Team in Training

I went to the Santa Barbara chapter of Team in Training's informational meeting tonight with my friend, Rachel. We watched a video with testimonials, listened to experiences of people who have run/walked marathons and half marathons, and got to hear a guest speaker. An adorable pregnant woman came to talk and told us that the medication that has put her into remission was a product of a lab funded by Team in Training money. Pretty intense.

If I had any doubt that this is for a good cause, I now know it's worth it.

Team in Training is a part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, an organization that is working towards amazing things in blood cancer treatment. In its 20 years it has donated over $600 million toward research. It is an incredible nonprofit in that it gives nearly 75% of all the money it raises to its cause. (The 27.1% of the money that does not get donated is broken down to 17.6% fundraising and 9.5% general management) Pretty impressive. Which means that every dollar I earn, 73 cents is going directly toward saving someone's life!

Some quick facts:
- There is no cure.
- Leukemia and lymphoma are the leading fatal cancers in young men under 35.
- Leukemia is a leading cause of cancer related death in children.
- Every five minutes, someone is newly diagnosed with a blood cancer.
- Every ten minutes, another child or adult is expected to die from a blood-related cancer.
- 823,000 Americans are presently living with leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease or myeloma

- The five-year survival rate for children with the most common form of leukemia was 4% in 1960... now it is 85%
- Gleevec (the drug responsible for saving the life of our guest speaker) has made the relative five-year survival rate for chronic myelogenous leukemia patients 74.8%


The goal: By 2015, all blood cancers will be curable.

Where the money has gone: over 350 grantees and 124 institutions of research. The donations have also been the catalyst for treatments of Hodgkin's disease, lymphomas and other common kinds of cancer, including stomach, breast and lung cancer.


I am sooo excited to be a part of this organization. I started looking into it for the training for the marathon, but now I think I'll be inspired by the cause behind it.