NET cancer research needs you

Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk, Carcinoid/NET News, Fundraising, Marketing NETs, NETwalkers Alliance

(Editor’s note: What follows is the letter I wrote this week inviting people to join the NETwalkers Alliance in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk on September 25. All the money our team raises goes to NET cancer research. I post it here for two reasons: The first is in the hope that those of you in the Northeast will join us for the walk; the second is to provide a template for groups elsewhere to use in their own fundraising events. You are free to use this letter either as is or in modified form either for the Jimmy Fund Walk or a similar event in your area.) 

NET cancer team letter

Dear friends,

I’ll be in Hopkinton for the start of my sixth Jimmy Fund Marathon Walk in 283 days. I’ll walk, as I always have, in memory of my wife Jane, who died of NET cancer December 10, 2010. And I’ll walk to support NET cancer research at Dana-Farber in the hope that my many friends with NET cancer will benefit from their work.

I’m writing you today to ask you to walk all or part of that route with me September 25 as part of our NETwalkers Alliance team. I’ve punched in some significant goals for this year as we work to support 3-in-3: The Campaign to Cure NET Cancer, which we launched December 9. That campaign aims to raise $3 million in three years for NET cancer research at DFCI—and every NETwalkers Alliance dollar will go to help meet that ambitious goal.

If you’ve followed my posts on walkingwithjane.org this fall, you know just how deeply the loss of Jane affects me emotionally even today. And you know, as well, how determined I am to prevent others from going through what she suffered–and what I deal with now.

I’m already in. I hope you’ll join me.

Many of you have lost people you love to this disease—and none of you needs me to remind you of how that feels. You know intimately the things I try to put into words–and fail to do adequately.

Many of you have loved ones who are fighting this disease right now. You know the daily trials they face too well.

And many of you have this disease. You deal every day with the sometimes debilitating and embarrassing symptoms of NET cancer.

…take concrete steps to change the reality…

Each of us has a reason to do what we can to kill NET cancer. The Walk is one of the ways we can take concrete steps to change the reality for our loved ones and ourselves.

We’re looking to recruit 100 walkers for our team this year and raise $100,000. With your help, we can make that happen. More importantly, we can help change the future for NET cancer patients and their families.

I’m already in. I hope you’ll join me. Register today. If you enter the code word NEWYEAR before January 31, you’ll get a $10 registration discount.

Pax et lux,
Harry

p.s. If you were a Pacesetter last year, they tell me you’ve been sent a separate discount code word you can use.

p.p.s. Please feel free to share this note with others who may be interested in joining us. We need all the help we can get to help spread the word about NET cancer.

Anger and grief fuel my Walk for the Jimmy Fund every year. I do it to raise money for NET cancer research. But no matter what I do, it never feels like enough--and it never alleviates entirely either emotion for very long.
Anger and grief fuel my Walk for the Jimmy Fund every year. I do it to raise money for NET cancer research. But no matter what I do, it never feels like enough.