As One

Statement by "AS ONE" Writer & Producer Tawny Sorensen.

"As One" is a story of love, loss, moving through grief through connection, and finding hope in this world when you feel the most helpless. I dedicate this short narrative to Team and Training which raises life saving funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, my fellow teammates, three amazing women in my life that battled cancer this past year, my beautiful friends who are survivors, and in loving memory of those we have lost. As a participant in this endurance running program, I wanted to give back to the cause in my own way and speak to why this team is so incredibly important to me. My husband joined the team several years before I did and worked his way from participant to mentor to training captain to coach. While he ran, I participated in many fundraisers for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and was soon running and training with the team as well. As fate would have it, my first week of training with the team coincided with someone I know being diagnosed with Lymphoma and two months into training, a friend’s grandmother was diagnosed. Running for the cause became extremely personal to me. The amazing research that is funded through LLS gives me hope in a place where fear usually takes hold. I have returned to the team time and again, to do my part no matter how small it may be in the big picture.

In addition to "As One" being a tribute to my experience on this amazing team, I would like to create an awareness of philanthropic outlets in dealing with illness, recovery, grief, and support. Over the past thirty years, there has been a rise in altruistic means to support charity, particularly in the running world. Race-charity partnerships have been amazingly successful since The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society launched Team in Training in 1988. The training and cheering sections provide runners with support, many of whom would never have attempted a long distance race without the motivation of doing something for the greater good. Road races in the US, according to a Running USA estimate, generated $1.2 billion for non-profit organizations in 2015, doubling the amount from a decade ago. In its almost 30 year history, runners for LLS alone have raised over $875 million for the cause.