Gimme 5!

Update and Fund Raising Message of November 26, 2007

Hi everyone,

Here is my latest update in my quest to complete the Arizona Marathon in January while raising life-saving funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This time around, I am asking you to Gimme 5!

1. Gimme 5 minutes of your time - go to my TNT web page at:

http://www.active.com/donate/tntva/tntvaARitter2007

There, you will learn more about The Society and my training and fundraising progress and updates. In the five minutes that it takes you to review my web page, someone new is diagnosed with a blood cancer – so money for research and patient support is desperately needed.

2. Gimme 5 friends. Send this e-mail to five of your friends or colleagues and help me spread the word about what I am doing! Maybe they will want to make a donation as well, or maybe they know someone in their lives who has cancer and will get some encouragement that people can survive cancer and come back to do a marathon.

3. Gimme 5 months of training to get ready for the Arizona marathon. It is a ton of work, but it pales in comparison to what people facing cancer have to go through every day. During the five months I’ve trained, approximately 21,600 Americans have died from blood cancers.

4. Gimme 5 years of surviving lymphoma. In May, I became a five year survivor, and in about two weeks, I will be five years in remission. I am doing this particular marathon in thanks for reaching the five year point, which is huge with cancer patients. When I was ill, I pledged to give something back once I was healthy again, and raising money for LLS is what I have been called to do. But I can’t do it without you.

5. Gimme 5 hundred thousand Americans who have contracted blood cancers in those five years. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be a survivor! Help me help others with cancer to win their battles.

6. Gimme a donation and I’ll give you 5 reasons I’m grateful for it. You can make a secure credit card donation online, or if you prefer, get me a check payable to LLS. For those of you who have already donated, here are 5 things I’m grateful for regarding your donation: (1) Just still being on God’s green earth to ask people for a donation; (2) That cancer survival rates continue to increase, and you are helping (3) Because without your donation, all I am doing is going 26.2 miles – it is your donation that is real purpose of all of this; (4) That so many people continue to believe in me trying to make a difference for the third straight year with TNT; (5) For the names of your loved ones that I wear on my shirt on race day. These give me a lot of strength during the marathon, and I am grateful for you sharing them with me.

So if you haven’t done so already but would like to, go ahead and use your fingers to write a check to LLS or key in a credit card donation. In return, I’ll use my legs and feet to go 26.2 miles, and you’ll automatically get all five reasons for my gratitude applied to you as well!

With humble thanks,
Art