Winter Season - Week 4

To find what you seek in the road of life, the best proverb of all is that which says: "leave no stone unturned." ~Edward Bulwer Lytton

Fundraising Tip
Setup your phone message, email signature, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter etc. and tell everyone you know on a daily basis that you are raising funds for LLS. Don't forget to provide your fundraising website link for quick and simple donations.

Training Tip
Hydration: To stay hydrated, you'll need to drink every 15 to 20 minutes. A sports-drink mixture diluted with additional water will keep you hydrated while providing your body with the carbohydrates it needs for longer runs. You can simply carry a water bottle, or use a water bottle fanny pack. Another option is the Fuel Belt, which securely holds 5-ounce flasks around your waist.

Food: For runs lasting more than an hour, you should ingest about 40 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour. Energy gels digest quickly, and they're easier to consume than energy bars on the run.

Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT IS LYMPHOMA?
A general term for a group of cancers that originate in the lymphatic system, which includes hundreds of bean-size lymph nodes, present throughout the body, and the spleen and thymus.Result when a lymphocyte (a type of white blood cell) undergoes a malignant change and begins to multiply, eventually crowding out healthy cells and creating tumors, which enlarge lymph nodes.

Mission Moment
Karen Jennings
WI United States
Living with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma for 8 years
Age: 39

Towards the end of January of 2000, I was experiencing pain in my spleen area and had developed a swollen lymph node on the left side of my neck. I went to see my doctor and he became concerned right away, and set me up for a CT scan and an appointment with an Ear, Nose & Throat specialist. The CT showed nothing wrong with my spleen and the ENT ordered a biopsy of the lymph node. The biopsy came back Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, low-grade, follicular B-cell, small cleaved. Then I needed a body CT scan to see if it was anywhere else. They found it in my groin too, so they said was Stage 3.

We did the "Wait and Watch" method and things seemed to stay in control. My CT scans went from every 3 months, to 6 months, to every year, until April 2005. I developed a lump in front of my left ear. After another biopsy it showed the lymphoma was in my parotid gland. So I started 20 treatments of radiation. It was a bad experience, and a memorable one at that. I lost my hair from my ear line down, I lost my taste buds, and my throat was so sore it was hard to eat or drink anything. I ended up in the hospital for a few days. I finally got through it with the help and support of my wonderful, caring husband and 2 daughters.

The results of my treatments left me with 1 parotid gland, which I have to be on medicine to help stimulate my saliva. I got most of my taste buds back, but my likes and dislikes of food has changed. Otherwise, I am doing fine. My CT scans are scheduled for 6 months, but I'm always looking behind my back and the illness never leaves my mind. In October 2006 the results of my CT showed that I had a 3 inch cluster of lymph nodes in my pelvis that needed treatment. We did a PET scan and it showed that the cancer was throughout my body now. The biopsy in the pelvis showed that it hadn't become aggressive, and a bone marrow biopsy showed that it's in 5% on one side, and 40% on the other. I am undergoing chemotherapy now (Rituxan and CVP), and so far everything is going well (keeping our fingers crossed).