Walk this way!

It's been almost 18 months since I heard those unexpected words, "You have lymphoma." My first thought was, "What the heck is lymphoma?"

It didn't take long for me to come up to speed on the differences between Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, indolent and aggressive diseases, auto and allo stem cell transplants.

I'm indebted to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) for the excellent resources they provided to help me understand my diagnosis and treatment options. Their ongoing educational seminars and tele-seminars have also been invaluable for keeping me educated on the latest and greatest treatments for relapsed mantle cell lymphoma.

More important, I owe them big time for their mission to find a cure for the full spectrum of blood cancers - leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

To support the mission of the LLS and in memory of two friends who lost their lives to leukemia and myeloma, I've decided to be a team captain for the LLS's 2.8 mile evening walk and festival, Light the Night.

When: Sunday, September 14, 2008
Where: UCLA Campus, Westwood

Schedule:

4:30 p.m. Registration Begins

6:30 p.m. Opening Ceremonies

7:00 p.m. Walk Starts

To sign up to be a member of the Cancer Banterers walking team, click here.

If you're nowhere near UCLA or if you can't participate but would like to make a donation, click here.

To find out more about the event, click here.

This event will be a lot of fun with food, festivities and illuminated balloons during the walk. I hope you'll join me!