I am training to participate in the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee on April 26th, 2007 as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team IN Training. (http://www.cmmarathon.com/home.html)

Lymphoma is a cancer that has directly affected my family. In 1996, my grandmother was diagnosed with lymphoma and I spent that summer with her while she went through chemotherapy for the first time.

She is an incredible woman and role model, who not only persevered through the cancer (three times), but also volunteered to be part of the original research study on combination therapy (solely because she thought that it would help others afflicted by cancer). Now after having been in remission for many years, she is as vibrant as ever.

She has kindly agreed for me to run my very first marathon in her name which is an incredible motivation. For her to have fought the disease and triumphed is amazing day-to-day motivation.
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I cannot wait to cross that finish line, raise funds for our Illinois Team, and support an organization that has been vital in helping many others grow up with their grandmothers around.

I keep sending her updates, and I feel that it's made us more connected than ever.

So, that’s where I need your help. My personal goal is to raise $3,400 before the race in April and I am nearly 98% of the way there! Although that is a daunting number, what you donate goes towards research and patient and community service from the Society, and I truly believe that is a worthwhile cause. If I can raise enough to help someone’s family member or friend… then perhaps I can make a small 26.2-mile step to return the blessing that my family received.

If you have any questions, suggestions, comments or encouraging words, I would love to hear from you (since I am sure I will need all of the support)! I will keep you updated on my progress in terms of training as well as my personal well-being and I hope to hear from all of you. Your support in this will keep me running, and I truly appreciate your help.

Thank you, Pavni

P.S. I am keeping a blog of the training at: http://community.active.com/blogs/pavni. Keep reading as I keep on running!

Please make a donation (no donation is too big or small!) to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance the Society's mission.

The Power of Your Contribution.

$1,000 Assists in the organization of (47) Illinois support groups and education programs for patients, and contributes to Society sponsored blood cancer research.

$500 Provides a leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma patient with financial aid to support medical treatment and to travel to medical appointments for one year.

$500 Allows (10) patients to logon to a webcast and hear the latest information in treatment for their disease.

$250 Provides a Family Support Group for one year.

$150 Will train (6) survivors to make First Connections with a newly diagnosed patient.

$100 Helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures.

$75 Average cost of tissue typing to become a bone marrow donor.

$50 The cost of a co-payment for a CT scan.

$40 Will educate (4) school employees on how to ease the transition back to school for a child with cancer.

$35 Will purchase (12) Charlie Brown DVD's to explain cancer to pediatric patients.

$25 Covers a single prescription co-payment.

$5 The cost of sending a newly diagnosed patient a packet which includes information about their specific disease and support