Chris Rongey and TeamGZ

[HuskyCaucasian]

Thanks to Joe Cowley for pointing this out:

GLENDALE, Ariz. - NBC meteorologist Ginger Zee was nominated for Woman of the Year by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and is in the middle of a 10-week fund-raising campaign to see if she and her team can raise the most money.

Why do I care? Well, not only because I am a survivor of Stage IV Follicular Lymphoma, but one of the members on her team is The Score's Chris Rongey, who I also call a friend. Help them out people. Here is the website where people can donate and get more info: http://teamgz.com

 

Ginger Zee: Why Am I Doing This?

My inspiration to accept candidacy, aside from it being a great cause, comes from my boyfriend's father.

 

A few years ago, Chris’s dad, Sam, learned he had a blood cancer called multiple myeloma. It was a startling diagnosis, considering Sam does not fall into the typical “demographic” of people that are afflicted with the disease. His doctor’s believe he was exposed to radioactive material at an old factory where he used to work. An exposure he was not aware of at the time, though it was later discovered that there were traces of Thorium and Uranium in the building.

 

The pain in Sam’s back and side, essentially, are caused by lesions that have formed on the bones and spine. Scans showed additional lesions in other parts of his body, as well. Myeloma is a condition that makes the bones weak, and as with many other illnesses, can weaken the body’s defenses against infection. Since the diagnosis, Sam has undergone radiation, a stem cell transplant, and the use of various extensive chemotherapy treatments which continue to this day. The cancer, at this moment, is being managed, though there has been a decline in Sam’s health since his diagnosis.

 

Sam’s story is just one of so many with different forms of Leukemia and Lymphoma. In fact, a ton (912,938 to be exact) of people (including children) are afflicted.

 

Sam's strength, along with that of his wife, Pam, during this terrible time have inspired me in a way I never knew possible. It is because of this story that I am participating in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Man and Woman of the Year campaign with the hope of becoming Chicago’s Woman of the Year.

 

I have a very good friend and co-worker who just recently "beat" (he's in remission) Stage 3 multiple myeloma. So, this is a little close to home for me.