People affected by blood cancers - famous and not!

This is the email I sent out late the evening of 8/29 - stayed up later than I should have since i had to wake up for the 8/30 Purisma Creek hike.

Hi All:
http://pages.hikefordiscovery.org/sj/Smokey108/szarubin

I am asking for your help - I am still training for my hike in the Great Smoky Mountains to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, to fight blood cancers!
We actually have a 6.5 hour hike tomorrow at 7:45 am!
If you've been thinking about donating, now is is the time to act. Thanks to lots of awesome support, I am only $1500 away from my $4200 fund-raising minimum goal.

I need to raise this amount by Sept 10.

I will be sending a small thank you gift to everyone who donates $50 and more.
It's been an awesome experience so far training for the hike, getting to know the rest of my team and learning about the survivors who are our team honorees.
I am also so thankful to everyone who has already donated. Even a little bit helps.

I hope you are doing all doing well. Here's some info from the LLS - I didn't know this many "famous" people had battled blood cancers:

Blood Cancers Can (and Do) Strike Anyone! You might be surprised to see who has battled blood cancer... Paul Allen, Cofounder of Microsoft Ed Bradley, CBS News Anchor (60 Minutes) Robin Bush, Daughter of President G.W. Bush Joseph Coors, Adolph Coors Brewing Company Andres Galarraga, Baseball Player Kevin Hearn, Barenaked Ladies Band Member (which is one of my favorite groups....) LeShon Johnson, Football Player Jon Lester, Baseball Player Charles Lindbergh, Aviator Mickey Mantle, Baseball Player Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, First Lady Ryan O'Neal, Actor Joey Ramone, Ramones Lead Singer Alan Shepard, Astronaut Mr. T, Actor Bill Walsh, 49ers Head Coach Gene Wilder, Comedian And closer to home... Zeeky - a bubbly and cheerful four and a half year old from the Bay Area. At age two he was diagnosed with leukemia. He is still undergoing treatment but with advances funded by people just like you, his prognosis is thankfully good. And even closer to me... My mom - battled non-Hodgkins lymphoma for many years, and died at the age of 42. We lived in a town of 7,000 people and she often had to drive 60 miles (to Fargo, ND) for her chemo treatments (and then back home again!) Think of that with today's gas prices! Think of a cancer patient who's not able to afford transportation to get the treatments they need to survive. Thanks to your donation today, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society can provide financial aid that offers reimbursement for transportation, some medications, and procedures for those in need, and that's just a small part of their mission: http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_chap I just went to the LLS' Life Mosaic site (a collection of patient stories) and almost immediately found the story of a woman who is 34 years old, like me, and has the same cancer that my mom had: Hilda Milagros Sola-Soto Trujillo Alto Puerto Rico female Living with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma for 5 years, 6 months Age: 34 My name is Hilda Milagros. I was diagnosed at age 28. After 13 months of chemo and radiation I am now in remission. I will be finishing my PhD in Chemistry this year and hope to start working in a cancer research area. My best friend also has cancer, testicular cancer. Hope he also gets better. I am just glad to be alive and to have a second chance. Why Does This Matter? Because blood cancers can strike anyone. They're the #1 cancer killer of children and those under 20...yet they also strike 10 times as many adults. Because too many people -- famous or otherwise -- have been diagnosed. This has to stop.

thanks for your help,
Solveig