Running For Cancer Research
As many of you know, last July I got diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. I spent a good chunk of summer in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy, and most of the end of 2011 was spent either getting treatment or recovering from said treatment. It wasn’t much fun, but after four rounds of chemo and an overwhelming amount of support from friends and the amazing online baseball community, I was given a clean bill of health in January and am now happily living in remission. We’re only a month out from my last biopsy, but the leukemia has yet to return, and my odds of beating this thing get better every day.
So, now that I’m back to living something that resembles a normal life, my wife and I have decided to fight back against the scourge of blood cancers. She’s a physician assistant in oncology and sees the effects of these diseases are on a daily basis, and so we’ve teamed up with four of her co-workers (and one husband of a co-worker) and are running in The Flying Pig half-marathon in Cincinnati on May 6th.
Our group is part of a larger organization under the umbrella of Team In Training, a fundraising arm of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. LLS is the leading organization in the fight against blood cancers, and provide support (financial, informational, and emotional) to patients and families of these diseases, as well as funding critical research that is on the cutting edge of the fight against leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s Disease, and myeloma. The advances made in these fields are one of the reasons I’m not dead, and the LLS is a vital organization for those who have been touched by these types of cancer.
The seven of us have an official team fundraising goal of just over $16,000. I fully expect to blow that mark out of the water. This is where you guys come in.
If you’d like to donate to the LLS through our team page, you can simply follow this link and use the donate button on the right hand side to give directly to the group. All donations are tax deductible, and you will get a receipt from LLS for your contribution. Plus, you’ll know that you did something awesome, and those who fight these diseases in the future may very well beat death because of your support.
Additionally, I’ve decided to un-retire from fantasy baseball to help raise money for the cause. As an incentive to donate, we’re going to be giving away 11 spots in an Ottoneu League to the highest donors who want to take their shot at embarrassing me on a national stage. I haven’t played any kind of roto baseball in quite some time, but I still have my pride, and I’ll be doing my best to retain some dignity against the 11 heros who gave generously to help stamp out the curse of blood cancers.
If you want to be part of this “Cancer Sucks” Ottoneu League, simply go to our group page and make a (large) donation using your real name. Then, send an email to dave.cameron@fangraphs.com stating that you’re interested in being part of the Ottoneu League. At the end of February, we’ll go through the donation logs and find the 10 people who gave the most money and expressed interest, and they’ll be offered a team in the league. As an incentive to not wait until the last minute, we’ll be giving away the first spot in the league to the person who donates the most money by this Friday. If you give more than anyone else in the next three days, you’re in.
The LLS is rated as a three star charity and is a fantastic organization that is more than worthy of your support. Only eight percent of the money raised goes to administrative costs, and they’ve given more than $600 million to cancer research since being founded. Help us raise money for this great organization and simultaneously tell cancer that it can go pound sand.
Thanks to each of you for your support over the last six months. You guys are great, and I’m honored to be part of such a fantastic community.
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10 Responses to “Running For Cancer Research”
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Glad to help. Looks like Team Dave is already off to a strong start.
Good luck with the run and with your health, Dave.
Give to good charities, see life saving research get done. Hm. I suppose this is one instance where there IS a historical relationship between money and wins. 😉
Good on you for giving back, and congrats again on your recovery.
Go Dave!
My girlfriend (who happens to be a fundraiser for LLS here in the Bay Area) ran a half at the Avenue of the Giants last spring.
The prep can be rigorous (I would know as I found myself training along side her more often than not) – but the reward is great.
Good luck with your fundraising and your training!
Having done a couple of events (STP double century) with TNT, I know that they are a GREAT organization. The support during your training and event are unbelievable, and at least 75% of all funds that are raised go directly to the LLS (at least here with the WA/AK chapter). Have a great run…GO TEAM!
Aw yeah, Takin’ It To The Streets!
Happy to provide support (and thanks for pointing out CharityNavigator.org – never heard of them before, but what a great tool).
I gladly donated this afternoon. Good luck with the run.
Donation made. I have a cousin who is fighting the same disease, though I fear with a bit less success than you, Dave. On the other hand, he was supposed to last six months back in August 2010 and he’s still with us. So this is a tried and true donation form for us.
Dave,
My wife is preparing for a bone marrow transplant at SCCA for AML after beating ALL in 2008. Thank you for utilizing this site to educate readers as to the disease and ways they can help find the cure. Know that you are doing a good work.
Andrew Mowry here, just made my donation as promised. If you are ever in Minnesota let me know. Would love to meet up and talk baseball. Best of luck to you in your run and more importantly to the little one in your team that is fighting the same thing you just beat. Thanks again for the outstanding coverage of our Mariners.
-Big Mook.
Hi Dave,
I’m also participating in the fight against blood cancer by participating in The Big Climb in Seattle on March 25. It’s a 69-floor stair climb up the tallest building in Seattle. Donations benefit the LLS: http://bit.ly/w1TF7G