Background info

I realized with that last post I mentioned Meredith & Emily having cancer & Kelly's dad dying & you (the whole 2 of you that read this) probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Here's the background info on that.

Meredith: She is the sister of one of my best friends (& former roomate), Evan. A little over 3 weeks ago, she was diagnosed with stage IV Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Oddly enough, that diagnosis was wonderful news, as they originally thought she had liver cancer (the 1st tumor they found was on her liver), which would have been an absolute death sentence for her. However, since it's "only Lymphoma", she has about a 65% chance. We're very optimistic. It helps that she is one hell of a fighter. She just started chemo @ MD Anderson about a week or so ago. I am running the Nike Women's Marathon in her honor.

Kelly's dad: Kelly has been my best friend since we were 14 (over 20 years!). I spent pretty much all of my free time from the age of 15-18 & any time I was home from college w/ her at her dad's house, where she lived. Well, the same day Meredith was diagnosed w/ Lymphoma, Kelly's dad was diagnosed with end-stage lung cancer. By the time it was discovered, it was too late. The doctors gave him 2 weeks to 6 months to live. He lasted 3 weeks. :(

Emily: My Team in Training coach & the team's second Mom. A little while back she'd been having hip pains. It kept getting worse so she went to the dr. for an MRI. They found lesions on the bone. Eventually, after many tests, the final diagnosis was bone cancer. Quite a kick in the pants, especially since she had already survived breast cancer at least 15 years ago. Even though she's going thru chemo & needs crutches to walk, she still shows up every single Saturday to coach the team. She is quite possibly the toughest lady I know. She's still signed up for the Nike Women's Marathon & is supposed to train with us, but until she's healthy & can run again, each & every one of us on the team are running for her.

Speaking of Nike... if you would like to help me out with my fundraising for this event, please visit my TNT website & make a donation. THANK YOU!!!!