18 August 2010

Dear Adoring Fans,

Many of you may remember that it was just about this time in 2005 when you got your first message from me saying that I was training to run my first marathon and raising money to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) through their Team In Training (TNT) program. Since 2005 I have run five marathons, two half marathons, and competed in one century ride with TNT here in Tucson. More importantly, through your generous contributions we have raised nearly $25,000 to support the fight against blood cancers, a truly incredible amount. I am humbled by your continued generosity to this important cause.

This year is a year of changes for me. I have moved from Bisbee to Tucson, and instead of training for the Nike Marathon, I have decided to try my hand at a triathlon.

On September 12, 2010 I and the rest of my teammates will participate in the Nation’s Triathlon in Washington, D.C. I can train for the triathlon, but I need your help to meet my fundraising goal: to raise $5000 by September 15, 2010 to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in its battle against blood cancers. (Of course, I am happy to accept your donation after this date, as well).

The next few months will be a challenge for me. But although I will be logging hundreds of miles and challenging myself both mentally and physically, it pales in comparison to what cancer patients have had to endure. Please help support me in this challenge by contributing generously. All donations are 100% tax-deductible and more than 75% of all funds go directly to support research, public and professional education, advocacy, patient aid, and community service programs.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's mission is to cure leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families, and each year our battle to raise funds to support their work grows more important. On June 2, 2008, my Uncle Kenny passed away after a long, painful battle with graft versus host disease that he struggled with as a result of a bone marrow transplant he received the previous fall in an effort to treat his leukemia. Participating in the Nation’s Triathlon will be special, because my uncle’s family lives in the D.C. area and will be there for my event weekend. I also train in honor of my friend Jan Riggs, who has been battling multiple myeloma since 2007, and in memory of my childhood friend Robb Milacci, whose life was ended far too soon by a brain tumor in February 2009.

How can you help? Make a secure online donation here. You can also just fill this form and send it to me with credit card information or a check payable to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in the included envelope. And please visit my personal website (http://www.u.arizona.edu/~jnduby) to learn more about what I am doing and follow my training throughout the season. This is truly a team effort, and I absolutely couldn't do it without your support. And if you are unable to make a financial contribution, your moral support is just as welcome!

Cancer has, in some way, touched the lives of nearly everyone I know. I'm running this marathon in honor of Jan and in loving memory of my uncle, my Honored Teammates, as well as in memory of my friend Robb Milacci and the long list of others in whose names you have asked me to run in honor or memory. Please let me know if you have a special person on whose behalf you are donating and I will gladly add them to my list of honorees. And feel VERY free to share this information with anyone who might be interested in making a contribution. Be sure to visit my website regularly to follow my training!

Thank you for your support.

Please click here to make a secure, online donation.