Marleny's Team In Training Page

New Milestone Each Weekend

(This is me before training. My face won't look so happy in a couple of weeks.)

Dear family, Friends and Colleagues,


I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you the very exciting news that I will be training for the Lavaman triathlon occurring April 6, 2008 on behalf of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Now, for those of you who know me well, let’s just say a triathlon is a little out of character as I can probably run 3 miles on a good day, I can’t really swim and I don’t own a bike. So, I figured..hey, why not?!

Let me take a second to explain why I decided to take on this challenge... The Team in Training program is something that I have always been interested in, but thought “I could never do something like this.” (Primarily for the reasons above!) When the idea first popped in my head, I saw it more as a personal challenge, however within the last year; I have felt a greater need to be a part of this cause.

I am one of the fortunate who has not lost a direct family member from this disease. However, just within the last year, I’ve witnessed family friends, childhood friends, and acquaintances lose the ones they love to this deadly disease. The thing about cancer is that it doesn’t discriminate by color, size, income, age. It can come to anyone at anytime.

One of the most inspirational experiences thus far with the program was when I had the opportunity to meet the people who have overcome or are currently battling this disease. There were a few precious children that I met who are currently undergoing treatment. It was at this moment when I realized that this is something so much bigger than us and a simple triathlon challenge pales in comparison to what these children have been through.

One of the children, Dylan Gomez suffers from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He is in the maintenance part of his treatment, which means he goes twice a month to receive chemo and a spinal tap. This program not only helps with the fight against blood cancer, but also provides financial assistance to families who are not able to afford the treatments.

However, I won’t be able to train for this event alone, and I would be honored if you would help me. My goal is to raise $5,800 by March 26, 2008. No pledge is too small at all! And your donation is tax-deductible. I will keep you updated on my progress on the training portion so check back on the site if you like to be entertained :)

I invite you to be a part of my goal.

I promise you there is no better feeling than knowing you were a part of an amazing mission that helped so many people.

Thank you so much for your support.
Marleny M. Ramirez