Back in May I shocked myself by signing up to do the Des Moines half marathon on October 18th. I joined Team in Training, which raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am not a runner, nor am I athletic, so this has been quite an accomplishment for me so far. I am about halfway through training and have come along way since I started. I went from spending an entire winter sitting at my computer, to running 4 days a week! But the most important thing about this journey is my goal to raise $1800 for LLS. When I joined Team in Training, I was matched up with an honored hero, Kaitlyn.

Kaitlyn is 8 years old and was diagnosed with T-Cell ALL two years ago. She underwent 8 months of intense chemotherapy at Children's Hospital in Omaha. Kaitlyn was so brave and strong during the treatments, sickness from the chemotherapy, and long hospital stays. Her treatments will end in December and she will have monthly follow-up visits for years to come. She just finished 2nd grade, likes dancing, playing with her friends, and is involved with her brownie troop.

I often think of Kaitlyn as I run. Imagining her going through chemo and dealing with long hospital stays motivates me to make it up a hill or deal with shin splints. I feel honored to be able to help find a cure for Kaitlyn and anyone who is affected by Leukemia and Lymphoma.

If you'd like to make a donation in honor of Kaitlyn or follow my running progress, visit my fundraising page here. Anything you can give will help me reach my goal!