As many of you know, my little eight-year-old brother was diagnosed, this summer, with T-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. We are blessed that this strain of leukemia has a high success rate (85%), but Lance has a long, hard mountain to climb.
At this point in time, he is about three months into this journey and things are going well. He has responded well to chemotherapy and has not experienced many severe side effects. I have been so impressed and proud, as his big sister, at how strong he has been. I am now 800 miles away from him at college, which has been challenging for me, but I stay pretty well updated through his CaringBridge website and, of course, FaceTime and good, 'ol fashioned phone calls.
In an effort to encourage him on his journey and raise funds for his treatment, my step-mom, Shelley, has arranged a walk/run in honor of Lance set for this Sunday, September 29th! The cool thing about this walk/run is that the distance and location are up to you. Wherever you happen to be on Sunday, you can lace up your tennis shoes and walk out your door or step on the treadmill and go for as long as you want!
In Lance's neighborhood, members of the community are meeting in a designated area and taking on the open road together!
Here in Iowa, I would like to challenge all of my friends and family (and strangers!) to register for this fun walk/run HERE and just go out on Sunday and put at least a mile in! Also, if you Instagram or Tweet, take pictures and hashtag #TeamLance OR email them to me, personally (alainagorton@yahoo.com) so Shelley and I can post them on Facebook and CaringBridge!
You have no idea how much your participation will mean to our family and to Lance! It's just a few minutes, hours, miles (however you want to break it down!) of your day that will have a lasting impact.
For my fellow Iowa Staters, I plan to start my run right outside the front entrance of the MWL buildings around 8 AM on Sunday morning and will go until I can run no more! If you'd like to join me, feel free! :) Just register and meet me between 7:45 and 8 AM in front of the MWL buildings and either text, email, or Tweet me (@laineykayy), letting me know you'll be there!
If you would like to further contribute directly to Lance's care, you may do it on the same website as you will go to register for the walk/run! There are perks on the right-hand side of the page that you can choose from, varying in amounts. Donations are much appreciated!
Also, please share this with you friends!
Thank you so much! Hope to see lot's of faces on Sunday - in real life and in pictures! :)
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