Hey all,

If you haven't heard I got into the Chicago Marathon for this October. After getting in I decided to raise some funds for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation in support of my little brother Alex who has been suffering with it for the past five years. It's a nasty, incurable blood cancer. I set up a web site to collect donations and in the first day raised over $1000. My goal is to at least raise $2000 for MMRF, but I really hope we can far surpass that. Below is a letter that is on the website and that I email to people.

Thanks to our CN'ers who already made a donation - I appreciate your support.

Here is the link to the webpage

I will be running my 14th marathon at the Chicago Marathon on October 9, 2016. I am dedicating this special run to my brother Alex Theoharides by trying to raise $2000 in donations for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) Team For Cures.

Alex was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (MM) in November 2011 and is still undergoing treatment. Alex lives in Conway, MA with his wife Mary Kay. He has three children - Katie, Alex and Hallie, and two grandchildren Jack and Louisa. He is the Creative Director for Yankee Candle where he has worked for the past 18 years.

Alex is a fighter, but we need to help support research in finding new treatments and a cure for this nasty cancer.

Over the next three months I will put in over 800 miles of training in preparation for the 26.2 mile race, but the real challenge will be to raise at least $2,000 for the MMRF. Training for the marathon is a big challenge, but nothing compared to the challenges faced by patients with multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma is the second most common form of blood cancer, and it's a mean one. Currently there is no cure, but great progress is being made. Thanks to the important work of the MMRF, the world's leading private funder of myeloma research, the FDA has approved 10 new treatments in just 12 years, a track record that's unparalleled in the world of oncology. These drugs have almost tripled the lifespan of myeloma patients. The MMRF is funding additional treatments in various stages of development, giving hope to tens of thousands of patients and their families.

The MMRF is one of the most highly regarded cancer foundations in the world. An outstanding 90% of the total MMRF budget goes directly towards research and related programming. And the MMRF is in the top 1% of all charities, having earned Charity Navigator’s 4-star rating for the past eleven years in a row.

Please support my fund raising efforts to raise at least $2,000 for MMRF to continue their research to find a cure and treatment for Multiple Myeloma. I need your help to get there. Please contribute whatever you can. It all adds up! And please let your friends know about this my campaign. 

I appreciate your support to help fund MMRF's valuable research and to help make a difference for my brother Alex and all those suffering from Multple Myeloma. 

Thanks again,

David Theoharides