January 19, 2004

Okay! It's fundraising time!

As many of you know by now, I have been training since August for the Motorola Marathon, in order to raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma with Team in Training.

I will be doing the 1/2 marathon on February 15th. Although I had intended to run the whole marathon, I now realize that I underestimated the amount of time needed to prepare for such a feat. However, the 1/2 marathon is still no small task. For those of you that have been following, when I started 6 months ago, I couldn't make it down the block. 12 miles is a big improvement :).

More importantly, the reason for which I am doing this has not diminished. I visited little Asha and her family over the holiday, and it only strengthened my resolve to help in the fight against cancer. She had just completed the most intense chemotherapy session of her 2-year regimen, and is as energetic and vibrant as ever.

I am starting the fundraising a little bit late, but I would like to thank those that have already sent money, or expressed an interest in doing so.

Every little bit helps, $10, $35, or even $100. I’ll post the results the day before the race, February 14th (Valentine’s day!). Just click the button that says "Make a donation" and you can use a credit card or paypal account to contribute!

Posted by SunSword at 09:02 PM | Comments (2)

September 15, 2003

Help SunSword fight cancer!

team in training logo

So, many of you may be wondering what possible reason I could have for wanting to run a marathon. I've re-written this post many times. Sometimes funny, sometimes not. The short of it is, I'm asking all of you to dig into your pockets and support my fundraising efforts against cancer. Here's why:

Well, when I returned to Origin Systems late last year, I met a woman on the executive staff that was training for a triathalon. I was impressed, particularly because she was a bit older than I. We began to talk about triathalons (I had done one once in high school) and other events. I eventually learned that she was doing it to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I thought to myself, that's a great idea. I really need to get back into shape, I'm about to turn 30, and it's for a great cause. Maybe I'll do that.

Skip forward 8 MONTHS. I haven't started training for a triathalon. I haven't begun excersizing. I was officially halfway through my 29th year. But one day, I get a flyer in the mail for something called "Team In Training." I read the flyer and discovered how they train athletes for endurance events in return for fundraising efforts that go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. "That's a great idea!" I think to myself. So I tell my wife, "I think I'm going to do this. The first sign-up meeting is this weekend." She says, "Ok," but looks at me like "Uh-huh, sure." (I tend to get lots of ideas like this, many of which, shall we say, don't pan out?)

I missed that meeting, the first weekend. I don't know, maybe I forgot. Maybe I wasn't really serious about it. Well, fate must have gotten tired of sending me subtle hints. That very next week, I got a terrible phone call from my Mother. My 4 year old little neice, a firey red-head we call "Asha," had been diagnosed with Leukemia. To top it off, her father (my brother) had just left for boot camp. :(


This is Asha holding my baby girl, last Christmas

Needless to say, I went to the very next meeting and signed up. There's not much I can do to help little Asha, but the truth is, she doesn't really need my help. She's a fighter, and she has a good family around her. She faces 2 years of chemotherapy, and there's just nothing I can do about it. But perhaps, due in some small way to my efforts, one day, a little girl won't get lukemia because of Team in Training and the Lukemia and Lymphoma Society. Read on for information about how you can support me in the cause to fight blood-related cancers.

Notes:

First, you can either make your payment out to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or to me, Anthony Castoro. If you make the payment to me, I will lump the donation in with one big check, which my employer will match. By all means, if you are uncomfortable making it out to me, then just put the LLS on the to: line.

Second, I'm going to setup a PayPal account this week, where you can just send the money directly. But for now, here's the snail mail way to contribute.

If you are going to mail a donation, please email me at sunsword@sunsword.com and I will send you my mailing address and instructions.

To give you an idea of how much to donate, 75% of donations go directly to research or patient services. For example:

I hope many of you will contribute and support me in my personal fight against cancer. If any of you need proof of my dedication, just read the last month and a half of this website.... Tahnk you for taking the time to read this entire post. Return to the website HERE.

Posted by SunSword at 12:16 AM | Comments (4)