*****www.active.com/donate/tntmd/tntmdKMartin*****
My Experience:
For those of you who don't know, I played lacrosse for Mount Saint Mary's College (now Mount Saint Mary's University) from 2000 to 2004. I have had many memorable moments in my athletic career, including a trip to the 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse tournament, but I will never forget one day in October of 2000.
Towards the end of one of our fall ball practices, our Coach - Tom Gravante - brought us all in from the field, as usual, and gave a quick rundown of the rest of the week. We all listened and expected to just put our hands in, get a "MOUNT!" cheer and head to the showers and get some food. Coach finished talking about practice stuff, then, to our surprise, told us to sit down, take off our helmets and face our athletic facilities.
The first thought that came to all of our minds was that someone did something stupid on campus and we were all about to pay for it. Something just didn't feel that way though because the expression that was on Coach's face wasn't one of anger. We hadn't really seen his face this way before. I was a bit unnerved because you could sense something wasn't right.
Once we were all sitting, he reiterated that all of us should continue to face our athetlic facilities as he walked around behind us. At this point, we had no idea what was going on. Coach began speaking and from the very first word, we heard a different voice coming out of him than we were used to. He explained that he'd been suffering from some breathing issues, amongst other things, and decided to go to the doctor to try to figure out the cause, considering that he was otherwise in very good health. He said that eventually he was referred to doctors at Johns Hopkins who suggested that they take a CT scan. Coach paused and said that they found the problem: a cancerous mass in his chest and lymphnodes. He said that the doctors called it non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and that they characterized it as malignant.
I can't speak for all of my teammates' feelings at that point, but I was dumbfounded. Never once did Coach let any of what he was describing show. Not only that, but when I said he was in otherwise perfect health, I mean it: the guy was strong as hell and could run with any one of us, especially if you got him pissed off. Looking at my teammates' faces, I'm pretty sure we all felt that way. After a few tough moments of silence, Coach spoke again. He said that he needed something from us: our prayers and our friends' and families' prayers, thoughts and support. He said that if we could give that to him, we would be helping him beat the worst opponent he'd ever had to face. He explained that he would begin treatment sooner rather than later and that this could mean that he was absent from a few practices and possibly from a few games. He then asked that we stand and say a Hail Mary and an Our Father together. Then he asked that we get a "MOUNT!" as a team and then head to the locker room. We did as he asked, and I've been in few locker rooms that were ever that quiet. I will remember that day for the rest of my life.
Over the next few months, through the efforts of the seemingly endless number of our coach's friends and his players - past and present - and their families, we were able to raise money for his treatments and provide a support network for him in his time of need. Over the following years, he endured 2 relapses and 3 remissions. Thankfully, he has been in what appears to be a very solid state of remission. One parting gift from the radiation therapy was the skin hypersensitivity that causes him to sunburn very quickly and from almost any sun exposure. The important part is that he is alive and well and that he has beaten this disease. And my coach's story is not unique.
Aside from the experience with my coach, I also lost my grandfather to leukemia. It would be safe to say that I have a vested interest in seeing both of these diseases erradicated.
My Appeal:
I suppose at this point, many of you are wondering what this has to do with the title of this thread. My wife decided recently that she's a runner and wants to run a half-marathon. She also decided that she wanted to try and do it for the benefit of a good cause, aside from good exercise. To that end, she found a group called Team in Training who are run by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She will be running in the Frederick Half-Marathon. Based on my experience with the diseases this foundation is trying to erradicate, I want to support her as much as possible. It is that desire that brought me to this post.
Her fund raising goal is $2500 and her deadline is April 10th. She is currently at $425 and we need a little help.
I would like to ask for any and all support that SVTP can muster. If you can spare any amount of money, $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 or more, my wife and I would greatly appreciate your support. If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, please PM me for details.
How To Donate:
***** In order to donate, please visit my wife's donation website: http://www.active.com/donate/tntmd/tntmdKMartin *****
From both Kelly and myself, as well as the countless individuals that benefit from the activities of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, thank you for your support!
My Experience:
For those of you who don't know, I played lacrosse for Mount Saint Mary's College (now Mount Saint Mary's University) from 2000 to 2004. I have had many memorable moments in my athletic career, including a trip to the 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse tournament, but I will never forget one day in October of 2000.
Towards the end of one of our fall ball practices, our Coach - Tom Gravante - brought us all in from the field, as usual, and gave a quick rundown of the rest of the week. We all listened and expected to just put our hands in, get a "MOUNT!" cheer and head to the showers and get some food. Coach finished talking about practice stuff, then, to our surprise, told us to sit down, take off our helmets and face our athletic facilities.
The first thought that came to all of our minds was that someone did something stupid on campus and we were all about to pay for it. Something just didn't feel that way though because the expression that was on Coach's face wasn't one of anger. We hadn't really seen his face this way before. I was a bit unnerved because you could sense something wasn't right.
Once we were all sitting, he reiterated that all of us should continue to face our athetlic facilities as he walked around behind us. At this point, we had no idea what was going on. Coach began speaking and from the very first word, we heard a different voice coming out of him than we were used to. He explained that he'd been suffering from some breathing issues, amongst other things, and decided to go to the doctor to try to figure out the cause, considering that he was otherwise in very good health. He said that eventually he was referred to doctors at Johns Hopkins who suggested that they take a CT scan. Coach paused and said that they found the problem: a cancerous mass in his chest and lymphnodes. He said that the doctors called it non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and that they characterized it as malignant.
I can't speak for all of my teammates' feelings at that point, but I was dumbfounded. Never once did Coach let any of what he was describing show. Not only that, but when I said he was in otherwise perfect health, I mean it: the guy was strong as hell and could run with any one of us, especially if you got him pissed off. Looking at my teammates' faces, I'm pretty sure we all felt that way. After a few tough moments of silence, Coach spoke again. He said that he needed something from us: our prayers and our friends' and families' prayers, thoughts and support. He said that if we could give that to him, we would be helping him beat the worst opponent he'd ever had to face. He explained that he would begin treatment sooner rather than later and that this could mean that he was absent from a few practices and possibly from a few games. He then asked that we stand and say a Hail Mary and an Our Father together. Then he asked that we get a "MOUNT!" as a team and then head to the locker room. We did as he asked, and I've been in few locker rooms that were ever that quiet. I will remember that day for the rest of my life.
Over the next few months, through the efforts of the seemingly endless number of our coach's friends and his players - past and present - and their families, we were able to raise money for his treatments and provide a support network for him in his time of need. Over the following years, he endured 2 relapses and 3 remissions. Thankfully, he has been in what appears to be a very solid state of remission. One parting gift from the radiation therapy was the skin hypersensitivity that causes him to sunburn very quickly and from almost any sun exposure. The important part is that he is alive and well and that he has beaten this disease. And my coach's story is not unique.
Aside from the experience with my coach, I also lost my grandfather to leukemia. It would be safe to say that I have a vested interest in seeing both of these diseases erradicated.
My Appeal:
I suppose at this point, many of you are wondering what this has to do with the title of this thread. My wife decided recently that she's a runner and wants to run a half-marathon. She also decided that she wanted to try and do it for the benefit of a good cause, aside from good exercise. To that end, she found a group called Team in Training who are run by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She will be running in the Frederick Half-Marathon. Based on my experience with the diseases this foundation is trying to erradicate, I want to support her as much as possible. It is that desire that brought me to this post.
Her fund raising goal is $2500 and her deadline is April 10th. She is currently at $425 and we need a little help.
I would like to ask for any and all support that SVTP can muster. If you can spare any amount of money, $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 or more, my wife and I would greatly appreciate your support. If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, please PM me for details.
How To Donate:
***** In order to donate, please visit my wife's donation website: http://www.active.com/donate/tntmd/tntmdKMartin *****
From both Kelly and myself, as well as the countless individuals that benefit from the activities of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, thank you for your support!
Last edited:
