As I challenge myself, I challenge you to touch a life ...

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but the the moments that take our breath away." ~ Unknown

I love that quote. So this year I resolved to discover those moments and not let them pass me by. In March I went skydiving; and believe it or not, on August 4th, I will bike a metric century in Marin (60 miles). Hopefully I won’t be breathless the entire ride ...

Think I’m crazy? You may not be too far off! I’m almost 40, not really in great shape, and I haven’t really ridden a bike since I was a kid. But here are two very sane reason which are driving my decision to ride: Roman Seguerre and Fred Pierce. My cousin Roman and my sister’s friend, Fred, have been diagnosed with leukemia ~ a true endurance event.

Did you know every five minutes someone in the US learns that they have leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma? Did you know leukemias are the leading fatal cancers in men and women under age 20? Did you know every 10 minutes (that’s 149 people each day, or six people every hour), someone is expected to die from a cancer of the blood? I didn’t know either, until I joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.

I will train for and complete this ride in honor of Roman, Fred, and all individuals who are battling blood cancers. In exchange for coached workouts and preparation for the endurance event, I’ve committed to raising $2,000.00 by July 1 for this organization that is dedicated to patient services and research. In the past decade, for example, researchers at Novartis created, and the FDA approved, a drug called Gleevac, which is effective in the treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). The Society contributed over $8 million towards Gleevac’s initial research.

Roman was diagnosed with CML in 2003 and is being treated with Gleevac. This July he’ll celebrate his 4th year in remission. Fred, however, has been diagnosed with a form of leukemia for which there is no treatment ~ YET.

I’ll need your support to help me finish the ride, but these people need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - finding a cure! I hope you will sponsor my extreme cycling challenge with a tax-deductible contribution. Please give generously, as every little bit helps bring us one step closer to a cure. Contribute by clicking the link at the top right entitled Tessa's TNT Website.

Many thanks, Tessa