Meet the 2007 HFD Team Aileen Goss Andrea Hoffman Brianna McMullen Cindy Kiamko Cindy Vogelberger Clint Reach Deb Donofrio Ellen Brooks Erin Noseworthy  Greg Palmer Heather Mitchell Heidi Sowers  Jessica Koman Joel Shalowitz  Kate Brotman  Kate Greenberg Kendra Plemmons Kevin Pearson ‡ Kim Guercio Kyle Bray * Lisa Fronc * Lauren Allen † Olivia Darden Patti Harden ** Paula Finkelstein Terrill Esposito Tracy Kight Rosamaria Somarriba Samuel Somarriba

** Hike Leader * Mentor † LLS Staff ‡ Honorary Team Member

Hike Hero - Gary

A Hike Hero in the Hike For Discovery program is a person that is currently fighting a blood cancer. The members of each group hike in honor of this individual.

The Hike Hero for the Maryland Chapter is Gary Todd. He first discovered he had enlarged lymph nodes during a visit to the hospital after having chest pains during a hike in late November 2003. In June 2005 he began feeling tired and experiencing night sweats. At first he thought he was worrying unnecessarily because of his impending retirement the next year. However, after a number of tests it was diagnosed with Stage 4, Non-Hodgkin’s spleenic lymphoma.

Gary underwent a chemotherapy treatment in six cycles over eighteen weeks and on January 1, 2006 went into remission. Unfortunately in late March of 2006 he began to feel sick again and in mid-May he began treatment with Rituxin*. He has been diagnosed with chronic lymphoma and will be taking Rituxin every ninety days for at least the next two years.

www.HikeForDiscovery.org

Hike For Discovery was an very successful adventure fundraising program for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (it is now Team In Training - HIKE ). In exchange for raising $5000 or more to promote research to find a cure for Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and Myeloma, they provided training and resources all leading up to an adventure weekend in the Grand Canyon.

  Timeline of Events

Date	Event	Miles
Jan 27, 2007	Breaking New Ground Breakfast and Hike	0.5
Feb 3, 2007	1 Hr Hike - Patapsco State Park - Oella	3.0
Feb 10, 2007	2 Hr Hike - Patapsco State Park - Avalon	5.5
Feb 19, 2007	Solo Hike - Patapsco - Orange Grove	6.5
Feb 24, 2007	2 Hr Hike - Loch Raven Reservoir	4.0
Mar 4, 2007	2.5 Hr Hike - Oregon Ridge Park	4.0
Mar 10, 2007	4 Hr Hike - Cunningham Falls/Catoctin Mtn	5.0
Mar 18, 2007	Solo Hike - Patapsco State Park - Daniels	4.5
Mar 24, 2007	5 Hr Hike - Sugarloaf Mountain	6.2
Mar 31, 2007	5.5 Hr Hike - Gunpowder Falls State Park	9.5
Apr 7, 2007	6 Hr Hike - Caledonia State Park	7.0
Apr 14, 2007	6.5 Hr Hike - Gathland State Park	12.0
Apr 21, 2007	7 Hr Hike - Washington Monument	10.5
Apr 28, 2007	4 Hr Hike - Sugarloaf Mountain	5.0
May 5, 2007	1.5 Hr Hike - Patapsco State Park	3.0
May 12, 2007	Grand Canyon National Park, AZ	8.0

  Why I Participated

I didn't have any personal experiences of loss associated with the cancers researched by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In fact, that was my reason for participating; I want to keep it that way. No family should ever have to suffer from the loss of a loved one from a cancer that may have been curable if more research had been done.

It has been proven that the research that the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society supports is making a big difference. In the 1940s, before the society was founded, the survival rate for blood cancers was 0%. Today that has changed. The survival rate for children with blood cancers is 83% and for adults it is 50%. We still have a long way to go, research has proven that there are cures and that research is funded by the generous donations of individuals like you and me. Thank you for all your help in my campaign to raise $5000 for this worthy cause.

  About the Grand Canyon

Visit the Grand Canyon Official Website

The Grand Canyon was first given federal protection in 1893 and was finally named a National Park in 1919.

The park encompasses 1,218,375 acres of land in northwestern Arizona on the Colorado Plateau. It averages 4000 feet deep but at its deepest point it reaches 6000 feet down into the earth and at its widest point is 15 miles across.

The canyon now receives 5 Million visitors a year. It has a long history of human inhabitance. Manmade structures have been found in its borders that date back 12,000 years.

As you may expect, with elevation changes as much as 6000 feet, the temperatures in the canyon vary greatly. In the early summer average temperatures at the canyon floor can be 30 degrees warmer then the average temperatures at the rim. You will experience about a 5.5°F temperature change with each 1,000 you descend into the canyon.