How can 4 minutes make a difference?
Emily Harrison
Have you ever wondered how 4 minutes could make a difference in someone's life?
In 4 minutes I can:
Throw in a load of laundry
Water the plants out front
Walk to the mailbox and back
Read the headlines on the front page of the Sunday paper
Update my Facebook page
15 summersaults (but don’t ask me… I might puke)
Every 4 minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer (leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma or Myeloma) and their life goes from “normal” to “crazy” in the same 4 minutes that we spend completing our everyday tasks. I have made a decision to join Team in Training and complete a half marathon in support of those who have had “the worst 4 minutes” of their lives, either being diagnosed with cancer, or having someone close diagnosed.
On October 14th, 2012 I will jog a half marathon with thousands of other participants in San Francisco to support those who cannot participate themselves. For those of you that know me closely, I’m not a runner, so you know that this will be a challenge physically, but listening to the stories of my honored teammates who, have had cancer, and are still out running is inspirational.
So I challenge you to help me in one of three ways:
1) Come out early in the mornings during my weekday runs and train with me.
2) Make a donation to my fundraising efforts or help me plan an event (every little bit helps)
3) Send an encouraging word through my website
Still not convinced? Did you know:
1) Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer in children under the age of 20.
2) The overall five-year survival rate for children under 15 years old with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) was 3% in 1964 – today it is 90.5%! The five-year survival rate for leukemia has quadrupled in the past 50 years, from 14% to 56.5%. Statistics have shown a significant improvement in the five-year survival rates of patients with myeloma during this same time frame – from 12% in to 41.1%.
3) Hodgkin lymphoma is now considered to be one of the most curable forms of cancer. The five-year survival rate for a person diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma has more than doubled from 40% to 86.3% in the last 50 years. In children and adolescents ages 0 to 14, the five-year survival rate for Hodgkin lymphoma is 95.6%.
*We can make a difference. Together.*
Please help me reach my goal of raising $5,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society that has made such a huge difference in survival rates and improvement in quality of life for those who were just like you and me 4 minutes ago. Please feel free to forward this email to anyone you feel would like to support this cause.
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nc/nikesf12/emilyharrison
Emily Harrison