Hi all!!
So this morning all of us TNTers (Team in Training runners) completed our first road race of 2010. I'm not exactly new to the road racing scene, having run about 2 races per month in the 2009 racing season here in NY, and it felt great to be back at it!! We ran the Al Gordon Classic, which was a nice little 4 mile race commemorating a famed NY runner who lived to be 107 and once actually ran from his apartment to LaGuardia to catch a flight. Bananas! The race itself was in Prospect Park (that's in Brooklyn, for you non-New Yorkers). Our coach mentioned that there is a "bitch of a hill" in Prospect Park, and thankfully that bitch showed her face very early in the race - most of the first mile was uphill, and then after that it wasn't bad at all. And actually I didn't find the hill to be terribly bitchy, but perhaps that's because it was at the beginning of the race and not the end.
The sun was out, which was GREAT since we got snowmageddon 2.0 this past week. Though having fair skin, and with the bright sun reflecting off the bright white snow, I of course managed to get a mild sunburn. Only I would manage to get a sunburn in February...
This was my first race as part of TNT, so that made it quite special. Some of the go-to coaches, coordinators, and mentors stood at various parts of the course and cheered us on, waving purple gear and ringing cowbells! Having spent the majority of my life being a cheerleader for other people, I never really learned what it was like on the other side. I figured it must be nice to see a familiar face in the crowd, and I kind of left it at that. But I have to say, seeing those groups clad in purple, yelling "GO TEAM" every mile or so was an incredible boost!! It also puts a huge smile on your face so those god-awful pictures the BrightRoom people take look ever so slightly less horrible.
I can't decide if this would make me an excellent professional athlete or a horrible one. Hearing an entire stadium of people must give you the most insane adrenaline rush - but I don't know if I could ignore something like that and focus on the race/game. I do know, however, that it feels amazing to be part of a team again. I play volleyball recreationally, but TNT is a true organized sports team, and I don't think I realized how much I missed this.
GO TEAM!!!
Love,
Rach
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
AML 101
Hi all!
So I'm sitting in my Charlotte hotel room and I thought I'd take a second to teach you all a little more about Grandpa's type of cancer, so you can know a little bit more about one of the diseases your support helps to FIGHT. His cancer is called acute myeloblastic leukemia, which is commonly abbreviated AML, and it's the most common type of acute leukemia in adults (acute meaning it needs immediate attention, as opposed to chronic which would require a different treatment plan). Leukemia in general refers to cancer of the blood or bone marrow
Normally, bone marrow produces stem cells that will mature into healthy cells. The 3 types are red blood cells (which carry oxygen), white blood cells (which fight infection/disease), and platelets (which allow for clotting). In my Grandpa, his bone marrow makes abnormal myeloblasts, which are basically like immature white blood cells that don't mature into healthy white blood cells. These cells can't do their normal work and they build up in the bone marrow/blood stream, so there is less room for the healthy cells.
As you know, the treatment they're pursuing for Grandpa is chemo-light, which will hopefully attack those myeloblasts and get them to stop producing. Under the watchful eye of Dr. Stone (who was just named one of the top AML specialists by his peers) hopefully that's exactly what will happen.
Grandpa has some trouble with his kidneys, which is what keeps him from being eligible for clinical trials. They don't do kidney transplants in blood cancer patients because there is a high rate of rejection. They also don't do bone marrow transplants in patients over 70 as a general rule. They don't pursue full blown chemotherapy in older patients because of the toll it takes on the body; it compromises the immune system far too much and the infections and other complications could be more detrimental to their health than the cancer itself.
So, there you go! Your own little crash course in AML and treatment options :) Keep praying for that cure, and please support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society if you can.
Much love!
Rachel
So I'm sitting in my Charlotte hotel room and I thought I'd take a second to teach you all a little more about Grandpa's type of cancer, so you can know a little bit more about one of the diseases your support helps to FIGHT. His cancer is called acute myeloblastic leukemia, which is commonly abbreviated AML, and it's the most common type of acute leukemia in adults (acute meaning it needs immediate attention, as opposed to chronic which would require a different treatment plan). Leukemia in general refers to cancer of the blood or bone marrow
Normally, bone marrow produces stem cells that will mature into healthy cells. The 3 types are red blood cells (which carry oxygen), white blood cells (which fight infection/disease), and platelets (which allow for clotting). In my Grandpa, his bone marrow makes abnormal myeloblasts, which are basically like immature white blood cells that don't mature into healthy white blood cells. These cells can't do their normal work and they build up in the bone marrow/blood stream, so there is less room for the healthy cells.
As you know, the treatment they're pursuing for Grandpa is chemo-light, which will hopefully attack those myeloblasts and get them to stop producing. Under the watchful eye of Dr. Stone (who was just named one of the top AML specialists by his peers) hopefully that's exactly what will happen.
Grandpa has some trouble with his kidneys, which is what keeps him from being eligible for clinical trials. They don't do kidney transplants in blood cancer patients because there is a high rate of rejection. They also don't do bone marrow transplants in patients over 70 as a general rule. They don't pursue full blown chemotherapy in older patients because of the toll it takes on the body; it compromises the immune system far too much and the infections and other complications could be more detrimental to their health than the cancer itself.
So, there you go! Your own little crash course in AML and treatment options :) Keep praying for that cure, and please support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society if you can.
Much love!
Rachel
Sunday, February 21, 2010
5 miles + bootcamp = ...ow
Hi all!
Yesterday's long run was a bit of a doozy. Doozie? Duzy? Does anyone know how to spell that word right? Aaaaanywho, it was 5 miles, which is a distance I haven't covered in one shot since November. The Run for Haiti was going on in the park so there were about a million people around. It was actually kind of nice running alongside the racers, because we were getting cheered on by some spectators despite the fact that we weren't actually racing. The weather is starting to get a little warmer so I didn't feel like there was a knife in my lungs, but the wind was fairly brutal. A lot of people don't realize quite how hilly central park is - and while we didn't tackle the dreaded north hill (and hopefully won't for a few more weeks) even the lesser inclines were directly into the wind so we were all working a little harder than we anticipated.
The good news is I finished the run feeling good! I tend to think 5 miles is the first initial "hard" long run, for people who either aren't runners or haven't run in awhile. It's funny because soon 5 miles will become short runs that we do on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, but the general consensus was that yesterday was a little tougher than anything we've done so far.
The longest distance I've ever run in one shot is a 10K (6.2 miles for you math majors). So, after we cover that distance, you can expect every single blog entry to start with "This is the most I've ever run!!!!!!" I'm just going to hope it doesn't get too annoying :) Next week we're running a 4 mile road race in Brookyln, which should be great. It's called a "step back" week when you decrease the long run. It helps give you a bit of a break to gear up for the next mileage increase.
I also went to a bootcamp class today at FinishLine PT - our head coach works for them - with some TNTers. It was so great! She made us run the stairs a lot, which was the hardest part, but I haven't been able to do much by the way of gym classes lately because of my schedule so it was great getting back into that. I took an epsom salt bath afterward because with yesterday's run and today's ass kicking, I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow.
I'm $326 away from the $2900 minimum, which is awesome!! And Grandpa is doing pretty well in his first week post-chemo. A lot of family has been coming in to visit and it's been so nice seeing them more often than we ordinarily would. Things are rolling along pretty well, so keep those thoughts and prayers coming because evidently they're working!!!
Love love love,
Rach
Yesterday's long run was a bit of a doozy. Doozie? Duzy? Does anyone know how to spell that word right? Aaaaanywho, it was 5 miles, which is a distance I haven't covered in one shot since November. The Run for Haiti was going on in the park so there were about a million people around. It was actually kind of nice running alongside the racers, because we were getting cheered on by some spectators despite the fact that we weren't actually racing. The weather is starting to get a little warmer so I didn't feel like there was a knife in my lungs, but the wind was fairly brutal. A lot of people don't realize quite how hilly central park is - and while we didn't tackle the dreaded north hill (and hopefully won't for a few more weeks) even the lesser inclines were directly into the wind so we were all working a little harder than we anticipated.
The good news is I finished the run feeling good! I tend to think 5 miles is the first initial "hard" long run, for people who either aren't runners or haven't run in awhile. It's funny because soon 5 miles will become short runs that we do on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, but the general consensus was that yesterday was a little tougher than anything we've done so far.
The longest distance I've ever run in one shot is a 10K (6.2 miles for you math majors). So, after we cover that distance, you can expect every single blog entry to start with "This is the most I've ever run!!!!!!" I'm just going to hope it doesn't get too annoying :) Next week we're running a 4 mile road race in Brookyln, which should be great. It's called a "step back" week when you decrease the long run. It helps give you a bit of a break to gear up for the next mileage increase.
I also went to a bootcamp class today at FinishLine PT - our head coach works for them - with some TNTers. It was so great! She made us run the stairs a lot, which was the hardest part, but I haven't been able to do much by the way of gym classes lately because of my schedule so it was great getting back into that. I took an epsom salt bath afterward because with yesterday's run and today's ass kicking, I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow.
I'm $326 away from the $2900 minimum, which is awesome!! And Grandpa is doing pretty well in his first week post-chemo. A lot of family has been coming in to visit and it's been so nice seeing them more often than we ordinarily would. Things are rolling along pretty well, so keep those thoughts and prayers coming because evidently they're working!!!
Love love love,
Rach
Friday, February 12, 2010
Doctors and Nurses and Chemo, Oh My
Hi all –
Well this was quite the week. Grandpa went into the hospital in Boston on Monday night to begin his chemo-light treatment, and I was able to get over to the hospital right after completing my Monday run around 6pm. I brought him some flowers, but it turns out flowers are clandestine for chemo patients because they’re generally neutropenic – which is just a big word to say that their immune systems are compromised. Flowers or plants, whether fresh or dried, aren’t allowed because of the risk of infection. They didn’t actually take them away from his room until Thursday or so though, so he got to enjoy them for a little while.
The treatment overall went well. It’s chemo-light, so it’s a drug called decitabine. He starts a cycle every 8 hours (he had to do 9 cycles between Monday night and Thursday night, being discharged this morning), and each cycle lasts about 3 hours, so he has a blissful 5 hours in between them where he can disconnect from the lines and actually get up and walk around for awhile. Though usually during those times doctors would be in and out or the nurses would be around to check on him, we did get to take some walks around the hospital.
Speaking of the doctors and nurses, the care was exceptional. I mean truly outstanding. If you have to stay at Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston, oncology floor 5B is the best place to be. I was with him in the hospital all day every day, and I can tell you these people are exceptional at their jobs and worked so hard for us. Every person on the medical staff was helpful, patient, kind, thorough, and answered every single question we had (and there were a lot). I truly can’t say enough how great they are, and we count ourselves very lucky to have had them by our side. Beyond the care they provided, the nurses all completely fell in love with Grandpa. They were fighting over who got to have him as their patient – which is not surprising, everyone loves him. He made everyone laugh and got to know the nursing staff very well, including all about their family lives, where they went to school, what they studied, what their hobbies are, their religious backgrounds, most of their ages, etc. Hell I wouldn’t be surprised if he got some of their weights, since he was referring to some of them as “plump”, “round”, or “sea urchin” depending on their shape. Only he can get away with shit like that and still be completely lovable.
Throughout the week, I also learned a lot about cancer and the treatments, and about kidneys (Grandpa was treated almost as much for his kidney troubles as he was for the AML). For instance, the way chemo works is to destroy any rapidly producing cells. That’s why a lot of cancer patients’ hair falls out, because hair is a rapidly producing cell. They also are at risk for mouth sores, because the cells on the inside of the mouth are rapidly producing. The chemo drugs aren’t smart enough yet to pinpoint just the cancerous cells, so the research they’re performing at Dana Farber is to get the drugs developed to the point where they can target the cancerous cells only.
Speaking of the research, research is the key component to finding a cure. The funds raised by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society go toward funding research grants, stocking labs, etc. If you were maybe waiting for your paycheck to clear or to get a few bills paid, now would be a great time to donate to the cause. You can do that by clicking here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/rnr10/rmasterman. I’m up to $2494, which is just $406 away from the minimum! Every dollar OVER the minimum goes 100% to the LLS mission, so if you have the spare cash, please feel free to toss a little to the cause.
Real quickly I wanted to do some shout-outs this week:
The entire nursing staff on 5B at BWH: we could not have gotten through this week without you. You are second to none – I hope you know how much your work is appreciated.
Gain: Nicole (who I affectionately call by her last name) let me crash at her wonderful North End apartment all week this week, sharing her bed and her 20 minutes-at-a-time of hot water. Gain, you are the best, thank you for being so generous.
And most importantly, to my Grandpa himself: Grandpa, you are truly an inspiration to me. You are just the best person I’ve ever met and getting to spend so much time with you this week was wonderful for me. I would’ve given anything for the circumstances to be different, you not having been in a hospital bed hooked up to IVs, but the quality time was a very special gift that is better than anything on this earth. I hope you know how special you are to me, how much I adore you, how much I want to be like you, how much I appreciate you, how much I respect you, and how much I love you. I am a better person for having you in my life.
As always, thank you to everyone for the love and support.
Love,
Rachel
Well this was quite the week. Grandpa went into the hospital in Boston on Monday night to begin his chemo-light treatment, and I was able to get over to the hospital right after completing my Monday run around 6pm. I brought him some flowers, but it turns out flowers are clandestine for chemo patients because they’re generally neutropenic – which is just a big word to say that their immune systems are compromised. Flowers or plants, whether fresh or dried, aren’t allowed because of the risk of infection. They didn’t actually take them away from his room until Thursday or so though, so he got to enjoy them for a little while.
The treatment overall went well. It’s chemo-light, so it’s a drug called decitabine. He starts a cycle every 8 hours (he had to do 9 cycles between Monday night and Thursday night, being discharged this morning), and each cycle lasts about 3 hours, so he has a blissful 5 hours in between them where he can disconnect from the lines and actually get up and walk around for awhile. Though usually during those times doctors would be in and out or the nurses would be around to check on him, we did get to take some walks around the hospital.
Speaking of the doctors and nurses, the care was exceptional. I mean truly outstanding. If you have to stay at Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston, oncology floor 5B is the best place to be. I was with him in the hospital all day every day, and I can tell you these people are exceptional at their jobs and worked so hard for us. Every person on the medical staff was helpful, patient, kind, thorough, and answered every single question we had (and there were a lot). I truly can’t say enough how great they are, and we count ourselves very lucky to have had them by our side. Beyond the care they provided, the nurses all completely fell in love with Grandpa. They were fighting over who got to have him as their patient – which is not surprising, everyone loves him. He made everyone laugh and got to know the nursing staff very well, including all about their family lives, where they went to school, what they studied, what their hobbies are, their religious backgrounds, most of their ages, etc. Hell I wouldn’t be surprised if he got some of their weights, since he was referring to some of them as “plump”, “round”, or “sea urchin” depending on their shape. Only he can get away with shit like that and still be completely lovable.
Throughout the week, I also learned a lot about cancer and the treatments, and about kidneys (Grandpa was treated almost as much for his kidney troubles as he was for the AML). For instance, the way chemo works is to destroy any rapidly producing cells. That’s why a lot of cancer patients’ hair falls out, because hair is a rapidly producing cell. They also are at risk for mouth sores, because the cells on the inside of the mouth are rapidly producing. The chemo drugs aren’t smart enough yet to pinpoint just the cancerous cells, so the research they’re performing at Dana Farber is to get the drugs developed to the point where they can target the cancerous cells only.
Speaking of the research, research is the key component to finding a cure. The funds raised by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society go toward funding research grants, stocking labs, etc. If you were maybe waiting for your paycheck to clear or to get a few bills paid, now would be a great time to donate to the cause. You can do that by clicking here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/rnr10/rmasterman. I’m up to $2494, which is just $406 away from the minimum! Every dollar OVER the minimum goes 100% to the LLS mission, so if you have the spare cash, please feel free to toss a little to the cause.
Real quickly I wanted to do some shout-outs this week:
The entire nursing staff on 5B at BWH: we could not have gotten through this week without you. You are second to none – I hope you know how much your work is appreciated.
Gain: Nicole (who I affectionately call by her last name) let me crash at her wonderful North End apartment all week this week, sharing her bed and her 20 minutes-at-a-time of hot water. Gain, you are the best, thank you for being so generous.
And most importantly, to my Grandpa himself: Grandpa, you are truly an inspiration to me. You are just the best person I’ve ever met and getting to spend so much time with you this week was wonderful for me. I would’ve given anything for the circumstances to be different, you not having been in a hospital bed hooked up to IVs, but the quality time was a very special gift that is better than anything on this earth. I hope you know how special you are to me, how much I adore you, how much I want to be like you, how much I appreciate you, how much I respect you, and how much I love you. I am a better person for having you in my life.As always, thank you to everyone for the love and support.
Love,
Rachel
Thursday, February 4, 2010
I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends
Hey guys!
Well, week 1 of marathon training is going well. The first group run on Saturday was cold (13 degrees) and early (8:45am) but wonderful. I met a fabulous girl named Laura during the run, and went to brunch after with about 20 teammates, and I can already tell these people are awesome. They're going to be great running partners, and also a great support group.
Support is actually what I wanted to talk about today. I am so moved by everyone's support so far and feel very lucky to have people like you in my life. As of right now, I am up to $2144, which puts me at 74% of the way to the minimum already. The generosity is overwhelming - especially with the economy still in the shitter, I can't believe how much people are giving. Also some people I never expected to give have been donating left and right! People who I know peripherally, or worked with a long time ago, were among some of the first people to step up. It's such an amazing thing. Please know the money goes to such a great cause, and once I hit that minimum, 100% of all donations go straight to the mission. You as donors are a huge and crucial part of the fight and I cannot thank you enough.
Beyond the money, my friends and co-workers have been supportive and comforting, and that has made a world of difference. Throughout this process, the support will be the wind at my back, what keeps me going. I have to send a few shout outs to some people in particular who are going above and beyond for me already:
Well, week 1 of marathon training is going well. The first group run on Saturday was cold (13 degrees) and early (8:45am) but wonderful. I met a fabulous girl named Laura during the run, and went to brunch after with about 20 teammates, and I can already tell these people are awesome. They're going to be great running partners, and also a great support group.
Support is actually what I wanted to talk about today. I am so moved by everyone's support so far and feel very lucky to have people like you in my life. As of right now, I am up to $2144, which puts me at 74% of the way to the minimum already. The generosity is overwhelming - especially with the economy still in the shitter, I can't believe how much people are giving. Also some people I never expected to give have been donating left and right! People who I know peripherally, or worked with a long time ago, were among some of the first people to step up. It's such an amazing thing. Please know the money goes to such a great cause, and once I hit that minimum, 100% of all donations go straight to the mission. You as donors are a huge and crucial part of the fight and I cannot thank you enough.
Beyond the money, my friends and co-workers have been supportive and comforting, and that has made a world of difference. Throughout this process, the support will be the wind at my back, what keeps me going. I have to send a few shout outs to some people in particular who are going above and beyond for me already:
Nicole and Whitney, my Accenture boss and client boss - they are allowing me the flexibility to take time off and work remotely when I want to be with Grandpa. This takes an unbelievable amount of stress off my shoulders, and these ladies are awesome. Nicole refuses to be photographed, but basically she looks like Beyonce (only prettier).
Amanda - When Amanda read my plea for help, she noticed that I mentioned the doctors wouldn't let me give Grandpa my bone marrow. This girl, this amazing friend, outright offered to have her bone marrow tested in case we could use hers. Now, I'll explain in a later post exactly why the bone marrow transplant isn't a possibility (it's not because I'm not a match), but I can't tell you what her offer means to me. Amanda, you are a phenomenal friend and an amazing person with a beautiful spirit. I love you. 
Jenn - Most of us living in NYC don't have vehicles, so getting up to visit Grandpa can be a logistical (and financial) challenge. Jenn selflessly offered to let me borrow her car when I go up on most weekends. How many people would offer that? More shout outs to come later, since this will be a never-ending post if I list others right now. But I hope that you ALL know how far a kind word or a hug goes, and how grateful I am for all of you.
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