In San Diego this year I met a NCAA Division I athlete, who is a lymphoma survivor. She has written a great book, called "Dancing with the Enemy" It is essentially a diary of her experience from prediagnosis, through a stem cell transplant and onto a full remission. It is awesome to read her story and feel so close, just like she was a member of my family, opening up and communicating just how she really feels.

I sent her a letter here it is, maybe you should check out her book

www.megbrown.org

Meg

You may (or may not) remember me. I spoke to you in San Diego at the expo, my sister is a Gleevec patient. I also spoke to you in Balboa Park and again on the RNR course. I was the guy that took a tumble and had a bandaged arm. Ouch!

Anyway, I read your book on my way to and from the San Jose ½ marathon last week. Thanks so much for sharing such a personal journey. I work diligently as a TNT coach and a LLS Board Member. While my wife and I love coaching, our real mission is to comfort those that are being treated with useful & truthful information. You book really helped.

When someone asks me about a loved one who is undergoing a BMT, I can relate and say, well this is how Meg felt.

I am the public policy advocate for our chapter and I visit Washington D.C each year to tell those folks in D.C to get their priorities straight. Better treatments and beating this cancer thing is the war we should be fighting. It is the enemy we should fear, and one that attacks and puts each American in harms way. Last year we encouraged them to pass a budget with an additional $10 billion dollars in funding for health and human services. We hoped that once in the budget; we could work on getting a portion of it allocated to the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Health. You see the president's budget essentially reduced funding at the NCI and NIH. I told them respectfully, we had spent over 300 Billion in 30 months in Iraq, we want just one month that's all.

This year I think I may take a couple copies of your book, with pages ear marked and paragraphs highlighted to tell them, this is a war that is worth fighting. Tell them to look at the severe nature of this treatment option. Even though it can be successful, and we thank God for that, even though, we can do better. Better treatments are out there, cures are out there, we just got to focus our resources and we will win this battle once and for all.

If by chance you come to the WDW marathon this year, we are the host chapter. We would love to have you visit the Space Coast, visit our beaches and run with my team here in Brevard County, Florida
 
Regards

Barry Birdwell