Jason Arsenault is taking on the physical challenge of a running a half marathon as a way to honour his father’s battle with Multiple Myeloma, a type of blood cancer. As a special Father’s Day celebration, he is training for the Kauai Marathon taking place on September 4, 2011 to raise money to support blood cancer research.
After spending much time with his dad while he was going through his stem cell transplant and seeing what his dad went through on a daily basis, Jason knew he needed to do something. After researching The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada’s (LLSC) Team In Training® (TNT) program, the world’s leading endurance sports charity training program, he and his friend Paul decided to join.
“Everything instantly fell into place at that point for me, and I knew that this [was] the fundraising avenue I wanted to participate in to support my father,” said Jason. “The benefits were multi-faceted: raising funds and awareness for such a personal and deep reaching cause, supporting my father and others who suffer from blood cancers, an instant close-knit group of team members who have this cause close to their hearts, an excellent training regimen with support from experienced coaches and support staff, great exercise, and an opportunity to visit a great location to execute my months of training.”
Since its inception in 1988, more than 500,000 participants have trained and raised more than $1 billion to help fund blood cancer research and provide services and support to patients and their families.
Jason says that his father understands and appreciates what he and Paul are doing. “Although there are days where he does not feel very well and is resting a lot, in his heart I know he is going to continue fighting, and we will continue fighting with him. I am proud to run in honour of my father, and contribute to fighting the disease that has threatened his life, and the lives of many others.”
For more information about Team In Training, call 855-515-5572 (LLSC) or visit www.teamintraining.ca.
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
With chapters throughout Canada and the United States, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer research, education, and patient services. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its inception, The Society has invested more than $750 million to blood cancer research.
For more information about The Society, visit www.LLSCanada.org.
Source: http://www.bedfordbeacon.com/bedford-man-plans-special-father%E2%80%99s-day-celebration
