Roman's Road to Ironman 2008
Racing for a Cure...2.4 mile swim...112 mile bike...26.2 mile run...in under 16 hours
I’ve made the decision.
Some people have called me crazy, others have called me courageous. (But they mostly call me crazy, self included).
I’ve made the decision to finish an Ironman Triathlon. You may have seen an Ironman on television. You stare at the TV screen and think, ‘that’s impossible!’
Then you learn the distances: a 2.4-mile open water swim, followed by a 112-mile bike race, finally a full 26.2-mile marathon, all back to back in one day. The Ironman is arguably the quintessential endurance race, the ultimate test of perseverance. It's a grueling race, pushing people to the limits of endurance.
WHY ON EARTH?!
Why would I do such a thing? I’ve been diagnosed with Leukemia (CML), a cancer of the blood. Left untreated, the survival rate of CML is less than 5 years, beyond that my odds of survival would be less than flipping a coin.
July 2008 will be my 5-year remission anniversary and I'll be racing the Vineman Iron-distance Triathlon in Sonoma County on August 2. (*Update - my race venue has been changed from Lake Placid, NY.)
Technically, I'm not cancer-free. My treatment protocol only delays the progression of the disease. Besides a high risk bone-marrow transplant procedure, there is no known cure for CML...yet.
So to ‘celebrate’ that milestone in my life, I’ll be training six days a week with teammates from Team In Training to prepare for this race, my first triathlon. The timing is such that it was meant to be. This will definitely be one the greatest challenges I’ve ever faced, but then again, cancer is no picnic either.
Finishing the race will be one of the highlights of my life, a dream I’ve held since I was (much) younger, and to do it while battling leukemia is a chance to show cancer that I’m alive and well and strong, a way to advance cancer research and instill in my daughter the belief that anything is possible in life. And aren’t dreams and memorable experiences with your loved ones the stuff of life anyway?
YOUR HELP
In celebration I'd like to invite you to join me in raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training to help stop leukemia and other blood cancers from taking more lives. The Society helped fund the initial research of the drug that is keeping me alive (Gleevec), made possible by the generosity of people like you. You have previously helped Jean and I raise nearly $20,000 for cancer research and patient services. Thank you so much!
THE CAUSE
~ Leukemia is the #1 killer of children under age 15.
~ Every 5 minutes, another child or adult is diagnosed with a blood-related cancer.
~ Every 9 minutes, another child or adult is expected to die from a blood-related cancer.
~ Research is working - 25 years ago, only 5% of children diagnosed with leukemia survived; today the survival rate is 81%. Let's not stop until it's 100%.
THE GOAL
My goal is to raise over $6,000. I rely on your continuing generosity in helping to support a cure and am also making a personal donation of $1,000 toward this goal. I hope you contribute as generously as you can. Everything counts! It's quick, easy, secure and 100% tax-deductible.
HEARTFELT THANKS
The fact is, in one way or another, cancer affects us all. That’s why it’s up to all of us to play a part in beating cancer in our lifetime. I’m one of the lucky ones and I don’t want Gillian to ever have to face what me and thousands of other patients have gone through.
Thank you for your gift. I can’t think of a better way to honor someone you know, perhaps a friend or a loved one, who has battled cancer. Many have shared with me their heartwarming and heartbreaking stories on how they’ve been affected. I’d be honored to race in their honor or memory, please let me know (rseguerre@aol.com).
Bookmark this site and my weblog: rseguerre.blogspot.com to see my fundraising and training progress, I’m thrilled to have you along for the ride. I race like my life depends on it, because it does.
Thanks again, stay well and Rock on!
ROMAN Seguerre (see-gary)
MY HONOREES: In honor of Pat. In memory of Travis. In honor of Jackson. In honor of Phil. In honor of Dennis. In honor of Anna. In honor of Gayle. In honor of Jim. In honor of Larry. In memory of Papa A. In honor of Natalie. In memory of Trevor. In honor of Jackson. In honor of Erica. In memory of Louie.
Heartfelt thanks to TEAM IRONROMAN: * Alicia Krueger * Alice Rico * Gina Alessio * Hank & Nita Brock * Teofilo & Millie Cortez * Ralf & Suzanne Jeworowski * Ronald & Karen Otsuji * KG Fitch * Dennis Turney * Gayle Reed * David & Carol Seguerre * Ken & Roni Miyasato * My General Counsel Group * Mike Prozan * Synya & Ali Balanon * J.M. Cuozzo * Leo & Evie Moldero * Noel & Ramona Seguerre * Lambert & Yoko Balanon * Dr. Susan Salem * Diablo Chiropractic * Mark Ricco * Roger & Kalei Balanon * Noel & Emmeline Maghirang * Anna Cecchettini * Sedonia Yoshida * Dan Stewart * Life Pacific College * Annette Kiyuna * Thomas & Linda Ormond * Danny Ocampo * Emil & Connie Valle * Andrew & Tessa Valle * Merla Salongcong * Paul & Heila Hubbard * Lisa Blume * Russell Schlect * Dennis & Aggie Bayer * Melinda Llave Borja * Ed & Angie Gleason * Kelly Butler * Leslie Abbott * Lynn Montibon Ohana * Alan & Sue Matias * Alicia Knudson * Diane Lippi * Jasmine Hatam * Anonymous * Raquel Armas * Mike & Joy Bagasao * Mary Llantero Ohana* Angelique Barreras *
[Donate online or mail to: Team IronRoman, 2016 Clearview Circle, Benicia, CA 94510]
[Checks payable to: LLS]
Did You Know? The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has invested more than $500 million dollars in research specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Innovations in blood cancer research hold the keys to curing all cancers. Treatments such as chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation, originally developed for leukemia, are now standard treatments for many cancers.
