March 28, 2024760-815-1791susannehoover@gmail.com
  • Ben Champions run

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Team Platypus is comprised of a group of runners all dedicated to raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). We pledge to train for races while we raise awareness and collect funds to be donated to LLS, which is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services! 

Fundraising “Running” Total: $82,467 and growing

Tinker Bell Run Disneyland Los Angeles,  January 2013 Steffi/Susanne: $10,500

Nike Women’s Half San Francisco October 2014 Susanne/Sherry: $5,600

Midnight Sun Full Marathon Alaska 2015 : $7,100

San Diego Triple Crown 2015 (Carlsbad Half, La Jolla Half, Americas Finest City Half) Elisa $3,000

Los Cabos Half Marathon 2016 Team Platypus as part of b.strong Team 2016 Susanne/Stephanie/Liz/D’Anne/Melissa/Rita/Laura/Debbie: $24, 500)

San Diego RnRoll Half Marathon 2016 as part of bstrong Team coming up June 2016 we raised $333,333! (lucky 3’s!!) and were able to fund 3 separate 100K research portfolios, one of which was named in honor of Ben and Team Platypus! Stephanie/Susanne/Maureen/Rita $8,626

Chicago Marathon, Vegas Half Marathon and St Louis Half Marathon 2016  Susanne/Maureen/Jessica/Ashley/Jennifer/Stephanie/Rita: $16,441

Vancouver BMO Half Marathon 2017 Susanne/Stephanie $5,500

San Diego RnRoll Half Marathon 2017 Susanne $1,200

Platypus artistic interpretations by our honored patient Ben and his brother Leon:

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OUR STORY: Team Playpus started when Ben, my friend Stephanie’s son, was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 10. He was facing 3 ½ years of chemotherapy and missing 1 year of school and friends’ visits. It shouldn’t take a personal connection to understand that childhood cancer is horrible but this is now a personal fight: We have really taken this issue head on and have dedicated our energy to raise money to fight blood cancers!

Naming the Team: We asked Ben to name our team and he chose the name ‘Team Platypus’ because of his love for this quirky egg-laying mammal with a duck bill and poisonous heel spurs. Basically a perfect animal to represent a running team racing for a cure… Well, let’s say it represents an ‘against adversity’ kind of animal, because you try to swim with a duck bill or lay eggs while retaining the ‘mammal’ label. The platypus’ venomous spurs represent our willingness to fight. It’s a fitting name: “Team Platypus” it is!

First race: Our first run was in January 2014. Our Team of two (Susanne/Stephanie) raised over $10,000 in less than 6 months with the help of our amazing friends, family and supporters in the community (see list of donors!).

Growth: Other runners joined the Team raising money for LLS, Constance for the Rock’n’Roll half marathon in San Diego, Sherry for the Nike Womens Half Marathon in San Francisco and Elisa for the triple crown of three local half marathons. Amy, Melissa, Liz were hooked by Ben and the platypus and so the team grows as we tackle more and more races and step up our fundraising efforts.

Epic push – we made it to $333,333!!!: Finally, in the 2015/16 season we teamed up with several other teams to form Team b.strong in honor of Ben, Bernard and Chris. We are honoring Ben, Bernard and Chris, warriors of leukemia and are aiming to raise $300,000 by June 2016! Races run for this epic goal are the Carlsbad Half/Full Marathon, Los Cabos Half Marathon, RnR San Diego Half/Full Marathon and Yellowstone Half Marathon. $300,000 will fund THREE research grants in Ben, Bernard and Chris’ honor (each will be named on the research grant!)! This is amazing – we are growing and proud! Please visit our patient gallery to see all our honored patients whose stories inspire us every day in our resolution to work out hard and raise money for the fight!

Why fundraise: There have been amazing advancements in the treatments of blood cancers. Not only are there treatments being developed that are state-of-the-art, there are also support services by LLS for the patients and families that are unmatched!  Immunotherapies, personalized medicine, identification of cancer specific antigens that can be targeted specifically with many fewer side effects than conventional chemotherapy. LLS sponsors all aspects of the treatment and cure of blood cancers: research grants, family and patient support, an incredible network of fundraisers committed to fight blood cancers – YOU are now all part of this story!

Please visit our ‘Sponsors’ page as well and let the businesses know you appreciate their support! We are ever so grateful to your personal donations as well as their corporate support. A huge heartfelt Thank You!

 

 

 

 

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