Honoree Myland

Please meet Myland. Here's his story:

At the beginning of TNT's Summer 2006 season, my wife, Carolyn, was beginning to train for an endurance event and raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Her goal was to finish the race and meet her fundraising goal. My goal was to stuff fundraising letters and to watch our two young boys while she went to her various TNT trainings, fundraisers and events. In July of 2006, everything changed drastically when I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). Now our goal was to save my life.

We received the shocking news while on our annual family vacation in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. We had to fly back to San Francisco immediately so I could begin treatment for this life-threatening disease. From July until December 2006 I was in and out of the hospital at UCSF Medical Center for a month at a time receiving chemotherapy. Although the treatments were keeping the leukemia in check, my only real chance for a cure would be to have a bone marrow transplant. Finding a suitable donor proved to be extremely difficult because of my ethnic background. We were told we had a one-in-a-million chance of ever finding a donor. Miraculously, a few days before Christmas 2006, a donor was found! I had the transplant in January 2007. It's been more than two years post-transplant and I'm feeling great!

Carolyn and I never thought we would be on the other side of the fight. However, through our involvement with TNT we never felt or will ever feel alone in our fight. Participants' commitment to TNT and the mission of LLS has given us endless hope, inspiration and strength. We can't put into words how thankful we are to those who decide to join the team and take up the challenge to find a cure. TNT participants ARE making a difference in our lives and others fighting blood cancers.

A'ohe hana nui ka alu'ia. HELE HUI! (No task is too big when done together. GO TEAM!)