boy. Then he had what everyone thought was the flu or a really bad cold for a while, that just wouldn’t get better and wouldn’t go away. Then came the diagnosis that it wasn’t the flu at all. It was cancer!

My in-laws were in shock. Clay was in shock. I know Jon had to have been in shock. Even as a kid, not really understanding what it was. What was going on in his body. We were all in shock. How could this boy who we saw playing every day have cancer? Where did it come from? How do you treat it? Can you even treat it? Is he going to be ok? Is he going to… make it?

Those were the questions that everyone had. We didn’t want to voice them out loud. Be we had them.

In answer: They could treat it. And they did treat it. My young brother-in-law went through rounds of chemotherapy and even radiation. He was so sick for a very long time. He lost his hair. He lost weight. He lost his spark. He missed out on playing with his friends. He couldn’t go swimming. He couldn’t go to the county fair. He couldn’t even go to school regularly. He fought for his life. He fought hard! And then one day…

He won! He punched that devil disease in the face and knocked the hell out of it! HE WON!

He has been cancer free and in remission for years now and is a healthy, handsome man living on his own and working hard every day. I wasn’t as close as a sister-in-law should be when he was little. In all honesty, I was afraid to be. I’d seen my mom battle cancer. I’d seen how debilitating it could be. How scared everyone is from one second to the next wondering what is going to happen. So I didn’t let myself get close to this (then) new little brother of mine. I’d never had siblings in the home growing up so I was technically an only child and I didn’t want to be a big sister to someone I might lose. But we didn’t lose him. He got better. And now, I am SO PROUD to call him brother! Yeah, yeah I know. He is my brother-in-law. But in my heart, this guy is my brother. He is my Beatles-singing karaoke buddy, our Tennessee travel pal, uncle to my kids. He is my brother. And he is alive! He beat cancer. To me, Jon is a rockstar!

 

But it took research (and lot’s of prayer) for that to be the outcome. And that cancer research takes money. Lot’s of it. And that was years ago. Therapies and treaptments have come so far just since my brother-in-law was a child battling cancer. The Team in Training program works to raise funds to support the LLS’ mission of getting to the ultimate finish line: the end of blood cancers and I have more info about them below. But first…

Did you know?
[easy-tweet tweet=”The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. #LLSTNT” usehashtags=”no”]

[easy-tweet tweet=”The LLS mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. #LLSTNT” usehashtags=”no”]

[easy-tweet tweet=”LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services. #LLSTNT” usehashtags=”no”]

The Leukemia And Lymphoma Society (LLD) is the leading global non-profit organization dedicated to curing blood cancers. LLS has invested nearly one billion dollars since 1954, bringing us closer than ever to realizing the possibility of a world without blood cancers. During this time the survival rate for many blood cancer patients in North America has doubled, tripled or even quadrupled.

We’ve seen survival rates of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood leukemia go from just 3% in 1964 to 90% today!  BUT despite advances in survival rates, about half of all other blood cancer patients do not survive, so more funding is needed to advance research and ensure access to treatments. You can help. This year alone, LLS is supporting more than 300 research projects with the help of Team In Training and with one goal in mind: discovering lifesaving therapies for blood cancer patients.

 

What is Team In Training?
Team In Training (TNT) is the flagship fundraising campaign of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and the world’s largest and most successful charity sports endurance training program. At its 25th Anniversary milestone this year, TNT has trained more than 570,000 people and helped LLS invest more than $875 million in research to discover and deliver breakthrough cancer treatments that are saving lives today.

 

[easy-tweet tweet=”TNT trained more than 570,000 helping LLS invest more than $875 million in research this year #LLSTNT” usehashtags=”no”]

The Team In training (TNT) program runs throughout the year, giving participants a choice of more than 200 accredited national and local events in the United States and abroad. In exchange for raising funds, they receive four to five months of personalized training by TNT-certified professional coaches. TNT harnesses the power of physical activity to support LLS’s mission to find cures and ensure access to treatments for blood cancer patients, and make a positive impact on the quality of life for patients with blood cancer and their families.

Check out the TNT website (www.teamintraining.org) to find a race near you and become part of TNT.

I also have some interviews from some of the Team In Training Coaches that I’d love for you to download and read. There is tons of info in these interviews and it was just too much to try to pull out specific quotes for you. There is just too much good info! Click the download link below to download a zipped file containing 4 pdf’s.

 

Giveaway Time!

One super lucky reader will receive this awesome Team In Training gift bag. The bag includes a shirt, pens, mug, and sunscreen.

Giveaway ends July 12, 2013. US only please. To enter, simply fill out the Giveaway Tools widget below.