From 13 steps to 13 miles

Dear Friends:

As many of you know, I recently celebrated a very special milestone in cancer world: 2 years in remission. I AM SO LUCKY! For the few out there that are not familiar with the subject, studies show that the recurrence of cancer is higher during the first 2 years after treatment.

Cancer has not left my life though. Paired with the side effects of an aggressive chemo treatment , Cancer wanted to get close to me in another form ; My Dad. My gorgeous , young , charming father has been fighting a courageous battle with metastasized cancer since this past spring and while there are better days than others we are lucky that he has had an incredible team of doctors and while at first we thought that he wasn't going to make it till Christmas we are now very optimistic that Santa will have a gift for him in his bag. Maybe it will even be in the form of remission, a cancer free life.

I am about to celebrate all that I am grateful for by joining other survivors and caregiver in San Francisco for the NIKE Half- Marathon benefiting The Lymphoma and Leukemia Society on October 18.

When I was sick I often talked about the humbling moment when I was just not able to take the 13 flights of steps in my house. I started it and half way through it I had to sit down, take my breath and then continue. So now I can look into cancer 's eye and say : "-take that! Now I will be running/walking 13 MILES as the half marathon". I am doing this in honor of my father and the people that are now undergoing treatment and are facing "their 13 steps".

I am personally making a donation as my family and I are grateful for the research efforts of the LLS. With no obligation to act , here is my fundraising page that I just put together as so many of you have so generously asked me about.

Although 2 years have gone by, not a day goes by that I don't stop, say a prayer and thank the universe for the love that I received from you during the trying times of my treatment and beyond. Many of you deserve a piece of this celebration. So, on Oct 18th, weather in SF or anywhere around the world, please raise a glass of bubbles and celebrate LIFE!

with much love

Francesca, Carsten and Leonardo

Some cancer facts and for more please visit :www.livestrong.org

There are more than 10.5 million cancer survivors living in the United States today. This number has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The number of survivors will grow as the population ages and progress against cancer continues.

1.4 million Americans are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year. 560,000 Americans are expected to die from cancer this year, or more than 1,500 per day.

Nearly 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will develop cancer during their lifetime.

Within the next decade, cancer is likely to replace heart disease as the leading cause of death in the U.S. It is already the biggest killer of those under the age of 85. Today 65% of adults diagnosed with cancer will be alive five years after diagnosis, up from 50% in the 1970s. African-American men and women have the highest mortality rates for all cancer sites combined.

While dramatic survival improvements have been achieved in patients diagnosed with cancer at age 15 or younger and steady improvement has been made against a number of cancers common among those over age 40, little or no progress has been seen in the adolescent and young adult population. In fact, among those aged 25 to 35 years, survival has not improved in more than two decades.