Five years ago, Marty Hogan, a Chicago-area dentist, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a rare form of leukemia. Typically known as “childhood leukemia,” the diagnosis is even rarer in adults.

ALL was once thought of as a death sentence, but over time, much thanks to organizations like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the five-year survival rate has increased to about 90% (cancer.org).

When diagnosed, Marty set a goal. To walk the son that his wife was pregnant with to kindergarten. He added in some marathons along the way, even completing his first during treatment, with a port still connected.

This is the first episode in a multi-part series highlighting one of the groups that started it all, Team in Training. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a global leader in the fight against cancer.

The LLS funds blood cancer research that has helped significantly increased survival rates worldwide. Since 1949, the organization has invested over $1.5 billion in cancer drug and treatment research. Some of the therapies that have come from that research have extended into diseases other than cancer, effectively treating so much more.

In 1988, a man named Bruce Cleland organized a group of people to run the New York Marathon while gaining pledges toward cancer research. His toddler daughter had just successfully finished treatment, and he wanted to do something to make a difference. That “team” in marathon “training” raised more than $300,000 that year, but the effects lasted much longer.

Today, over 650,000 people have gone through the Team in Training program to date. Fundraising participants have brought in over $1 billion dollars. That amount has gone to research amongst other things. Cancer patients have benefitted from $431 million in co-pay financial assistance, and currently, there are over 200 research grants across the globe.

All of this is because of individual people working toward something bigger than themselves.

In this episode, hear not only personal stories, but fundraising and coaching strategies, advocacy work done at the state government level, research advances, and how a bunch of strangers become one big purple family.

In This Episode:

Stephanie Carlson, VP of Athletic Initiatives for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (and ultramarathon runner)Dr. Jen Reichek, Pediatric Oncologist at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago (and multi-year Boston Qualifier & Finisher)Coach Mark Gregory, Team In Training Area CoachDavid Mutnick, Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society IllinoisScott Saxe, State Advocacy Leader for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society IllinoisMarty Hogan, Team In Training Marathon Finisher

When Carey Pinkowski took the reigns of the Chicago Marathon in the early 1990s, there were only a few thousand people who hit the roads to pound 26.2 miles of pavement.

Today, the race attracts tens of thousands vying for 45,000 spots in one of the six World Marathon Majors.

Hear the story from Carey’s running roots to how he turned the sport into a lifelong career as the CEO of Chicago Event Management.

For over 50 years, Special Olympics Chicago has provided opportunities for thousands of athletes living with intellectual disabilities. Their organization has provided a sustainable community for the athletes and their families while offering a wide variety of athletic play and competitive events all year round.

You may know of their largest fundraiser of the year; the Polar Plunge North Avenue Beach. Every winter, thousands of people jump into the freezing waters of Lake Michigan, raising millions of dollars to support the programs provided by Special Olympics Chicago.But there are others who instead of jumping into frigid waters in the middle of winter, decide to train for months to run 26.2 miles to raise money for those same programs.

They are a household name in the region, and the city really comes together to make sure all of its residents have a field to play on.

Hear from family members of Special Olympics athletes, the people who make the programs happen, and of course, a multi-medalist who has dominated in a variety of sports.

In This Episode:

Mary Slowik, Executive Director, Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children's CharitiesEmily Smith, Former Development Director, Special Olympics ChicagoEileen Guinane, Special Olympics Administrator, Chicago Park DistrictNicole Richmond, Runner (Click to check out her fundraising page)Linda Padilla, SOC Family MemberStephanie Padilla, SOC Athlete

Girls On The Run is a program that empowers the next generation of women by using the power of running.

Elementary and middle school-aged girls learn physical and social-emotional skills that help them face challenges as they grow up.

The GOTR curriculum is research-based that focuses on the developmental milestones appropriate for the ages of each program; Girls On the Run (grades three through five) and Heart & Sole (grades six through eight).

In This Episode:

Jill Eid, Executive Director, Girls on the Run ChicagoAngelica Cabrera, Development Associate, Girls on the Run ChicagoDenise Sauriol, CoFounder, Girls on the Run Chicago & Coach (Run For Change)Grant Kane, GOTR Coach & SoleMateItzel Rivera, Heart & Sole MemberLucy Stanley, Girls on the Run MemberIncludes research from: Maureen R Weiss, Professor Emerita, Psychology of Physical Activity, University of Minnesota

The Chicago Police Memorial Fund was started nearly two decades ago with a singular goal; to build a memorial to honor those fallen officers.

Since that time, it has grown into so much more. It is now a foundation supporting CPD Goldstar Families.

The CPD Goldstar Families represents all of the surviving family members of the fallen officers of the Chicago Police Department.

At the time of recording in 2022, there were 595 Gold Stars on the wall of Public Safety Headquarters.

Each star is a gold police badge of a Chicago Police Officer who died while in the line of duty.

Their motto is "Never Forget."

In this episode, Maria Marmolejo, wife of Eduardo Marmolejo, an officer who died in the line of duty in 2018, shares how she honors her husband's memory by serving Goldstar Families.

Detective Darryl Hardy shares his motivation for running marathons to fund the CPMF.

Former Police Superintendent of the CPD, Phil Cline, discusses how under his guidance, the CPMF came to be created.

In This Episode:

Phil Cline, Executive Director, Chicago Police Memorial FoundationDawn Dolan, Events Manager, Chicago Police Memorial FoundationMaria Marmolejo, Chairwoman CPD Goldstar Families & RunnerDetective Darryl Hardy, Runner & Chicago Police Detective

"It was always from the beginning about making sure ensuring no one had to go through cancer alone."

- Stephanie Lieber, Executive Director, Imerman's Angels

Through a very specific and unique matching process, Imerman Angels connect people who have lived with cancer at some point in their life to a newly diagnosed cancer patient.

These “Mentor Angels” are cancer survivors and caregivers who have faced the same type of cancer and therefore can help guide a person through one of the scariest points of his or her life.

Founded by Jonny Imerman in 2006, the organization has made sure that tens of thousands of people haven't had to face cancer alone.

In This Episode:

Stephanie Lieber, Executive Director, Imerman AngelsDave Louthan, Team Imerman Angels DirectorLiz Ladewig, Team Imerman Angels Runner & Professional Board MemberTim Pearman, Director, Supportive Oncology, Northwestern Medical GroupNicole Schroeder, Survivor & Team Imerman Angels Runner

Courtesy of PAWS Chicago

The PAWS Chicago Community Outreach team is composed of five different programs, each working in tandem to address pet overpopulation and pet resource inequities in Chicago’s most underserved neighborhoods.

* PAWS for Life - our door-to-door, relationship-building outreach program that removes barriers to spay/neuter and preventative care for pets. Since launching this program in 2014, we’ve provided free services to 17,000 pets in Englewood, West Englewood, Woodlawn and Back of the Yards.

* Community Medicine - where we provide complimentary weekly illness and injury veterinary care at our Englewood Outreach Center.

* Pet Help Hotline - where we connect residents to pet services, problem-solve issues around pet care and behavior, and counsel pet owners about their pets. Receives 200 calls a day from South Side residents looking for help with their pets.

* Pet Food Pantry - distributes donated pet food to residents (about 25,000lbs/year), based out of our Englewood Outreach Center.

* Community Cats - creates access to trap-neuter-return services for residents who feed outdoor cats.