Dear [fname],

1. The 9-year total raised for kidney cancer research at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA in memory of my brother John is now $54,276.00.
2. We have raised a total of $6,201.00 for the Buenos Aires marathon.
3. Bob Rebello finished the Buenos Aires marathon on 11/4/07, his 5th continent, in a time of 4 hours and 40 minutes.

Although we have raised $6,201.00 for kidney cancer research so far this year we still need to raise $3,799.00 in the next 27 days to meet the 2007 goal to raise $10k by December 31, 2007. With your continued help, support, and generosity, I am very confident that we will be successful in meeting this year’s donations goal for such a very worthy cause. To ensure that 100% of all donations goes to kidney cancer research I pay all of the expenses and do all of the work myself.

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 the 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.

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. 

For your information I have broken down the 2007 Buenos Aires marathon for kidney cancer research donations by the month they were made as well as where the 9-year total donations came from. As you can see from the 1999 to 2007 donation sources we have brought kidney cancer awareness to 20 US states [green] and 1 foreign country. To help bring awareness to the other 30 US states [Red] and as many foreign countries as possible I would greatly appreciate it if you would forward the newsletter to family, friends, and people you know who live in those states. This is a great opportunity for us to let people throughout the US and around the world know about the efforts that are being made to find a cure for kidney cancer.

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.

Please make check payable to: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Mail to: Bob Rebello
1399 9th Avenue #918
San Diego, CA 92101

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 arrived in Buenos Aires on the morning of October 31st, 4 days before the marathon, which gave me plenty of time to recover from any jet lag. The first 3 days I got acquainted with Buenos Aires and found some areas where I could do some running prior to the marathon. There were some really good Italian restaurants close to my hotel and I ate a lot of carbohydrates to prepare for the marathon. The finish time commitment that I made to my donors was that I would finish the marathon by running all of the 26.219 miles - the personal goal that I set was to finish the marathon in a time of 4 hours and 30 minutes. Marathon day started when I woke up at 4 am to prepare for the marathon and to get to the start of the marathon – it took an hour by Taxi to get to the start of the race. There were about 2,700 runners in the marathon from a number of countries and prior to the start of the race I met runners from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, England, Ecuador, Venezuela, and the US. The weather at the start of the marathon [7:15 am] was in the low 60’s and would eventually reach the high 70”s at the halfway point of the marathon. The first half of the marathon we ran along a closed off highway with a number of long ramps that we had to run up. The second half of the marathon we ran through parts of the center, and along the Harbor, where the marathon ended at a small park. During the marathon you were basically running with a group of runners as there were no crowds along the way to cheer you on – the only large crowd was at the finish line. At the halfway point in the marathon my time was 2 hours and 10 minutes, and if I kept up my pace, I would finish the marathon in a time of 4 hours and 20 minutes.  But at mile 20 I started to get very painful cramps in my Quads and Hamstrings – this is the first sign that you have hit the dreaded  “Wall”. The wall is the point where you reach your endurance limit and your body feels suddenly weak and you are unable to run at your normal pace – many people feel unsteady on their feet and light-headed. At  this point in the marathon I had to slow down my pace to ensure that I met my commitment to finish the marathon by running all of the 26.219 miles - I eventually finished in a time of 4 hours and 40 minutes.      

If you would like to see the photos that I took while in Buenos Aires please go to my website www.bobrebello.com and click on photo gallery.   

I have already started training for next year’s [2008] worldwide marathon for kidney cancer research, but as of this date, I have not decided which country I will be going to. As part of my 2008-training schedule I will be running 5k, 10k, and ½ marathon races - I ran a 5k race on Thanksgiving in San Diego and came in 2nd in my age group [70 to 79]. I have registered for ½ marathon races in January and February and I will keep you informed concerning my results. 

Over the years that I have been running my worldwide marathons people have asked me a number of questions – what follows is one of the questions and my answer. 

Question: What was the most unique worldwide marathon that I have run to date?
Answer: The Monaco marathon, that I ran on November 11, 2002, was the most unique worldwide marathon that I have run to date because the marathon route went through the borders of 3 countries – Monaco, France, and Italy. The race started in Monaco in front of the Monte Carlo Casino where Prince Albert II of Monaco started the race. The race route followed the coast, where the coastal views were really magnificent, we then went through the borders of France and then Italy, at one point we went through a very long tunnel, before turning around and coming back. The Very hilly and challenging race finished inside Monaco’s Olympic Stadium where we ran a victory lap around the stadium. 

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. The goal of Dr. Atkins kidney cancer research is to translate basic science discoveries into better detection and therapies for individuals stricken with kidney cancer and to ultimately find a cure. To learn more about Doctor Michael B. Atkins kidney cancer research efforts please click here.
                         
Listed below are my corporate sponsors who have generously donated their “Best in Class” products and services 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