Dear Jim,
Well it’s another year and that means its time for me to get this 70-year-old body in shape, put on my running gear, and start the daily training for another worldwide marathon for kidney cancer research. This year I will be running the Buenos Aires, Argentina marathon on November 4th, my 9th worldwide marathon and my 5th continent.
I hope that you find the attached March 2007 newsletter informative– the objective of this newsletter is to:
- Update you on the status of my fundraising efforts and the work that is being done
for kidney cancer research. - Give you information about Buenos, Aires and the Buenos Aires Marathon.
- Answer some of the questions that people have asked me since I started running
my worldwide marathons.
I would not be able to publish my monthly newsletters without the very creative Graphic design work of Christian Riggs, President of Riggs Creative Group. Christian has not only given his time and design expertise to the newsletter but he also designed and maintains my website.
I would greatly appreciate it if you would pass the newsletter on to your family and friends.
As of this date I have raised a total of $48,635.00 towards my mission of raising $100,000.00 by December 31, 2008 for kidney cancer research in memory of my brother and best friend John. 100% of the money raised to date went directly to kidney cancer research at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Last year, because of the generosity of people from around the world, I was able to raise a total of $7,428.00 by finishing the Bangkok, Thailand marathon on November 26th. Over the last 9 years I have received donations from people living in 18 US States and 1 foreign country.
If you have already donated, thank you, if you have not donated I would be honored to have you join the hundreds of people who have made donations to support my efforts to raise money for kidney cancer research. If your company has a Matching Gifts Program I would greatly appreciate your using the Program to help in the fight against kidney cancer. To ensure that 100% of all donations goes to kidney cancer research I pay all of the expenses [Airfare, Hotel, Stamps, Supplies, etc] and do all of the work myself.
Click here to make a secure donation by Credit Card today. To ensure that 100% of credit card donations go to kidney cancer research I will write a personal check to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center that will cover the credit card fees for all donations made on line. Your generous tax-deductible donation will go to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Biologic Therapy Research Program and will be placed in the Dr. Michael Atkins Kidney Cancer research fund in memory of John Rebello. The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centers Tax ID# is 042-103-881.
The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center [BIDMC] kidney cancer research efforts are being led by Dr. Michael B. Atkins, M.D. He is a cancer clinical investigator and is internationally recognized for his research in renal cancer. Dr. Atkins has led some of the pivotal clinical trials that have influenced the current treatment of patients with renal cancer. He is Director of the Cutaneous Oncology and Biological Therapy Programs at BIDMC and also directs the BIDMC Cancer Clinical Trials Office.
Dr. Atkins is the Director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Renal Cancer Specialized Program of Oncologic Research Excellence Grant [SPORE]. This is the only National Cancer Institute funded SPORE focused on renal cancer. Together with physicians from BIDMC and other area hospitals, Dr. Atkins works toward finding treatments, and ultimately a cure, for renal cancer.
Five major projects are supported through this fund:
- Identification of markers for early detection of monitoring of high-risk renal cancer
populations. - Inhibition of VHL-regulated growth factor pathways for treatment of renal cancer patients.
- Combination radio frequency ablation and antivascular/antiangiogenesis for localized renal
cancer therapy. - Identification of molecular and immunologic correlates of renal cancer prognosis and
responsiveness to therapy. - Dendritic cell/tumor fusions vaccines in conjunction with IL-2 as novel immunotherapy for
renal cancer patients.
The goal of this research is to translate basic science discoveries into better detection and therapies for individuals stricken with kidney cancer.
• Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina and has an estimated population of 2,776,000 inhabitants. It is located on the southern shore of the Rio de la Plata on the southeastern coast of the South American continent. Buenos Aires [English: “Fair Wind”] was originally called “City of the most Holy Trinity and Port of Saint Mary of the Fair Winds”. Strongly influenced by European culture Buenos Aires is sometimes referred to as the “Paris of South America”. Spanish is the main language but English is widely well spoken. It is the financial, industrial, commercial, and cultural hub of Argentina and its port is one of the busiest in the world. The University of Buenos Aires, one of the top learning institutions in South America, has produced five Nobel Prize winners and provides free education for students from all around the world. Football is a passion for Argentines – Buenos Aires has the highest concentration of football teams of any city in the world.
Over the years that I have been running my worldwide marathons people have asked me a number of questions – what follows are some of the questions and my answers.
How many marathons have I finished to date and what is my schedule for future marathons?
As of this date I have finished 8 worldwide marathons on 4 continents – US, Ireland, France, Monaco, Hungary, Switzerland, Australia, and Thailand. The schedule for my remaining marathons is:
- 2007: Buenos Aires, Argentina - November 4th
- 2008: Cape town, South Africa
- 2009: Boston Marathon – April 13th
* At the “young age of 72” Boston is where I will end my worldwide marathons for kidney cancer research. Stay tuned - my many friends in the Boston area and I will be making this into a great fundraising event.
How do I select the countries where I will run my worldwide marathons?
The country must be in a continent that I need to finish a marathon to meet my mission of 6 continents by 2008. The majority of the inputs from people who have previously run the marathon are positive and they recommend the marathon. The marathon has to have been running for at least 5 years, in the August to November timeframe, and has a professional race management team with dedicated volunteers.
What information do I have about the Buenos Aires marathon?
The Buenos Aires marathon has been held since 1998 - the race is small, 2,000 to 3,000+ runners, and last year there were 100 runners from the US. The course is flat and panoramic you visit all of the areas of Buenos Aires. It is a good time of year to run a marathon [Spring] and a great city to visit. The friendly, but sparse, spectators along the route shout “Si se puedo” [it is possible].
Do I run with a Running Group?
I consider myself very fortunate because I have had the privilege to run with two great running groups over the last 12 years. Prior to moving to San Diego from Lexington, Massachusetts I ran with a great running group – “the Concord Runners”, led by Bob Hall. We would meet every Saturday morning, rain, snow or shine, for our weekly run, through and around the beautiful Concord area, and then we would have Breakfast – the Concord Runners have been in place for over 25 years. Now I run with another great group of runners from the San Diego area – “the Running Group”, led by Greg White. [www.runwithgreg.com] We meet every Saturday and do our runs in the many scenic, and sometimes challenging locations, around San Diego and after the run we have Breakfast.
Listed below are my corporate sponsors who have generously donated their “best in class” products to help me meet my mission. Without their generous support it would be very difficult for me to continue my mission.
Have a great day,
Bob Rebello
