Alison Simard's Up and Running Again...
Racing to Save Lives ...
No, this isn't deja vu. I trained for the San Diego half marathon and 3 weeks before my event came down with pneumonia. I was up to 12 miles in my training ... then just when I got better I got pneumonia again! But I'm back, I'm better and I'm going for it again! In addition to working full-time, and running the house with Aaron often on the road and managing to keep Ethan going between school and all his extra activities like swim lessons and birthday parties, I have gone nuts and I’ve decided to begin training for the Phoenix Rock & Roll marathon as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. That’s 26.2 miles!!!! I'm completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers, but especially my dear friend who we lovingly call Ethan's “faerie” godmother. She was diagnosed with Chronic Leukemia shortly after he was born and yet always remains a supportive force in our lives and especially Ethan’s.
Blood disorders are elusive and take down vibrant and otherwise healthy people by attacking the entire immune system at once. If your blood is sick, so are you. They can’t cut out the tissue like other kinds of cancer.
Although she has the top doctors at City of Hope hospital here in LA, I’ve watched my wonderful friend suffer hours of blood replacement, chemotherapy and drug trials for more than 3 years so far and still no remission. Blood can not be bought or created in a lab, it can only be donated. And although I gave blood 4 times last year, it didn't feel like enough.
All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives and in return, TNT get us in shape to complete these races. And we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!
But let's face it, this is also a really good opportunity to get in great shape. If you’ve known me over the years, you know that my personal albatross has always been about getting and staying in shape.
But feel free to also call this the "Ali’s getting back in shape fund and needs these coaches to get her a** over the line" fund!
At the kick-off event I saw a t-shirt that I've decided will be my mantra. It says, "If you think marathoning's hard, try chemotherapy."
My personal goal is to raise $5000 and any amount you can offer will help me get there. TNT has generously agreed to roll much of my fund raising from last season over but I still have more to raise!
Los Angeles residents, here's another way you can support me and help yourself: My wonderful Chiropractor Dr. Farbenbloom runs a treatment clinic that offers massage, private pilates and a variety of other techniques for balancing the body and he works with almost all kinds of insurance. For every new patient who sees him and mentions me or TNT, he'll donate $50 to my fund. So go get a massage for a good cause! In Studio City: (818) 505-0152 or West LA: 310-556-1890
