Tony and his burrito run buddy, Marieke. (Team Honoree)

Thru our experience with Team in Training and hearing the stories of honoree partcipants and current patients, we are learning more about Leukemia. It's inspiring to see that some of our teamates are current cancer patients or survivors. Leukemia and other blood-related cancers are the number one killers of children today. What people don't know is that the disease affects ten times more adults. Fortunately, there is hope. With research, the survival rate has risen from 5% to 75% in just 25 years.

Below is more information to consider regarding Leukemia:

• Blood-related cancers will strike an estimated 109,500 North Americans each year and kill approximately 60,300.
  
  
• Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are cancers of the bone marrow and blood.
  
  
• When leukemia occurs, millions of abnormal, useless white blood cells accumulate, preventing production of normal blood cells and platelets.
  
  
• Lymphoma and myeloma are cancers related to leukemia because they involve the uncontrolled growth of similar cells.
  
  
• More than half of all Leukemia cases occur in persons over age 60.
  
  
• Because of breakthroughs in medical research, 80 percent of children with acute lymphocytic leukemia, the most common form of childhood leukemia, will survive.
  
  
• Overall five-year survival rates for leukemia have tripled in the past 40 years, up from 14% in 1960, to 44% today.
  
  
• Hodgkin's disease is a form of lymphoma, and is considered to be one of the most curable forms of cancer (more than 82%)