Johanna is
Blood Cancer United

I am a teacher from Texas. My journey to Team and Training wasn’t immediate. I moved to Texas from Louisiana. When I moved to Texas, I decided to start running to meet people and to help with my homesickness.

One of my former students came back to visit me, and I discovered she was diagnosed with leukemia. When I saw her, I wanted to do something to support her. I was already running, and I wanted to take my running to another level, so I trained for a marathon. I completed the marathon and soon discovered the Walt Disney World Marathon event. I then discovered that I could raise money for leukemia research, so I decided to sign up to run the Dopey Challenge in honor of my former student who beat leukemia thanks to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

It was an honor to represent her and run with Team In Training (TNT). I met so many amazing and inspirational people who came together for one purpose, to beat cancer. I had amazing support from the TNT staff while I was fundraising and when I ran the Dopey Challenge. I remember one team member running with me during the half marathon keeping me motivated. I was truly overwhelmed by the love and support from everyone.

When you hear a mother of a child with cancer say LLS helped my child, you know this is an organization you can and should support.

I am so grateful I was able to do my part and support TNT and LLS. My running now serves a purpose, which is to help others.