In March of 1993, my dad was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma- or better known as bone marrow cancer. He had a 50% chance of surviving the next 5 years, and when he surpassed those 5 years my parents could not believe it. Since when I was born, it was almost natural to go visit my father in the hospital. When I was young, my sister and I would sit in his room for hours on end playing with lego and running the halls of the hospital. It may seem strange to think about the hospital as our playground, but back then because of the amount time that we were spending there, it basically was. Due to all the heavy chemotherapy he was undergoing, almost 10 years later he was diagnosed with Leukemia- a cancer of the blood. His form of Leukemia was very rare, and in 2007 he was once again hospitalized. He was expecting a bone marrow transplant from a donor in Germany, and things were looking up, until one day everything started to go downhill when his body rejected the transplant. He was put in the Intensive Care Unit for a few weeks, and suddenly on July 17th- two days before his 54th birthday, he passed away. Although he was battling this disease for many years, he never once complained or made us feel like he had the time or energy for us. He always put his family first, and radiated love to everyone who surrounded him. Not a day goes by where I don't think about him, and I miss him greatly. He is my hero, and for that reason I will be running 21km for him in April with the Team in Training Group.

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's of Canada's mission.

Thanks for your support!