Dear Friends, Family and Neighbors,
Two years ago in the spring of 2012, I decided to join a fundraising initiative that would forever change my life. My fiancé Stephanie and her mother Dorothy came to me with a peculiar, considering their previous lack sporting endeavors, idea to fundraise money and train for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon (yes they accept men too). At the time I thought it would be hard enough to run a half marathon, but to also to commit to fundraise for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC) was completely daunting. Not wanting to show my inner apprehensions I instantly agreed, mostly to encourage my partner and her mother, but also to take on a new challenge I wasn’t necessarily looking for.
Throughout my childhood and my young adult life I have always been involved with sport. Competitive endeavors are a thrill and personal challenge that I relish in, but I never could fully understand the struggle it takes to live with cancer until 2011. Early in 2011 Dorothy received a routine post-operative biopsy and surprisingly the doctors found a type of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Dorothy, being the upbeat, positive person she was educated herself about her cancer, striving to learn as much as she could. She was determined to engage herself within a community of people who share a common purpose and who have been affected by Leukemia and Lymphoma. That group was Team in Training.
Training and fundraising in association with the LLSC’s Team in Training has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Our team of four raised close to $24,000. The LLSC is a transparent organization that uses donations directly for research and services such as:
• vital research to develop cures and better treatments for blood cancers
• patient services to provide support guidance and improve the quality of life for patients and their families in communities across Canada
• educational programs to strengthen decision-making and coping skills for patients and their families caregivers and healthcare professionals
• advocacy programs that give patients a voice in urging more government support for cancer research and patient programs as well as access to and coverage for the best possible treatments- (http://www.llscanada.org/#/waystohelp/donate/)

Late last summer we learned that despite numerous rounds of chemotherapy Dorothy’s cancer was not responding to treatments. She passed away peacefully in November 2013. She was a woman with an infectious attitude for life, loving and living experiences to the fullest. These values have motivated me to embark on another journey of running and fundraising for the LLSC’s Team in Training. My fiancé and I have signed up to do it all over again, with plans to partake in the TCS Amsterdam Marathon in October 2014. That is 42.2 km of pain and a lack of oxygen, but it is nothing compared to marathon that those who live with cancer endure every day. We have set our goals high, with hopes to raise over $20,000 for research that will one day end blood cancers. How can you help?
• Make a personal donation; these can be made directly on my fundraising website at http://my.e2rm.com/PersonalPage.aspx?registrationID=2187090&langPref=en-CA or by filling out the attached donation form and sending it to:
Team in Training Calgary. 2020 10 St. NW. Calgary, AB, T2M 3M2
• Make a corporate donation; please ask me how this can benefit your company and especially how it can help in furthering blood cancer research.
• Ask me about plans for fundraising endeavors and stay tuned for opportunities to participate in, attend, or help organize a fundraising event.
• Contact me for more information or to arrange other ways to donate or help at griffiths.connor@me.com or by phone at 403-630-7758

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada will issue a tax receipt for any donation $25 and up.
Thank you for considering my invitation for donation. Your support means so much to me and to many others effected by blood cancers.
Questions? Contact: griffiths.connor@me.com