Be the Match Marrowthon, 79.4% towards goal, and 6 miles

Be the Match Marrowthon - free registration through June 22! Last weekend before our long team run, on a cold, gray morning around 8 am while the sky was threatening rain, a volunteer with the National Marrow Donor Program set up a small table on the running path and registered bone marrow donors. It took about ten minutes - cheek swabs are used for an initial test.

Bone marrow transplant is a life-saving treatment for people with leukemia, lymphoma and other diseases. However, seventy percent of patients do not have a close enough match within their family and depend on the National Marrow Donor Program to identify a suitable donor. That's where you come in.

It usually costs about $100 to register on the bone marrow registry to cover laboratory test costs, but during the Be the Match Marrowthon, you can sign up to receive a cheek swab kit for free in the mail. If you are identified to be a potential match, the donor registry will contact you. Your obligation is to consider becoming a donor (you don't even have to commit to donating), to contact the Registry promptly when they contact you, and to update your contact information until you're 61. That's it. Check out frequently asked questions about joining the donor here. Consider joining - you don't have to run a marathon to support patients with leukemia and lymphoma. Just swab your cheeks : )

Our long weekend team run was in St. Paul yesterday. To my great disappointment, it was only 6 miles, not 7 - and I was really looking forward to breaking my personal record of 6.75 miles. Then again, thinking back to where I was, imagining that I would be a little sad we were only running six miles instead of seven - well, I would have considered that a joke, and not in particularly good taste at that! In any case, I am developing a little bit of pain in my shin and the back of my foot. I've taken it easy today and am hoping that will help.

In other exciting news, I am thrilled to report that we are now 79.4% towards my goal of raising $1700 for LLS by July 2. That means there's only $350.20 left to raise in eighteen days - we can do this! Thank you all, again, for your help in progressing towards this goal. I literally could not have done it without you. A tremendous thank you to new donors in the past week:

Lara, VA
Peter, WI
Dawn, St. Paul
Margit, Washington, DC
Bob, St. Paul
Kecia, ND
Aunt Bonnie, CO

Thank you all so much. We are almost there!