Happy Birthday, Ed!

Happy Birthday, Ed.  Today, you would have been 44.  You are missed, but still seen as an inspiration, by so many of us.  So when I heard last February that the Crawlin' Crab was on your birthday, I knew I had to do this race and raise money again for this cause we both held dear.  After all, you did something like 19 different events for Team in Training in your young life.

So I will be thinking of you today while I walk and run 13.1 miles.  And I will be there for Leslie and your sisters if they need support.  So look down on us, and cheer us on!

When I think of you, Ed, I still see your smile and get infused by your upbeat spirit.  You were a great guy, and I wish you could be at this race today.  But we are in it for you, and your spirit is with us!

Your TNT pal,
Art

Team Soup's Message

I've blogged about young Campbell, AKA "Soup," in my last couple of posts.  She is a local girl, soon to turn eight, who has leukemia.  I have no doubt that she has endured some awful things in the last year and has gone through a lot of misery.  But she seems strong and upbeat.

About a month or so ago, she posted a short video message to Team in Training participants.  I wanted to embed the video but since I don't have a Facebook account, I cannot.  But I can provide the link to the video.

When I watched it last month, I found it inspirational, and it brought tears to my eyes.

Ann’s Rainbow

My sister Ann passed away from metastasized breast cancer two years ago today - Memorial Day 2011. She is very much missed every day by lots of people. A year ago, I wrote “A New Star Shining Brightly” in her memory. This year, I’m going to talk about her rainbow.

Late in June, 2011, we went up to Mount Tremper, NY for Ann’s memorial service. Our friend Bill came along for support, but with the full house, he elected to stay in a small motel in nearby Phoenicia. In the late afternoon, I gave him a ride over to the motel so that he could check in. After he put his things away in his motel room, we headed the three miles back to Mount Tremper and to Ann’s beloved home.

As we drove along and got part way back, Tremper Mountain loomed over the road and the small town. This mountain was prominent from my sister’s front yard, rising high above Esopus Creek, which flowed 200 feet from her house. Earlier that year, Ann had expressed her wish to see the mountain “turn green” one last time to me. It was visible from the window in her bedroom, where she spent the last few months of her life. And once spring began, I noted that the green was starting, first with a blush at the base of the mountain, and then gradually spreading up the mountain a little more with each visit. By late May, my last time to see her and just a week before her death, Tremper Mountain was entirely green.

From the highway, I glanced up at the top of the mountain as Bill and I drove along.  I was thinking about Ann, and how I wished that she had survived. The weather was a little unsettled, and there were lots of clouds near the top of the mountain. Then suddenly, it happened – a rainbow appeared! It looked as if one end of the rainbow was touching the top of Tremper Mountain. I looked in amazement, pointing it out to Bill. Just as suddenly, the rainbow was gone. It has been visible for less than 30 seconds. If I had not been where I was at that instant in time, I would never have seen it.

Now, I know very well that there are good scientific explanations, using the laws of physics, for why rainbows occur. But I will always believe that, somehow, this was Ann’s rainbow, and that I was meant to be in exactly the spot to see it as it reached over and softly touched the top of her much-loved mountain.

My Honorees for the 2013 Crawlin' Crab Half Marathon

When I walk, or perhaps walk-run if my knee improves, the 2013 Crawlin' Crab Half Marathon on October 6, my race shirt will be covered with honoree names.  Some will be my honorees, and some will be those that people who donated ask me to remember.  If you want to donate in honor or memory of a loved one who has or had any type of cancer, here is the link to my TNT site.

Here is my list, to be updated as people make requests of me...

PRINCIPAL HONOREES for this special race are three friends who died from cancers in the last two and a half years:

Ed Stone - The race is on what would have been Ed's 44th birthday, and this is the main reason that I picked this race.  Ed was a great guy, and a 24 year cancer survivor.  He barely survived leukemia at age 19, and battled cancers three more times.  The final one was melanoma, believed to be caused by the full-body radiation he received as a 19 year old.  He never gave up until it was clear that his life was coming to an end, which it did this past January.  I will always remember Ed as a determined and inspirational young man.  His widow, Leslie, will be running the Crawlin' Crab with the team this fall.

Judy Zettel - Judy was a great friend to us.  When she gave us the shocking news of her multiple myeloma diagnosis in December 2010, we felt like she would find a way to survive for at least a few years and keep enjoying life as a wife, mom, grandma, and friend.  But exactly a month later, too ill to even begin treatment, she died from this awful illness, along with leukemia.  I'll never forget seeing her for the last time as she lay in the bed in a coma.  My last words to her, other than goodbye, were that we will have a cure some day.  Her last and 66th birthday was just a couple of weeks prior to her death in January 2011.

Faith Eury - What a wonderful young woman Faith was!  She found out in the winter of 2009 that she had stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is the same cancer that I had and is fairly curable.  Faith pulled together a team, Faith's Hope, to walk in Light the Night that fall - even though she was still going through treatments.  Her team was one of the top fundraising teams in Virginia, and I was proud to be a part of it.  Faith went into remission for a while, but the Hodgkin's came back late in 2011 and she passed away in February, 2012 at age 43 (the same as Ed).  She was too ill to really begin treatment for the second bout with this disease.  She is missed by many, many people ...

and also by Henry, her beloved papillion.

I will wear a photo of Ed, Judy, and Faith on my Crawlin' Crab race shirt.

My other honorees:

IN MEMORY OF: Ann Ritter (my sister, died from metastisized breast cancer 5/30/2011 - I will wear Ann's photo, too); Magdalena Gentile; Brenda Blywiss, Elliot, Rita Conkle, Melanie Powers (passed away at age 43 after a very difficult seven month battle on May 22, 2013); Maurice "BJ" Beck (died in 2009 at age 16 from acute myelogenous leukemia), Helen Jones Stanphill, Gerry Adamson, Lynn Armuth, Miriam Fogel, Rizalino  Dilag Sr., Barbara Pereyra, Kristin Kalinke, Bernard Kain, Vivian Crews, Patty Lynn Sellers, Lorene Di Lauro, Francis Trail Saunders, Joe Boisvert, Susan Lord, Nancy Dionne, Billy Gill, Suman Kamat, Michael Estes, Denise Pena, Lillian Kerby, Shirley Gibford, Gary Adams, Robert C. "Bub" Douglas

IN HONOR OF: Cora Schenberg, Bill Zettel, Nicki Morgan, Kristi Garstang, Christine Grudinskas, Chris Ritter, Emma McFeeley, Emily Griffin, Paul Zamecnik, Nancy Deaver, Robin Yodor, Elayne Minich, Dayton Richmond, Nancy Brown, Linda Silver, Rena Roszell, "J" (you know who you are even though you asked me not to write your name on my shirt so I won't), Donna Hammond, Mindy Fast, Barbara Marx, Rob Larsen, Debbie Anderson, Debbe Harless, Laura Hall, Rhoda Ritter, Dave, Lila, Natalie, Carl Kain, Leona Held, Harry Grier; Meighan Daily, Campbell Brandt, Virginia Vaillancourt, Jordan Shahbaz, Bill Ellsworth, Alexander L. Ross, Linda Schmidt, Taquisha Jeffries

The Sweet Dream

The other night, a few of us gathered together to toast the memory of our friend, TNT teammate, and fallen cancer warrior Ed Stone.  We went around the table and we each said something about Ed, maybe a memory we had of this great guy.  Here is the story that I related.

When I walked in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure in 2011, I had well over 100 people make a donation to me.  Everyone who made a donation got an email from the Komen organization a couple of weeks before the walk.  The email talked about how they could give the person that they donated to a "Sweet Dream."  For an additional ten dollar donation, they could have a chocolate and a note delivered to said participant.

So a few days before the walk, I got an email saying that someone had donated a "Sweet Dream," and that I should check the camp "post office" at the end of the first day of walking to collect it.  I thought that was pretty cool, and wondered who among my many donors would have done this.

At the end of the first day, soaked and tired, I trudged through the mud of camp to collect my "Sweet Dream."  Of course, it was from Ed and Leslie, with a kind note about what I was doing in my sister's memory.  I very much appreciated and was touched by their thoughtfulness.  At that point in time, Ed's left leg had essentially been ruined by a failed attempt to destroy the melanoma in that leg.  He was in a lot of pain and misery, struggling to get around with a walker.  These once strong legs, which had once propelled him 100 miles on a bike and 26.2 miles on foot, could barely get him across a room.  Yet here he was, thinking of others, as was Leslie.

It was a gesture that was so typical of this couple.  I will never forget their kindness, and as I savored the chocolate that night and prepared for sweet dreams in my little pink tent, I said a little "thank you" that there are people in this world like Ed and Leslie, even though there are not enough of them.

Preparing for the 10K

Today, I will run in my 8th straight Ukrops Monument Avenue 10K, sponsored by Martins among others. The race is still called the Ukrops 10K despite the Ukrops family selling the grocery chain to Martins several years back. The family is still prominent in charities and businesses in this area, and might still own a bakery which provides goods to Martins. I think they also help sponsor the race financially. One of the fears when the grocery chain was sold was that Martins would not sponsor this huge community event, something like the sixth biggest foot race in the good old US of A - but we need have feared not!

My first several times in the 10K, I walked it. I think 2008 was when I first ran part of it, and then in 2009, while training for the Country Music Half Marathon as a runner - walker, I ran a good bit of it. That was when I set my personal record of something over 63 minutes, which I hope to break today if my legs and especially my left knee are up for it.

I was going to run in my purple TNT jersey as I did at Shamrock 13 days ago. But yesterday, I changed my mind. Instead, I will run in the shirt I had made for the Komen 3-Day which honors my sister Ann. I have been thinking of her more and more lately with the first anniversary of her death approaching, and I miss her always. Because of how the photo of her on the shirt is, I have to wear my race number lower, so I won't have my camera with me on the race course for the first time in years. That will feel strange. But the water belt I wear to hold the camera would cover my race number (which also includes the timing chip on the back.) On the other hand, not stopping to take photos could give me the edge I need to hit that PR!

This shirt is covered with the names of my honorees for the Komen 3-Day Walk. And on my shirt will be pinned photos of four special honorees for the race. Two of these folks, Bill and Faith, were also on my Shamrock race shirt as honorees. For the 10K, I've added Nancy and Ed. Nancy was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and had surgery for this, and started chemo this week. She is starting her battle resolutely and with determination to kick this thing's ugly butt! Ed is a veteran cancer warrior, and at age 42, is fighting cancer for the fourth time. It has been really rough for him with this melanoma that has been relentless for the past two and a half years. A dedicated athlete and TNT Triple Crown winner, Ed is in no shape to run right now. So I will be doing the running for him today, and for Nancy, Bill, and Faith - and of course, my beloved sister.

Who I'm Running For

In less than two and a half days, I'll step off the line to run - with some walking - in the Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach. I'm not fundraising for this event. Instead, I am participating in this race as the first event this year to celebrate surviving Hodgkin's lymphoma for 10 years. I could be pushing up shamrocks right now. Instead, thanks to a lot of luck and medical science, I am running for the shamrocks instead.

I'm not officially part of Team in Training for this race. But I will be wearing my purple Team in Training singlet from the Seattle race in June 2010. My shirt is covered with names of people that I honored in that race, and so by extension, I will honor them in the Shamrock as well. But I have three special honorees for this race, representing the hope, the success, and the failure of cancer treatments. I will wear a photo on my race shirt of each of these three folks as I run along for 13.1 miles.

The hope for cancer treatment will be represented by my good friend Bill Zettel. He is currently battling stage 4 colon cancer, and will be having really significant surgery on his liver in a couple of more weeks. This is on top of initial surgery a couple of months ago, followed by chemotherapy. He will be getting yet more chemo later this spring once he recovers from the surgery. Stage 4 cancer is very serious, but we are all confident that Bill is going to beat this, and I will try my best to honor him with my feet on March 18 in the Shamrock.

The success of cancer treatment will be represented by my friend Nicki Morgan, who will be running the Shamrock Half, too. I wrote about Nicki a couple of weeks ago when she hit her 15 year mark of surviving certain death from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after a bone marrow transplant. As I run my race to celebrate 10 years of survival, Nicki will be celebrating 15 years with her efforts.

The failure of cancer treatment will be represented by my friend Faith Eury, who died just over two weeks ago from stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma. I was lucky enough to survive Hodgkin's, but Faith was not, living just three years after her diagnosis. I had hoped to wear Faith's photo to honor her fight, round two in what we believed would be a victory. I am quite sad to wear her picture in her memory instead, and as a reminder that even the so-called "curable" cancers are not nearly curable enough.

Cancer being an awful, relentless thing, I've added a few more names to my Seattle shirt: in honor of Taquisha Jeffries - in recent remission from lymphoma - and my neighbor Nancy, recently diagnosed with a very serious cancer. Then of course, my good friend Judy Zettel, who was alive and quite healthy at the time I ran Seattle, was diagnosed with myeloma just months later and died 14 months ago. Then, my dear sister Ann, alive at the time of my Seattle race but dying from breast cancer 11 months later, will also be on my mind during this race.

I'll have plenty of company on the run - special honorees Bill, Nicki, and Faith, as well as the dozens of names from Seattle 2010 and the names recently added. I will do my best to honor all of them with my run this Sunday.

Happy "15th Birthday," Nicki!

When one gets the awful and terribly sad news like I got yesterday about Faith, it is sometimes hard to remember the success stories. So here is an incredible one for today.

My friend Nicki had her "15th birthday" today. Nicki graduated from Mary Washington University about 12 or 13 years ago, and got married last year. Now, I am sure all that has you scratching your head - child prodigy, perhaps? - so let me explain.

Nicki was a healthy college sophomore when she learned she had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Although chemotherapy was expected to put her into remission, it didn't, and a bone marrow transplant was her only hope. And that was a slim hope - Nicki's chance of living, even with a bone marrow transplant, was just five out of 100! Well, she beat those odds. On February 27, 1997, Nicki, exhausted, sick, and weak beyond measure from bone marrow preparation treatment, received her life-saving transplant from a total stranger. What an incredible legacy and gift! Fifteen years later, Nicki is healthy and strong, and is a marathoner and half-marathoner many times over. Can you tell I am really proud of her?

On March 18, Nicki will be running the Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach with Team in Training, once again giving back so that others can someday have the same good fortune that she did. I'll be in that race too, if my sore knees hold out. I'll probably somewhere behind Nicki, though!

It is weird to think that had Nicki not had cancer or had I not had cancer, our paths likely would not have crossed. But she did, and I did, and they did. Speaking for myself, my life is the richer for it.

So, Nicki, happy 15th! May you have many, many more anniversaries of this date in a long, happy, and healthy life. You have inspired me more often than you can know!

Here is Nicki running in Saturday's TNT Silent Mile, and here is Nicki and me after running the Silent Mile together.

My Honorees for the 3-Day for the Cure

My 60 mile walk on September 23-25 is about raising money to support breast cancer patients and to help research a cure, but it is also about far more than that. It is my way to honor many people who have dealt with cancer, and for people who donate to Susan G. Komen by way of my walk to honor canceer patients. This post, which I will keep close to the top of my blog, lists those who are honored by my efforts, and by the donations of so many people.

My walk is specifically about breast cancer. But as you can see, my honorees come from a wide spectrum of people affected by many cancer. This list is a work in progress as more honorees are named as my walk approaches. Those whose name is in pink suffered from breast cancer. I will be writing all of these names on my special shirt for the third day of the walk on September 25.
My main honoree, is my dear and lately departed sister, Ann Ritter. I wish so much she were still here, and healthy again. I think of her every day, and she will be in my heart every step of the three day walk.

In Memory of Dr. Ann Ritter

Born September 28, 1948

Died May 30, 2011

Cause: complications from metastasized breast cancer

Next, we have my special personal honorees for this walk, most people recently affected by cancer: In Memory of: Jennifer Willey – died in November at age 31 from Hodgkin lymphoma; Judy Zettel – our dear friend, who died 1/9/11 from multiple myeloma, just four weeks after diagnosis; Lanie Evans – died January 26 from Glioblastoma multiforma (very agressive brain cancer) at just age 40; Maurice “BJ” Beck – died in 2009 at age 16 from acute myelogenous leukemia; Stephen Hauck – died in September 2010 from acute myelogenous leukemia; In Honor of: Danny McGowan - my brother-in-law's brother, fighting cancer of the throat; Dayton Richmond – battling multiple myeloma, diagnosed around August; Denver Bridwell – age 24, recovering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia after four years, including two hip replacements; Ed Stone – 21 years after surviving leukemia, currently undergoing treatment for the fourth time for melanoma; Elayne Minich – battling metastatic breast cancer after 12 years; Gary Adams - terminal leukemia and colon cancer; John Hunnicutt – recent prostate cancer; Laura Kitchens - friend of a friend, breast cancer survivor, currently fighting leukemia; Paul Zamecnik – battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia that became active in October after years of the disease being dormant; Robin Yoder – 30 years after surviving osteosarcoma, battling bone cancer following mid-thigh amputation of right leg August, 2010

Each mile of the three days, I will dedicate to an honoree. These come from donations. A donation of $50 allows that donor to name an honoree. Many people who have donated large amounts have not specified an honoree. So at the end of fund raising, if I still have undedicated miles, I will fill them from the honorees of people who donated less than $50, and from some remaining personal honorees that I have.

Mile By Mile Honorees

1. Ann Ritter

2. Christine Grudinskas

3. Ann Ritter

4. Ann Ritter

5. Karen Berkeland

6. Karen Berkeland

7. Karen Berkeland

8. Karen Berkeland

9. Susan Lord

10. Joe Boisvert

11. Ann Ritter

12. Pam Cope

13. Christine Grudinskas

14. Rhoda Ritter

15. Christine Grudinskas

16. Rhoda Ritter

17. Ann Ritter

18. Ann Ritter

19. Ann Ritter

20. Ann Ritter

21. Ann Ritter

22. Rhoda Ritter

23. Ann Ritter

24. Ann Ritter

25. Ann Ritter

26. Ann Ritter

27. Linda Silver

28. Pat Bausone

29. Marilyn Libman

30. Tamar Kops

31. Francis Trail Saunders

32. Lorrene DiLauro

33. Patty Lynn Sellers

34. Ruth Werner

35. Jerry Schell

36. Amy Haun

37. Donna Hammond

38. Tara Ujkaj

39. Mary Ann Faelton

40. Ann Ritter

41. Ann Ritter

42. Paula McGrath

43. Paula McGrath

44. Paula McGrath

45. Margaret Carter

46. Alice Jones

47. John Greetham

48. Laura Hershberger

49. Ann Ritter

50. Katie Hoggatt

51. Ann Ritter

52. Sue Patton

53. Sam Snader

54. Lynn Tobin

55. April Chappell

56. Marilyn Collins

57. Suman Kamat

58. Janice Wedwick

59. Bev Kuhlman

60. Ann Ritter

Other Honorees: Karen Lane; Mary Beth Gibson; Kristi Garstang; Faith Eury; Katie Rodman; Nicki Patton Morgan; Bob Tymoczko; Julie Westcott; Emma McFeeley; Pat Daly; Sherita Gibson; Kitty Garstang; Edie; Dorothy; Alan Bernstein; Sherrll Lyle; Ramamurthy Balasubramaniam; Angie Trudell; Bob Caggiano; Carrie Isman

Two On My Mind

There are two people with cancer particularly on my mind right now as I start preparing to race for a cure once more.

One is my sister, Ann, who is battling late stage breast cancer, and who is my prime honoree for my upcoming 60 mile walk. She had surgery last week: pleurodesis, which adheres the pleura to remove the pleural space around the lungs and prevent the buildup of fluid around the lungs. The operation was a failure, and she was back in the hospital a week later to have two liters of fluid removed and a drain put in. The damage to her lungs from the metastasized tumors appears to be accelerating, because she was getting a liter of fluid removed every few weeks and now it is two liters in a week. She has fought so hard, and it is heartbreaking to know that the end could be coming. When I walk the Komen 3-Day in September, she will be with me every step of the 60 miles. I’d walk 6,000 miles if it would give her one month of good health to just enjoy a normal life. Does God make deals like that?

The other is my friend Ed, who is a Team in Training buddy and a 20+ year leukemia survivor. He is also a six year melanoma survivor, but it has come back with a vengeance. Ed has been battling active melanoma for the past year and a half, and has gone through hell in the last few months with his left leg. It remains swollen and immobile, with lots of awful lesions. He can finally walk slowly upstairs and at least get a shower, and is grateful for that. But now, tests are showing suspicious areas in his lungs, and he is going to need a biopsy. Melanoma spreading to the lungs, if that is what it is, would be a terrible thing. He is always brave and upbeat, but I know it is not easy to always put on a brave face.

I wonder about cancer. Why do so many of us, me included, survive it with relatively little hardship, and others like Ann and Ed go through such hellish experiences? All the billions of dollars and millions of person years spent fighting these diseases, and yet, here we are!

Starting My 2011 Honoree List

It will be a while yet before I sign up for Team in Training. I am thinking that in 2011, I will do the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco this coming October - although that may change. Running, walking, and crawling 26.2 miles may sound tough, and it is. But it pales in comparison to what cancer patients go through every single day. If you want a couple of my takes on comparing a marathon with chemotherapy, you can read here, or here. But trust me – cancer is tougher. Much tougher. Even though I am not formally signed up with the Team, emotionally, I am there, because I can’t help but think of all the people I know personally struggling with cancer as I write these words. I was up half of last night thinking about my sister, for example. So as 2011 gets underway, I wanted to start an honoree list with the names of several people who have died recently of cancer, and of 11 people I know who are fighting cancer right now. Every one of these people, and so many others I hear of, is a vivid reminder to me of how lucky I am to not just be a survivor but healthy again as well, and how we must be relentless in our attack on cancers. As time goes on, I will add many names to my list and, ultimately, to my race shirt for my next TNT event. But for now, here is the start of my list. Tragically, since I first wrote this post on 1/4/2011, one of my special honorees, Judy, passed away, and is much grieved by family and friends. And one more of these, Lanie Evans, passed away just three weeks after Judy did. In Memory of: Jennifer Willey – died in November at age 31 from Hodgkin lymphoma Judy Zettel – our dear friend, who died 1/9/11 from multiple myeloma, just four weeks after diagnosis Lanie Evans – died January 26 from Glioblastoma multiforma (very agressive brain cancer) at just age 40 Maurice “BJ” Beck – died in 2009 at age 16 from acute myelogenous leukemia Stephen Hauck – died in September from acute myelogenous leukemia In Honor of: Ann Ritter - my beloved sister, battling advanced metastatic breast cancer after four years Danny McGowan - my brother-in-laws brother, fighting cancer of the throat. Dayton Richmond – battling multiple myeloma, diagnosed around August Denver Bridwell – age 24, recovering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia after four years, including two hip replacements Ed Stone – 21 years after surviving leukemia, currently undergoing treatment for the fourth time for melanoma Elayne Minich – battling metastatic breast cancer after 12 years Gary Adams - terminal leukemia and colon cancer John Hunnicutt – recovering from surgery for recent prostate cancer Laura Kitchens - friend of a friend, breast cancer survivor, currently fighting leukemia with a bone marrow transplant scheduled for January 25 Paul Zamecnik – battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia that became active in October after years of inactivity Robin Yoder – 30 years after surviving osteosarcoma, battling bone cancer following mid-thigh amputation of right leg this past August

Racing for a Cure in Yellow!

I was going to wear my purple Team in Training shirt Saturday for the 5K Livestrong Dolphin Challenge in Sandbridge. But then I got an email from the Livestrong organization - not in connection with the race specifically – requesting that people wear yellow on October 2. I’ve also seen this request on several blogs. So as much as I would like to wear my Seattle TNT shirt while I run, instead I will wear a yellow shirt I got some years ago when I signed up for a 10K as a cancer survivor. On the back it says: “Team Survivor – I Put Cancer on the Run.” Now, I don’t know if I put cancer on the run, or if it put me on the run and I managed to run faster than it does, but in any event, I will be 8 years cancer free this December. And that, as much as anything, is a good reason to run in yellow this Saturday in Sandbridge, Virginia.

But while I will wear my yellow “Team Survivor” shirt during the race, I will also wear my white hat with the purple and green Team in Training logo on it. On that hat will be my three “26.2” and two “13.1” pins, representing marathons in Anchorage, San Diego, and Phoenix, and half marathons in Nashville and Seattle for Team in Training. Each of those pins represents a tremendous amount of sweat and effort – many, many miles on my feet to train, and so many times of getting up early while the rest of the world sleeps, not to mention fund-raising over and over again.

I am not fundraising right now, and I will not be writing names of cancer victims and survivors on my yellow shirt. But I will be running 5,000,000 millimeters (sounds so much more impressive than 5K, doesn’t it?) in memory and honor of the following personal honorees who have died from or survived cancer. I will carry these names with me on a piece of paper while I run. And although I am so slow that snails gather in little groups and laugh with hilarity as I creep by, I will do my best to honor each and every one of my honorees with my humble efforts. As one of something like 28,000,000 cancers survivors worldwide, I am fortunate indeed to be alive, healthy and strong enough to do this.

In Memory of:
Alan Bernstein
Art Ritter, Jr. (my father)
Bob Caggiano
Bob Knapp
Joe Boisvert
Marilyn Libman
Steve Hauck
Stuart Silverman (my step-father)
Walter Lepson and Willis Lepson (my grandparents)
W. Scott Bivans

In Honor Of and Currently Dealing with Cancer or its Immediate Aftermath:
Ann Ritter (my sister – happy birthday, Sis!) – I’ll be wearing your picture while I race!
Barbara Moriarty
Ed Stone
Elayne Minich
John Hunnicutt
Kerry Alor
Lanie Evans
Linda Silver
Lillian Kerby (getting tested to see if she has relapsed)
Nancy Blevins
Paul Zamecnic
Robin Yoder

In Honor Of Those for Whom Cancer is Currently in the Rear View Mirror:
Bev Kuhlman
Blair Collins
Chris Ritter (my brother)
Christine Grudinskas (my sister-in-law)
Emma McFeeley
Faith Eury
Kayla Kuhn
Jane Kohler
Janice Wedwick
Julie Westcott
Katie Powell
Kristi Garstang
Mary Beth Gibson
Meighan Daily
Mindy Fast
Nancy Nelson
Nicki Patton (I’ll be wearing your “Decade of Strength” wristband, Nicki!)
Pam Pollard
Rhoda Ritter (my step-mother)
Rob Larsen
Warren Short

And finally, I am running in honor of the “Little Nashville Girl” I saw in April, 2009!

My Honorees for Seattle

NOTE: I am keeping this post near the top, because these people (and pets) are one of the big reasons that I do this.

Every time I do a race for Team in Training, I am raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society so that their mission of curing blood cancers can be reached. In addition, I am celebrating my own great fortune for not only surviving cancer but returning to good health, and I am honoring those who have had to battle cancer. For Seattle, I will write these names on my marathon shirt, and will do my best to honor each and every one of them when I race the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half-Marathon. I will keep adding to the list as people make donations and ask me to write additional names of their loved ones.

If you want me to run in honor or memory of a loved one with any type of cancer, please go to my TNT web page, make a donation in any amount, and email their name to me.

First, there are seven special honorees for 2010 who are currently dealing with cancer:

Ann Ritter (my sister, relapsed with breast cancer)
Ed Stone (teammate and four time cancer survivor, currently battling melanoma)
Jordan Shahbaz (two year old boy with leukemia)
Madelyne Blanton (eight year old girl with leukemia)
Ashley Lefkow (four year old girl with leukemia)
Elayne Minich (facing metastisized breast cancer once again)
David Williams (recently diagnosed with lymphoma)

Next, with my race, I pay special honors to the memory my grandfather, Walter L. Lepson, who died of cancer 51 years before the date of the Seattle Marathon: June 26, 1959.

Then, there are our Team Patient Honorees, all such inspirations to our entire team: Emma McFeeley, Nicki Patton, Kristi Garstang, Paul Zamecnic, Katie Powell, Rob Larsen

Next, there are other honorees who have bravely faced cancer. Some are fortunate like me, and are survivors. Others fought the good fight but did not have a lucky outcome. May they rest in peace.

In Memory of: Alan Bernstein, Bob Caggiano, Blake Wayland, Joe Boisvert, W. Scott Bivans, Linda Cox, Scott Scupien, Manual Toombs, Katherine Toombs, Marilyn Libman, Dax Locke, Mark Duva, Bob Dorsey, Bob Knapp, Charles Considine, Kate Homan, Yolanda Casim, Frank Raflo, Eileen Jones, Kenwyn Dougherty, Carol O'Neil

In Honor of: Christine Grudinskas, Chris Ritter, Janice Wedwick, Bev Kuhlman, Rhoda Ritter, Kayla Kuhn, Nancy Nelson, Faith Eury, Pam Pollard, Blair Collins, Robin Yoder, Mary Beth Gibson, Michael Marmion, Julie Westcott, Kerry Allor, Linda Silver, Rita Conkle, Tomas Nichols, Linda Hurt, Nancy Blevins, Frances Koons, Warren Short, Samantha Fisher, Craig Sandras, Ed Moore, Cade Howard, Matthew Lozada, Steve Hauck, Pat McAuliffe, Karen Lane, Lillian Kerby, Bill Scherling, Linda Schmidt, Gerry Adamson, Joe Zingone, Pam Sudz, Leona Held, Meighan Daily, David D'Arville, Lanie Evans, Barbara Moriarty, Debbie Cray, Joseph Durante, Jordan Greer, Mindy Fast, Barbara Marx

Finally, there are beloved pets lost to or ill from cancer that I have been asked to remember:

Tyra, Zack, Catherine, Amber, Rocky, Copper

My Purple Shirt of Honor

Tonight, I added honoree names to my race shirt for Saturday's race in Nashville. These folks, some survivors like me, some not, will be coming along for the ride for 13.1 miles that day. It is my honor to carry them with me, because for me, this is not just a footrace - it is honoring the memory and spirit of those who fought the good fight but lost in the end, and celebrating the victories over cancer of the survivors. If I hit a rough time in the race, if I feel tired, all I need to do is think about my duty to carry these names to the finish line, to not give up - just as they fought as hard as they could.

You can read my complete list of honorees here.

My Honorees for Nashville

NOTE: I am keeping this post near the top, because these people are one of the big reasons that I do this.

Every time I do a race for Team in Training, I am raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society so that their mission of curing blood cancers can be reached. In addition, I am celebrating my own great fortune for not only surviving cancer but returning to good health, and I am honoring those who have had to battle cancer. For Nashville, I will write these names on my marathon shirt, and will do my best to honor each and every one of them when I race the Country Music Marathon.

First, there are four family members diagnosed with cancer in the last year and a half: Ann Ritter (my sister), Chris Ritter (my brother), Rhoda Ritter (my step-mother), Stuart Silverman (my step-father, deceased September 2008)

Then, there are our Team Patient Honorees, all such inspirations to our entire team: Emma McFeeley, Nicki Patton, Ed Stone, Kristi Garstang, Paul Zamecnic, Eric Lamp, Olin Patel

Finally, there are other honorees who have bravely faced cancer. Some are fortunate like me, and are survivors. Others fought the good fight but did not have a lucky outcome. May they rest in peace.

In Memory of: Dennis Ronan, Leroy Sievers, W. Scott Bivans, Alan Bernstein, Yvette Hamilton, Page Irby, Blake Wayland, Eloise E. Lindsey, Bob Caggiano, Joe Boisvert, Veronica Jameson, Courtney Davis, Ruth Loretta Bush, Randy Brown, Stephanie Dornbrook, Andrew Stevens, Jim Minich, Teresa Burton, Doris Reh Landis, Beatrice Chapman

In Honor of: Christine Grudinskas, Janice Wedwick, Bev Kuhlman, Meighan Daily, Kayla Kuhn, Gabrielle Bergerson, Joan F. Shipley, Barbara Moriarty, Pam Pollard, Wendi Eder, Michael Joseph, Wendy Wright, Bob Kuhlman, Marie Norton, Mary Beth Gibson, David Shoaf, Lillian Kerby, Jim Copland, Rita Conkle, Alicia Rainwater, Laura Hershberger, Laura Rumble Slater, Michael Marmion, Jeanne Fretz May, Bill Scherling, Elayne Minich, Julie Westcott, Kerry Allor, Salwa Miller, Phyllis Page, Mike Newcomb, Cindy Franklin, Austin Jones, Charisse Czaja, Meaghan Edelstein, Sandi Bender

Seeing Red!

Valentine’s Day is always a special day for our team – most of us try to wear something red or pink. Our run coaches both wore shorts with red hearts on them. I would have liked to have gotten a photo, but I was a little late from putting out my water stop at “The Wall”.

We had a very special guest Saturday – Emma and her mom, Holly. Emma is loved by the whole team. February 14, 2009 marks the 8th anniversary of remission from leukemia (A.L.L.) for this little girl. She developed it when she was only 10 weeks old, and no one in her family expected this little baby to survive. I have heard Emma’s story many times over the past five years, but am always moved by it, and by the photos that Holly passed around of her baby in such misery from chemotherapy. Now Emma is a healthy girl, and a delight to see.

Our routes today were 6, 9, 13 and 18 miles. Mine was only 9, both due to later plans and to the fact that I am considering cutting back mileage to do the half marathon. My route was along Grove to the always delightful Westhampton area, then up Maple and along Patterson for a while, returning along the same route. I am now running seven minutes and walking 6.

Back at the park, I enjoyed the Valentine cookies that Nicki baked for us, and had a real treat – running into some of the Summer Team, especially Michal. She was my training buddy my first year with TNT and my walk coach last year. I miss training with her! I also saw my former mentee, Cathy, who has switched to the Summer Team to do the Anchorage Marathon. And I met a new Nashville teammate, Liz. She will be walking the half but just joined the team and so is training with the Summer Team. Victoria, one of the mentors, and Summer Coach Chuck and Coach Sarah were also there. So it was like a quick little reunion.

Here are a few photos from the day:

Art with Honored Patient Emma, both showing Valentine colors

Everyone in Richmond TNT knows exactly what is meant by “The Wall”, a popular water drop at Grove and Bunting

The Confederate Memorial Chapel on Grove near the Art Museum

Some of the Summer (mostly) Team. From left: Summer Coach Chuck, New Nashville Teammate Liz, My Walk Buddy Michal – Who is the Summer Team Walk Coach, Spring Coach Chuck (our Team Coach for Nashville), and Former Mentee and Fund-Raising Machine Cathy

Be Inspired by Julie!

I've not met Julie, who lives in California, but she is a fellow blogger, member of the "Purple People", and cancer Survivor - with a capital "S". She developed leukemia in 2006, recovered, ran a marathon for Team in Training in 2008, and is now training and fund-raising for three separate marathons! These are San Diego and Seattle for TNT, and the Boston Marathon as a member of the Livestrong Team to support the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Yes, THE BOSTON MARATHON!

Oh, and did I mention this one little thing - that her leukemia is now back, and she is undergoing radiation (Project Glow Worm as she calls it), and maybe chemotherapy as well? If you can't be inspired by someone like Julie, check your pulse! Quickly!

Her story, and her desire to seize the day, to work for cures ("Cures Rock!" says Julie), and to Live Strong have inspired me (my pulse is just fine, thank you) and you better believe that I am adding her name to my honoree list that will go on my next marathon shirt.

Here is a video that Julie put together that covers a bit of her journey:

A Little Boy Named Olin

A week ago, our team learned about a little boy named Olin. His story is one more poignant reminder of why we do Team in Training. Why we get up at 4AM and 5AM to train in the dark. Why we ask and ask again for donations, even when it feels a bit uncomfortable, even when we suspect people are sick of us asking. Why we push ourselves physically to do our miles, even when tired, cold, hot, or wet. Why we are relentless for a cure. It is not right that little children, and their families, have to go through this. My fervant hope is that someday relatively soon, they won't. Someday there will be sure cures for these terrible diseases, and if I am still on God's green earth when this happens, I will rejoice knowing that my little efforts had a tiny part in making this happen.

Here is his story, written by his parents:

Olin is 3 years old and is battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). In August, when he was only 19 months old, Olin woke up from his nap unable to walk. After a month of testing, x-rays, and head scratching-during which Olin became fussier and suffered constant fevers and leg pain - a final blood test on September 25, 2007 gave us the bad news: Olin had leukemia. He immediately began more testing and chemotherapy at the University of Virginia Medical Center. A month of intensive chemotherapy sent his leukemia into remission. But then he suffered a very significant stroke caused by the chemotherapy (a rare yet known potential side effect of the cancer drug asparaginase). He was left unable to speak and completely paralyzed on the right side of his body.

Now, after five months of rehabilitation, he is able to walk and speak but has not yet gained back the full use of his right arm or hand. Olin has 3 more years of chemotherapy ahead of him and many more months of rehabilitation. It's been tough. But Olin's magical personality - his undiminished smile and good humor - have remained; he and his equally sunny sister have made this bearable.

Olin's unflagging good spirits and strength of will remind us that he will fight this and win. Leukemia is no match for Olin! Our family is deeply grateful to everyone out there running/walking/cycling for Team In Training to raise money toward less toxic treatments and, ultimately, a cure, for leukemia and all blood cancers.

Kicking off Art's Fourth Team in Training Campaign!

My Fellow Americans,

I address you tonight on a matter of critical national, and international, importance. No, I’m not talking about Brittany Spears’s most recent goings on, or even the latest Paris Hilton scandal. Of course, I in no way mean to diminish the great importance of what Brittany and Paris are up to, so please forgive me if I have offended any constituents.

But that’s not why I am coming to you tonight. The important matter that I wish to address is cancer, specifically blood cancers – leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Did you realize that in about the same amount of time that it takes a typical politician to fill a large building with hot air – only ten minutes - two more Americans are diagnosed with and one American dies of a blood cancer? That’s over 114,000 people in the USA alone who will be diagnosed this year.

This is unacceptable, and I intend on doing something about it. Therefore, for the fourth time, I am throwing my hat – that’s my white Team in Training (TNT) race cap with the three “26.2” pins on it, of course – into the ring and getting out on the marathon campaign trail again. Yes, I’m signing up with Team in Training once more, this time for the Country Music Marathon, run next April in Nashville, Tennessee. You probably know that two of our most famous presidents are associated with that great state: Andrew “Old Hickory” Jackson and Andy “Saved by a Single Vote” Johnson. It will therefore be my great honor to set foot on Tennessee soil for this event.

What better place than in the Volunteer State to be a volunteer once more for TNT and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS)? You can get all of the details and make a donation if you so choose at my campaign headquarters webpage:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/va/cmc09/aritter

For the first time, I’m blogging about my TNT experience. My blog, which also has all of the information from my last campaign in Arizona, can be viewed at:

http://racn4acure.blogspot.com/

It takes a lot of money to cure cancer, and so again, I am setting my campaign goal high: $14,645. Why this number?

1 – one lucky guy, me, to be a lymphoma survivor and to be healthy enough to do this
4 – four of my family members in 2007 and 2008 diagnosed with various cancers
6 – six years in remission later this year from my bout with lymphoma in 2002
4 – my fourth marathon for the LLS
5 – the fifth time I have been involved in TNT, counting one time as a mentor

Unlike those fancy politicians crisscrossing the country in their big jets, I pledge to you that I will be doing my difficult campaign work on foot. I’ll take over a million steps and go through a couple of pairs of running shoes before I am done, but I’ll be out there with the common people, the “little people” as we big political types fondly call them. You won’t see me hobnobbing with the rich and famous at $10,000 a plate dinners – no siree! I pledge to you that I will account for every dollar and every donation, every penny of which will go to the LLS. Charity Navigator gives LLS a very high rating, by the way.

Now, I know that some are claiming that I am too old, and others are saying that I am too inexperienced, but I know that the American people are too intelligent to pay any attention to such negative and ridiculous statements! My campaign will be successful, but I can only be successful with YOUR support!

In a few weeks, I’ll have my first campaign press conference and will send out a transcript to you all.

So join my Cancer Kickin' Campaign by making a donation, and join me in making a difference for America and the world! Together, we'll team up to fight cancer, and someday, we'll have a cure. Thanks in advance for your support!

Art

(I’m Art Ritter, and I approved this message)


Art Ritter in ’09 – He’ll go the distance for you!

Our Patient Honorees

Update and Fund Raising Message of September 18, 2007

Hi again,

Here I am, about ten weeks into my efforts to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society while training for the P.F. Chang’s Arizona Marathon in January. I wanted to give an update about how things are going, and talk again about our mission.
Thanks again to the 61 people / couples who donated to LLS through me, putting me at about 18% of my goal. You can get detailed information about what I am doing and make a donation if you so choose by going to my TNT web page:

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

I appreciate donations of any amount, and will gladly add the name of someone you want to honor with your donation to my web page and race singlet.

After a month of minimal training, my cut foot finally healed enough for me to put on running shoes again. In the prior month, I’d done some running and walking barefoot on a beach, and some sessions on a stair-stepper in Crocs, but it feels great to be out there with running shoes on again. I walked and ran 13 miles over the weekend, and hope to just keep going now.

Each of us in Team in Training is inspired by our patient honorees. Team Richmond has a number of these brave survivors, and I always write their names on my shirt. Today I wanted to share a little bit about five of our team’s patient honorees. Thinking about what they and their families have been through makes it easier for us to get up at O-Dark Hundred and train in all kinds of weather. By comparison with dealing with cancer, chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants, doing a marathon is not so hard. My fervent goal is that by participating in TNT and hopefully continuing to motivate and inspire generous people to make donations, that in the future it won’t be such an awful experience to get through cancer. Every five minutes, another American is diagnosed with a blood cancer – here is the story of five of them.

Emma is seven years old and loves all kinds of animals, but especially lions, tigers, cats, dogs, jaguars, cheetahs, rabbits, fish, turtles, leopards and elephants. When Emma was 10 weeks old, she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Her parents did not expect her to survive the weekend and prepared to say goodbye to their little baby. But after a lot of horrific treatments and most of her first year of life in the hospital, she did indeed survive and is now in remission 6.5 years. I never fail to get inspired and more determined to make a difference when I think of Emma and her family, and a picture I saw of Emma as a baby with a body swollen from chemo and needles and tubes all over the place. But then, seeing a photo of a healthy and happy Emma swimming with dolphins is also inspirational, because it shows the possibilities of what cancer research can accomplish.

Nicki is 31 and is a ten year + survivor of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. She survived due to a bone marrow transplant in 1997, which is a very tough thing to go through. Her transplant was from an unrelated donor who got on the donor registry to try to help an eight year old boy, who unfortunately died before a donor could be found. Nicki enjoys sports of all kinds, reading, and spending time with her family and friends. Nicki also has done several events for TNT and in 2006 was my marathon teammate in San Diego. Nicki is a constant inspiration to me. By the way, every day, people’s lives are dependent on finding a bone marrow match, so you might want to consider getting on the registry. I’ve been on it since about 1990.

Ed got Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) at age 19, about the same age as Nicki was when she went through lymphoma. Also like Nicki, Ed survived due to a bone marrow transplant: a gift of life from one of his sisters. He is married to a great gal named Leslie. He likes to renovate real estate, travel, attend festivals, and participate in TNT events. Ed has completed at least 11 events for TNT, including marathons, 100 mile bike rides, and triathlons, making him a “Triple Crown” winner. Incredible! Ed is a constant inspiration to me.

Paul is 47 and loves to bike, ski, and play frisbee. He is married with three children. Paul was diagnosed over two years ago with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a slow growing cancer for which there is no cure. Despite having cancer, Paul does century (100 mile) bike rides for TNT to raise money for the LLS. How inspirational is that? And how inspirational is it to think that the hard work we put in now and the money we raise could some day soon lead to a cure for CLL?

Eric is 46 and, with his wife Beth, has two children – along with two dogs and a cat. He has Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia (WM), which is a rare cancer that affects bone marrow, blood, and lymphatic tissue. Eric is currently in partial remission, as WM is treatable but not curable. Eric likes to play golf, do home remodeling, and spend time with his family. Just like with Paul, it inspires me to think that maybe the money that you generously donate can lead to a cure for WM and make a huge difference in these patients’ lives.

These five people are an inspiration to everyone involved with TNT Richmond. I hope that you realize that your donation makes a difference in the lives of real people like Emma, Nicki, Ed, Paul, and Eric. Every ten minutes, another American dies from a blood cancer, so there is plenty more to do.

Best wishes, and thanks.

Art