Lymphoma survivor to run half-marathon in Alaska to raise funds for cancer research
By Kyle Jorrey kjorrey@theacorn.com

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers HAPPY DAYS- Jeff Schleien, taking a break from play with his wife, Tara, and sons Joshua, 12, left, Jacob, 7, and Noah, 9, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in January 2001. His illness is now in remission. Schleien is running a fundraising halfmarathon tomorrow in Anchorage, Alaska and has raised almost $14,000 in sponsorships, 75 percent of which will fund research.

Six years after he was diagnosed with Stage 4 nonHodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system, Simi resident Jeff Schleien is ready to start giving back to those he credits with saving his life: the City of Hope and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

And he's doing so by running a half-marathon- in Alaska.

Tomorrow morning Schleien, 44, with his wife, Tara, cheering him on, will set off along with 1,000 others to run the Mayor's HalfMarathon in Anchorage.

He'll do so knowing that to date he's raised more money for leukemia/lymphoma research than any other participant in the field- a whopping $14,000 since January- thanks to his involvement with the society's Team in Training, the world's largest sportstraining program preparing individuals to run or walk distance races to raise money.

An adjunct professor at Cal Lutheran University and a marketing and training director for MetLife in Westlake Village, Schleien said "when this all started, I told my wife my dream goal was $5,000. But once I got to $10,000, I wanted to get to $15,000."

As part of his involvement with Team in Training, Schleien got up at 5 a.m. every Saturday for five months in preparation for his impending 13.1-mile trek. Despite zero experience as a runner, Schleien said he was inspired by the commitment of his fellow TIT teammates.

"You're getting together with a bunch of other people and there's no moaning- everybody is a volunteer and everybody is there because they want to be," he said. "That's really nice."

Before long, Schleien, who said he had "never run down the block," was running more than 10 miles every weekend.

"I feel more fit today than I did 20 years ago," he said. He is running in honor of his Uncle Mario, who died three years ago from leukemia-related complications, and year-old Simi resident Hailey Joy Kent, his honored teammate.

Hailey has acute lymphocytic leukemia. The toddler is receiving chemotherapy at Los Angeles Childrens Hospital and needs donations of Type O blood.

Three weeks before race day, Schleien told the Simi Valley Acorn that he had only one fear going into his first-ever half-marathon.

"I just hope I don't get eaten by a bear on the course," joked the father of three boys, Joshua, 12, Noah, 9, and Jacob, 9.

To donate, visit Schleien's website, www.active.com/donate/ tntgla/tntglaJSchlei. Donations are accepted up to 30 days after Saturday's race.

Seventy-five percent of funds raised will go directly to research with the balance going to cover Schleien's administrative costs.