Part 1: Running Towards a Cure

This March seven Centrons in the New York office are on the path to go the extra mile (well, actually, many, many miles) to end cancer once and for all. Tannis McKenna, Kaitlyn Pearsall, Emily Chow, Rob Kohn, Justin Haber, Sam Yee, and Sarah Solso have joined the American Cancer Society DetermiNation endurance event program and will be running the New York City Half Marathon on March 15th, 2015 to help fight cancer and save lives.

It’s an effort worth mentioning. With countless hours of running and strength training mixed with dietary restrictions and healthy eating habits – training for a half marathon is no simple task. Collectively, the team runs close to 105 miles per week (or 15 miles each), give or take a mile or two. That’s more than some of us run in a lifetime!

Almost every one of us has been affected by cancer in some way. According to the American Cancer Society, more than one million people in the United States get cancer each year. Together with millions of supporters, the American Cancer Society saves lives by helping people stay well and get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back. Thanks in part to all of our contributions, more than 1.5 million lives have been saved in the United States in the past two decades. But let’s not stop there – there’s still so much more work to be done, research to perform, and lives to be saved.

Each athlete on Team DetermiNation has their own personal motivation and inspiration for participating in the race. For Sam Yee, it was, and continues to be, her mother, Sally Eng Latteri, who inspires her even in passing. Sally lost her battle with cancer on June 16th, 2014. “She was a vibrant, amazing, and caring woman,” notes Sam. “I want to do all I can to keep her memory alive. What better way to do that than with the American Cancer Society?” Sam’s motivation also derives from her teammate, Tannis, who encouraged her to join the team and train for the event.

The magnificent seven will be hosting a fundraising happy hour at Centro’s New York office this Thursday, February 12th to help them reach their team goal of $6,000. Currently, the group has raised an astonishing $5,395! Let’s help them out a bit. The team will be auctioning off a couple “bachelors” for dates, along with a few raffle prizes. If you’re going to be in the area, be sure to stop by! Otherwise, check out their team page to see how you can donate.

Finally, to the more than 11 million Americans who are cancer survivors and will celebrate another birthday this year – happy birthday, from your friends at Centro.