| Dear Friends and Family,
I have been asked to participate in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Man and Woman of The Year program. I have chosen to accept this invitation and use it as a vehicle to generate life saving funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
In conjunction with my fundraising I will be running a series of races to honor those battling cancers and those we have lost.
Training for and running in these races is my way of physically showing my support and commitment to the cause. I imagine that battling these diseases shares similarities to running long distances. The idea is to keep moving forward with hope, one step at a time until one crosses the finish line.
In particular I am running these races to honor the memory of my dear Dad, Fred Akers, who courageously fought lymphoma for eight months before succumbing to the disease in November of 2007. He never gave up hope.
Speaking of hope, I am also fundraising and running these events to honor two young warriors who have battled Leukemia. Natalie LeRaybaud, age seven, and Mateo Franco, age nine, are The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Girl and Boy of the year. Both of these children have endured extensive chemotherapy and are now in remission and back in school.
I have been involved with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for over two years as an active member of Team in Training. The mission of the Society is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. During my time with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society the six teams that I have been involved with have raised over $946,500 to support the society’s mission.
These diseases ARE NOT an automatic death sentence thanks in large to organizations like the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Survival rates have increased dramatically in the past twenty years; however, WE have miles to go before we find cures. We're getting closer, though. Please join me in my effort to raise funds for research, patient support, and hopefully one day a cure.
ALL of the donations I receive will go towards research, patient services, advocacy, community services and public awareness -- money generated from this fundraising campaign will not support my athletic endeavor. The races I will run are:
The Renegade 3 Mile Trail Race ( 4-22-07), The Malibu Creek 4 Mile Trail Scramble (5-12-07), The Fiesta Day’s 10K (5-28-07), The Valley Crest Trail Half Marathon (6-10-07), The Mount Disapointment 50K (8-11-07), The Mount Baldy Run To The Top 8 miler (9-03-07), The Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon (10-06-07).
Your support is greatly appreciated and your donation is tax deductible. You can donate online at the top of this page or, if you prefer, you can send check or money order made out to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to the following address:
Kiley Akers
4862 La Canada Blvd.
La Canada, CA 91011
With gratitude,
Kiley
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