Fall Season Week 6

Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake. - Henry David Thoreau

Fundraising Tip
Send out 5 Corporate Packets to companies you know and/or frequent often. Although big companies may have the most money, they also receive a lot of reqeusts. Be sure to seek out businesses where you know someone, where you have a relationship and that really would benefit from sponsorship with the LLS.

Training Tip
Daily run strategies
It is important to know what your objectives are whenever you have a workout as part of your training regimen. The three topics below address the ideas of 1) building your base, 2) increasing your strength, and 3) avoiding injury. Daily runs and workouts are a key part to getting you to your event in shape to complete and enjoy the day.

Maintenance miles
A critical part to distance training is getting your body and sinews used to the pounding it will take. This involves spending time running/walking on the surface your event will be on. This is usually asphalt. So it is important to spend part of every week working out on asphalt.
All surfaces are not created equal. Concrete is hard and unforgiving. Do not run long distances on sidewalks. Your knees and hips will thank you! On the soft side are things like treadmills and packed dirt. Asphalt is somewhere between, probably closer to concrete than packed dirt.

Building yourself up
Enjoying the event will require most of us to improve our physical condition. There are three basic training concepts you might try. Note that you should be adequately warmed up and loose before doing these. Have a watch handy to track your progress!
Interval training – raising your heart rate to the anaerobic threshold (about 90% of max) for a brief time. Exercise should continue between intervals so that heart rate does not return to resting until after the workout is over. This category can include track work, hills, spin classes, or biking. This builds leg strength.
Tempo runs – holding a pace above your comfort level for an extended period. Heart rate should be about 75% of max. This builds endurance and helps you learn to hold a pace.
Foot speed – the proper pace and form is essential to efficient running. Elite runners are incredibly efficient and run at a pace near 90 steps per minute. Count the number of times one foot hits the ground in a minute. Try to get this number to be greater than 80. Relax and concentrate on moving your legs and feet quickly. Your step should be quick, easy, and light. This will help spare your body some of the pounding and help maintain a good pace for long distances.

Alternating stress and ‘rest’
Rest is part of building yourself up. Muscles must be stressed but then must be allowed to recover in order to strengthen themselves. Over training will lead to injury! Have at least 2 weekly workouts that are easy on your legs. Cross training is a good option. If you do run, keep your pace easy and enjoyable.

Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT ARE STANDARD FORMS OF TREATMENT?
• The use of chemotherapy, or anti-cancer drugs, usually in combinations of two or more drugs, is largely responsible for the dramatic improvement in managing leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Approximately 30 different drugs are being used in the treatment of these diseases.
• Bone marrow transplantation has been available for the last 30 years and is now standard therapy for selected patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. There are two major types of transplants: autologous and allogeneic.
 Autologous transplantation uses the patient’s own marrow. The marrow is collected while the patient is in remission, and it is often treated with chemotherapy agents and monoclonal antibodies before being given back.
 An allogeneic transplant uses marrow from a normal donor, usually a brother or sister who has the same tissue type. If a sibling is not available, a search of the National Marrow Donor Program registry of tissue-typed volunteers could be made for a non-related donor.
• Radiation therapy is another treatment that is used principally for lymphoma. It can also be used for patients who are to undergo bone marrow transplantation.
• The aim of treatment is to bring about a complete remission. Complete remission means that there is no evidence of the disease. Relapse indicates a return of the malignant cells and return of other signs and symptoms to the disease. For many forms of leukemia and lymphoma, a complete remission that lasts five years after treatment is considered cured.

Mission Moment
In Memory Of
Ronald Butler
Powder Springs, GA
Lived with CML for 2 years, 2 months

My beloved husband of 44 years, Ronald, was diagnosed with CML in April/2002. He was on Gleevec which kept his leukemia stable for 1 year, but then stopped working. His oncologist told him he would need a stem cell transplant. He was 61 at the time. One of his brothers was a perfect match, and he underwent the transplant in July/2003. He had a hard time with graft vs. host disease and numerous infections, and had some close calls, but he made it; for 3 months anyway. Then the transplant failed. His bone marrow was not producing cells, and he had to have platelets and red blood every other day for months. During this time he had a fungal infection in his lungs, which worsened. He was admitted to the hospital again, this time for 5 weeks. The doctors were trying to treat the infection without any white blood cells to help. He had a 2nd transplant; the white cells engrafted on the 11th day, but he died on the 12th day due to the infection. He was on a ventilator, so we couldn't talk for 6 days before he died. I love him and miss him so much. He showed us what courage is all about. He never complained during the entire 2 years of living this nightmare, even when he couldn't see his beloved grandchildren for 5 months because he had no immune system. He just wanted to live so badly, he was willing to go through whatever he had to. He was an inspiration to all who knew him, and I will love him until I take my last breath...