Three simple words...

Family and Friends,

"I love you."  Three words most of us want to hear.  Three most of us least want to hear?  "You have cancer."

On October 1, 2009, at Huntsman Cancer Institute I heard those latter three words.  Lisa and I knew that cancer would be the diagnosis, we just didn’t know what kind of cancer it would be.  And for me, more than what kind it was, I wanted to know "what do we do next?"  

I went into fighter mode- “ok, let’s hear the plan on how we’re going to beat this.”  

Then I went into Dad mode- “I need to beat this thing because I want to be there when my daughters get married.  I want to dance with them at their weddings.”  Cancer survivors will tell you that immediately upon receiving the cancer diagnosis, their outlook on life changes.  Things that mattered before don’t matter at all.  Things that didn’t matter suddenly begin to matter.  My family, which was always the most important thing to me, became much more important- and I wanted to maximize my time with them because I wasn’t sure how much time I would have left.

The good news- in May of last year my two oldest daughters were married, and I danced with both of them (we won't talk about the tears.  Oh so many tears!).  But, I have three daughters, and my youngest just started her senior year at Layton High School today, so we have many more years before she gets married (right, Kodi!?!?)

For 8 years we've lived with cancer.  We’ve battled.  We've prayed. We've given thanks. We've learned and grown. My life has been preserved and extended, and we've thanked the Lord over and over during this time.

Since my diagnosis, the amazing staff at Huntsman Cancer Hospital have taken care of me.  I’m convinced they and their treatment are the reason for my life being extended.  And I’m counting on them to continue to help me battle- and to help extend my life.  Not just so I can dance with Kodi at her wedding, but so I can be there to see my grandchildren be born, and hopefully to see them married also.

Why am I telling you this?  I COULD USE YOUR HELP.  Actually, to be honest I could really use your money.  And your generosity.

Each year I fundraise for Huntsman Hometown Heroes in conjunction with the most epic cycling race on my annual calendar-  the 206-mile LOTOJA Classic from Logan, UT to Jackson Hole, WY.  I'll be on the road with over 1,000 racers, but also with 74 other Hometown Heroes who have signed up to raise funds for Huntsman Cancer Foundation.  Last year the generosity of my friends and family allowed me to raise nearly $8K.  I’d love to top that this year, but my goal is to simply raise $5K.

Each year for the last 10 years I’ve been blessed to raise funds for Huntsman Cancer Foundation.  My family is my life, cycling is my passion, and raising funds to battle cancer has become a driving factor for me in my life.  So, I still have cancer.  It's incurable, and pretty much untreatable (at least for now).  

If you feel you can donate any amount (that's up to you), you can click the link below and go directly to my LOTOJA Hometown Heroes donation page.  You can donate via credit card right on the page.  Or, if you'd like to donate via check or cash, you can send them to me and I'll get them to Huntsman.  My home address is:

1597 E. Ridge Rd.

Layton, UT 84040

Please click here if you'd like to donate.

A HUGE THANK YOU to those of you who’ve donated in the past.  A HUGE THANK YOU to those who feel they can donate this year.

In closing, let me thank you for reading to this point.  Even if you choose not to donate, or can't at this time, know how much I appreciate your love, support, and interest.

I thank you all in advance for anything you feel you can do. I’ll continue to post updates of fundraising progress on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/toddjhandy), my blog (http://www.toddhandy.blogspot.com/), and via Twitter (http://twitter.com/toddhandy).

Thank you for your relationship with me, and for your love and support!

Much love,

- T

Cancer changes everything...

Family and Friends,

7 years ago I was diagnosed with cancer.  October 1, 2016.  Although Lisa and I were already certain that cancer would be the diagnosis, we just didn’t know what kind of cancer it would be.

When I was diagnosed, the first thing that came to my mind was “ok, let’s hear the plan on how we’re going to beat this.”  But, the second thing that came to my mind was the one that changed my life- “I need to beat this thing, because I want to be there when my daughters get married.  I want to dance with them at their weddings.”  Cancer survivors will tell you that immediately upon receiving the cancer diagnosis, their outlook on life changes.  Things that mattered before don’t matter at all.  Things that didn’t matter suddenly begin to matter.  My family, which was always the most important thing to me, became much more important- and I wanted to maximize my time with them, because I wasn’t sure how much time I would have left.

For 7 years we've lived with cancer.  We’ve battled, we’ve prayed, we’ve given thanks, and we’ve learned and grown.  This past May, our two oldest daughters got married.  I was blessed to be there- and to dance with them.  As I danced with them, I’m not ashamed to say I sobbed.  These two beautiful young women have grown up and decided to marry two incredible young men.  As a Dad it was everything I wanted for them.  But, part of what made me sob was the realization that from 7 years ago when I was diagnosed to now, my life has been preserved and extended. I was there to dance with two of my daughters.  Two down, one to go (but no rush, Kodi!).

Since I was diagnosed, the incredible staff at Huntsman Cancer Hospital have taken care of me.  I’m convinced my life has been extended because of their treatment.  And I’m counting on them to continue to help me battle- and to help extend my life so I can be there for our youngest daughter’s wedding down the road.

So, what does that have to do with you, and why this e-mail?  I COULD USE YOUR HELP.  Well, to be honest, I could really use your money.  And, your generosity.

In three weeks I’ll race my 12th LOTOJA Classic- 206 miles from Logan, UT to Jackson Hole, WY.  I'll be on the road with over 1,000 racers, but also with 74 other Hometown Heroes who have signed up to raise funds for Huntsman Cancer Foundation.  Last year your generosity allowed me to raise almost $7K.  I’d love to top that this year, but my goal is to simply raise $5K.

Each year for the last 9 years I’ve been blessed to raise funds for Huntsman Cancer Foundation.  My family is my life, cycling is my passion, and raising funds to battle cancer has become a driving factor for me in my life.  So, I still have cancer.  It's incurable, and pretty much untreatable (right now).  

If you feel you can donate (any amount, that's up to you), you can click the link below and go directly to my LOTOJA Hometown Heroes donation page.  You can donate via credit card right on the page.  Or, if you'd like to donate via check or cash, you can send them to me and I'll get them to Huntsman.  My home address is:

1597 E. Ridge Rd.

Layton, UT 84040

Please click here if you'd like to donate: http://lotoja.kintera.org/toddjhandy

A HUGE THANK YOU to those of you who’ve donated in the past.  A HUGE THANK YOU to those who feel they can donate this year.

In closing, let me thank you for reading to this point.  Even if you choose not to donate, or can't at this time, know how much I appreciate your love, support and interest.

I thank you all in advance for anything you feel you can do. I’ll continue to post updates of fundraising progress on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/toddjhandy), my blog (http://www.toddhandy.blogspot.com/), and via Twitter (http://twitter.com/toddhandy). 

Thank you for your relationship with me, and for your love and support! 

Much love,

Todd

60% of the way with 18 days left

OK, so we have 18 days left to donate before LOTOJA on Sept. 12.  My personal goal is to raise $5K again this year, and we're at $2,820.  So, still some dollars to go, but we also have time.

If you'd consider giving any amount to Huntsman Cancer Foundation in the fight against cancer, you can click here and the donation can be done online.  If your company has a matching program, don't forget to take advantage of the doubling of your money.

Thanks for your consideration no matter if you're able to help or not.

Much love!

Todd

Perhaps THE REASON I'm Alive Today...

Family and Friends,

Many of you, if not most, know the story.  In July, 2009, while on a training ride, I was hit by a car.  Due to that accident and what I believe to be divine intervention, I was diagnosed with B cell follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma.  19 radiation treatments and 5 and a half years of regular checkups later, I’m still alive and healthy.  Yeah, I still have cancer.  Yes, it's incurable, and pretty much untreatable (right now).  

Because of my diagnosis, I am an avid cancer fundraiser and advocate of research, prevention and education.  Those are the things that Huntsman Cancer Foundation, Institute and Hospital do so well.  And that's why I e-mail you every year and ask you to help me raise funds.

So, let me cut to the chase.  I COULD USE YOUR HELP.  Actually, to be honest, I could use your money.  Or, said another way, I could use your generosity.

In June of this year (for the fourth year in a row) I rode my bike 670 miles from Reno, NV to Salt Lake City, UT with a dozen other cyclist friends of mine.  All in five days' worth of riding.  Then, next month I'll toe the line to race my 11th LOTOJA Classic- 206 miles from Logan, UT to Jackson Hole, WY.  I'll be on the road with over 1,000 racers, but also with 74 other Hometown Heroes who have signed up to raise funds for Huntsman Cancer Foundation.  Last year your generosity allowed me to raise almost $7K.  I’d love to top that this year, but my goal is to simply raise $5K.

So, that’s 900 miles on a bike, pedaling, doing what I love.  As always, I'll do the "hard work”.  I’m only wondering if you’ll do the rest?  Will you help me and consider donating whatever you can to Huntsman Hometown Heroes and the Huntsman Cancer Foundation?  The donation may be tax deductible (talk to a tax expert), but I know that’s not what matters most.

If you feel you can donate (any amount, that's up to you), you can click the link below and go directly to my LOTOJA Hometown Heroes donation page. I choose to roll my Huntsman 140 fundraising into my LOTOJA fundraising so I only have to ask friends and family once, and not pester them over and over (too much).  You can donate via credit card right on the page.  Or, if you'd like to donate via check or cash, you can send them to me and I'll get them to Huntsman.  My home address is:

1597 E. Ridge Rd.

Layton, UT 84040

Please click here if you'd like to donate: http://lotoja.kintera.org/toddjhandy

A HUGE THANK YOU to those of you who’ve already been able to donate!  I’m grateful beyond measure.

In closing, let me thank you for reading to this point.  Even if you choose not to donate, or can't at this time, know how much I appreciate your love, support and interest.

I thank you all in advance for anything you feel you can do. I’ll continue to post updates of fundraising progress on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/toddjhandy), my blog (http://www.toddhandy.blogspot.com/), and via Twitter (http://twitter.com/toddhandy). 

Thank you for your relationship with me, and for your love and support! 

Much love,

Todd

Oh, and BTW...

The estimated number of Americans living with cancer in 2011 was 13.4 MILLION! [Source: SEER]!  

Estimated new cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2014- 1,665,540.  Estimated deaths from cancer in 2014- 585,720.  Do the math with me.  3X the number of people who died last year from cancer were diagnosed last year with cancer.  And the odds of being diagnosed with cancer in one’s lifetime?  1 in 2 for men, 1 in 3 for women.

“So, what are you getting at, Todd?”  I’m getting at this- more and more people are being diagnosed with cancer.  More than are dying. That means the number of people living with cancer is increasing.  Two more stats:

• The majority of cancer survivors (64%) were diagnosed 5 or more years ago.

• 15% of cancer survivors diagnosed 20 or more years ago.

Take a look at the first bullet point.  That’s me! I was diagnosed in 2009.  I plan to be part of that second bullet point- 15 years to go!

You wanna know why I’m past the five year mark?  I 100% believe it’s because of Dr. Martha Glenn, Dr. Lynn Million, Dr. David Gaffney and the whole team at Huntsman Cancer Hospital.  That, my incredible

RFR 2015 Day 4 (Ely to Delta, 112 miles)- The Ministry of Angels

For me, this is always the toughest day.  Sit bones are sore.  Feet are sore.  Legs are sore.  Hands are sore.  Get the picture?  But, we know that the worst day on the bike is still better than the best day of chemo. And, that's why we do this.  So we can help raise funds to relieve pain and suffering and help find a cure to this disease.  So, the soreness will go away, the battle will not.  At least not for now.

Many who know me know that I have cancer.  Not had.  Have.  I was first diagnosed and treated in 2009.  It went away for about a year and a half.  In November, 2011 we learned it had come back.  It's been with me ever since.  Probably always will be.  But, it's "indolent" (medical term for slow growing), and until/unless it transforms to "aggressive" (medical term for aggressive), we just wait.  And watch.

So, for the last two years, I've made it my goal to be the first one up the first pass- Sacramento Pass. The climb itself is a metaphor for life, but also for one's battle with cancer.  No one else can ride my bike up the pass.  No one else can suffer for me. I have to do it on my own, even with people around, cheering me on during the climb, and more waiting for me at the top.  So, I've made it my goal to be the first one up, to show cancer and myself who's in charge, who's ultimately going to win, and who's not backing down.

Well, this year I knew I wouldn't be the first one up.  Pulled it off the last two years, but I'm not as strong this year due to more training for a marathon than in past years.  I knew it.  I owned it.  But, I still left as quickly as I could, hoping I could at least try.  But, I knew it wasn't gonna happen.  And, as I heard my friends closing in on me, I was happy for them they were riding well, but a little bummed that I couldn't pull it off.  Again, it's not about being FASTEST up the hill (though that matters), it's really not even about being first up the hill (though that plays into my metaphor better), it's about me doing all I can to own this summit, and not the other way around.

So, as I'm pedaling my guts out, Ravell pulls up next to me.  I'm not listening to any music, because I want this to be as spiritual of an experience as it can be.  So, I'm focused, and listening to the road and myself breathe.  Ravell gets by me and says, "You're the survivor here, we're going to escort you to the top."  HUH?  I immediately am overcome by emotion.  I say "Ravell, no, you guys are riding strong, go on to the top and crush it."  He says, "No.  I want this."  And that was it.  He dropped back to let Zo, Rich and Larry know, and it was end of story.  So, I turned myself inside out pushing to the top, knowing these four strong riders, and even stronger men were right behind me.  Talk about even more of a metaphor!?!? As I approached the summit and finally could see the sign, I got out of the saddle and sprinted as fast as I could- but at the same time I was beginning to be overcome with emotion and to sob.  Uncontrollably.  Here's the best way anyone who wasn't on that part of the ride right then can visualize it- and this is a perfect memorialization of the moment.

Now that you know the story, this picture comes better into focus.  That's not exertion on my face, it's sheer emotion.  Those aren't cyclists behind me, they're angels.  Four of my best friends, and four angels who were carrying me to the top of a metaphor that means more to me than many might understand.

LDS apostle Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave a talk entitled "The Ministry of Angels" a few years ago.  It's probably my all-time favorite talk from my all-time favorite apostle.  I now quote him, "And always there are those angels who come and go all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal."  These four angels were seen, known, and mortal. They were my angels, and they are my friends.  Ravell, Zo, Rich and Larry- I love you all, brothers.  I will never be able to repay you for the kindness you showed me, but I hope each of you felt in my embrace and my words my love and gratitude for each of you.

The rest of the story yesterday just doesn't matter as much.  My wheel got out of true again, we trued it back up.  I suspect it will go out again Saturday until I can get it into the shop.  But, for a ride that's all about raising awareness for cancer, and driving fundraising, the real life example of cancer support and love was witnessed on the road yesterday.

Much love.

RFR 2015 Day 3 (Austin to Ely, 121 miles)

Day 3 is always a rude awakening (no pun intended) when we start.  We LITERALLY leave the hotel, turn left, and start climbing Pinto.  So, no warm up time, no stretch the sore legs, just ride, ride, ride.

Somehow I forgot that day 3 is FIVE climbs, not FOUR.  So, I was posting photos of each summit and counting the four off...then realized I wasn't including Robinson Pass, which is the longest of all the climbs.  Maybe I blocked that out?  Actually, I don't mind Robinson, just forgot about it.

Here's the problem.  Somewhere between the bottom and the top of the climb to Robinson, something went haywire with my bike.  I was sprinting the last portion of the climb and hearing some squeaking from my bike.  I thought it was one of the pulleys in my rear derailleur.  Given my new chain and new cassette, that wouldn't have surprised me.  But, when I stopped at the top, my rear wheel was out of true.  REALLY out of true.  It was actually rubbing against the seat stay, hence the squeaking.

So, I took some time to inspect it, and found one spoke that had come completely loose.  Long story short, got the spoke tightened and the wheel fairly trued.  But, here's the issue- now it's a long descent, and a worry about a spoke that might go out and a spill that might occur.  But, I've got a whole group waiting patiently for me, and I want to get them and me on the road.  So, let's do this!

Jeff had told me he thought there was a "bona fide" bike shop in Ely.  So, I planned to find it.  When we hit the bottom of the descent and dropped into Ely, I started scanning all the shops as we passed them at speed.  Jeff pointed it out- a sporting goods store!  I had my doubts, but needed the help, so in I went.  Jeff and Zo, two my best friends, stayed with me to make sure all was well.  The young guy in the bike shop in the back truly did know how to true a wheel, and after an incident where he stuck an opened ended wrench in a vice to size it down (no kidding!), and then broke it off, he was able to get the wheel very trued and all good to go.  Keep this all in mind, it will play in to what happens tomorrow (day 4).

We ate at McDonald's, which I know isn't healthy, and sounds weird for a bunch of cyclists. But, the burger and fries are heaven, and since they didn't have milkshakes for some reason, I made do with a hot fudge sundae.  Yeah, it was a chore, but someone had to do it!

As we left Ely in a pace line, we were stopped by a highway patrolman.  For real!  Some people had called NHP saying we were riding five abreast. He waited for us and as we pulled along side he hit his lights. He was very low key.  A very cool guy.  And, as he talked to us he said, "Look, I'm a cyclist, I get it. In fact, I'm riding the Huntsman 140 on Saturday." Can you believe it?  We get stopped by a guy who's coming to do the very ride we're leading up to on Saturday. 

From there we had a slog out to the bottom of the final pass, Conor Summit.  It's always a west wind, which slows us down, and it just goes and goes and goes.  But, we got to the bottom, watered up, and made the final climb of the day.  This is a climb we all love, because the descent means LITERALLY 10-12 miles of coasting with very little pedaling if you descend right, stay tucked, and let gravity do it's thing.  And, as you make the last left hand turn into the valley, you see literally dozens of windmills turning, giving it all a very "alien" vibe to the valley.

We all gathered together at the bottom, rode the last 8 miles on the rollers (not fun!), racked the bikes and drove back to Ely.

Mexican food for dinner, good company for discussion, and an end to yet another great day to be alive and on the bike!

RFR 2015 Day 2 (Cold Springs to Austin, 120 miles)

Ouch.  Yeah, for sure- OUCH!  Mid-90s today.  I was on top of my game with my nutrition, and drinking water as fast as I could get to it. Still, I think I got dehydrated.  It was crazy out there!  The first climb of the day went really well, as did the descent.  Topped out at 51.5 MPH!  Showed my Mom on my Garmin- not impressed!  She doesn't like when I go more than 20! :-) Then Austin came, and the climb ate my lunch.  Yeah, it owned me.  Bad!

The descent from Austin also went well.  Then the climb- ugh!  We did eat lunch in a little campground with some shade, which helped a bit. But, one we got rolling again, I simply couldn't drink enough water to keep myself hydrated and not bonking.  The food- nailed it.  The liquid, tried, but couldn't get it done.

At one point we were stopped on the side of the road and here comes an RV towing a trailer with a car on it.  Except there's this terrible screeching noise, and the right tire of the trailer is gone.  GONE!  The rim is riding on the asphalt, and it literally was leaving a groove in the road.  I would have loved to have seen the dude's face when he pulled in to get some gas, went back to check on the trailer, and saw the tire gone and the rim toast.  I'm thinking UHaul isn't giving that dude his security deposit back.  As we got about 5 miles from Eureka we saw a fire truck putting out a fire on the side of the road, and some folks were suspecting that the wheel of the trailer sparked and caused a fire on the side of the road.  Who knows, but it plays well for a story.

Western bacon burger with fries for dinner.  Drank water all night.  Still feel like I can't get enough.

The big deal was that my right foot has been "burning" with a hot spot.  So bad that at lunch I put a band aid on it just to try to keep the friction of my shoe from rubbing the spot.  Well, I get to the hotel tonight and pull off my shoe- yeah, that looks like a bunion.  Ugh! That ain't gonna go over well for the next 3 days and 420 miles of riding.  We'll see how this goes.

Well, that's it, I'm gonna call it a night.

Much love!

Todd

RFR 2015 Day 1 (Reno to Cold Springs, 137 miles)

Well, we closed out day 1 of RFR.  A few interesting things happened along the way...

First was my cassette.  It had been skipping a bit as we rolled out of Reno. As we began Geiger Grade climb, it started revolting.  It's an 11 speed cassette, and I wasn't able to access my three biggest gears- the most important ones for climbing!  Yeah, no big deal.  Fortunately we had Rich Staley with us, and he owns Great Basin Bicycles.  After we consulted and he found out what I wanted for a replacement, he made a few calls and got the part and necessary tools ready, and my dear Mom went to pick them all up.  By lunch time Mom had caught back up to us, Rich had replaced the cassette, and I was golden.  Thanks Rich!

Second, on the way to Fallon we had an RV in oncoming traffic throw a hubcap.  It came spinning at us and then actually started to float- right into our path!  Now, here's the thing.  Most inexperienced cyclists would swerve all around, putting the rest of the pace line in jeopardy.  We had 17 people in the pace line, someone should have gone down.  But, no.  Scotty hit it first, and then Ravell, and back through the left side of the pace line.  NO ONE WENT DOWN!  No one was hurt.  No doubt we had some extra protection from above on that, as well as some serious skilled cyclists in the group!

Many thanks to Vicki Linton and her Dad, Bill, for hosting us for lunch at Lattin Farms.

We rode without further mishap or issue all the way to Cold Springs, and then racked our bikes, hopped back in the cars and drove the 60 miles back to Fallon for the night.

We had dinner at Jerry's as usual.  Although their service is/was rather slow, their food is good. And, a burger, fries and milkshake never seems better than after you've ridden 137 miles!

So, Day 1 down.  4 to go. Love this group and this experience, and love spending the week with my dear Mom!

Much love!

670 miles and many reasons to ride...

Let's do this!  The Ride From Reno 2015 kicks off tomorrow morning at 7:00 from the Reno arch.  We'll have 17 riders who will pedal every stroke from Reno tomorrow to Huntsman Cancer Hospital on Saturday.  670 miles.  2 states.  25K+ of vertical climb.  Lots and lots and LOTS of carbs. And, one big focus on kicking cancer to the curb.

You see, it's personal for me.  I was diagnosed with cancer in 2009.  My Mom was diagnosed in 2008.  My Grandma fought cancer a couple of times, and ultimately it's what took her life (that, and she was 99 years old!).  So, yeah, I'm a cyclist.  This is an incredible training ride.  Many of those I ride with are lifelong friends, and others are new but will become friends, as well.  But, this isn't about the ride (well, not JUST about it).  It's about the opportunity to raise awareness of cancer treatment, statistics and funding.  It's about the opportunity to raise funds to help fight this disease.  To seek out more tolerable, humane treatment and find a way to fund and find hope.

So, follow along as we travel from Reno to SLC.  I'll be posting, blogging and sharing via social media.  And, if you feel you could make a donation, no matter the size, please feel free to do so at http://lotoja.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1132346&supid=306528814

We're $1K into my $5K goal for fundraising this year, so anything you can do will be appreciated.

Much love...

Todd

13.4 MILLION!

To be exact, 13,397,159. But, 13.4 MILLION WHAT?  Oh, no big deal, just the estimated number of Americans living with cancer in 2011 [Source: SEER]!  

Estimated new cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2014- 1,665,540.  Estimated deaths from cancer in 2014- 585,720.  Do the math with me.  3X the number of people who died last year from cancer were diagnosed last year with cancer.  And the odds of being diagnosed with cancer in one’s lifetime?  1 in 2 for men, 1 in 3 for women.

“So, what are you getting at, Todd?”  I’m getting at this- more and more people are being diagnosed with cancer.  More than are dying. That means the number of people living with cancer is increasing.  Two more stats:

• The majority of cancer survivors (64%) were diagnosed 5 or more years ago.

• 15% of cancer survivors diagnosed 20 or more years ago.

Take a look at the first bullet point.  That’s me! I was diagnosed in 2009.  I plan to be part of that second bullet point- 15 years to go!

You wanna know why I’m past the five year mark?  I 100% believe it’s because of Dr. Martha Glenn, Dr. Lynn Million, Dr. David Gaffney and the whole team at Huntsman Cancer Hospital.  That, my incredible family, and my faith.  That’s why I’m in the 64% of cancer survivors who are alive and were diagnosed more than 5 years ago.

Family and Friends,

Many of you, if not most, know the story.  In July, 2009, while on a training ride, I was hit by a car.  Due to that accident and what I believe to be divine intervention, I was diagnosed with B cell follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma.  19 radiation treatments and 5 and a half years of regular checkups later, I’m still alive and healthy.  Yeah, I still have cancer.  Yes, it's incurable, and pretty much untreatable (right now).  

Because of my diagnosis, I am an avid cancer fundraiser and advocate of research, prevention and education.  Those are the things that Huntsman Cancer Foundation, Institute and Hospital do so well.  And that's why I e-mail you every year and ask you to help me raise funds.

So, let me cut to the chase.  I COULD USE YOUR HELP.  Actually, to be honest, I could use your money.  Or, said another way, I could use your generosity.

In June of this year (for the fourth year in a row) I will ride my bike 670 miles from Reno, NV to Salt Lake City, UT with a dozen other cyclist friends of mine.  All in five days' worth of riding.  Then, in September of this year, I'll toe the line to race my 11th LOTOJA Classic- 206 miles from Logan, UT to Jackson Hole, WY.  I'll be on the road with over 1,000 racers, but also with 74 other Hometown Heroes who have signed up to raise funds for Huntsman Cancer Foundation.  Last year your generosity allowed me to raise almost $7K.  I’d love to top that this year, but my goal is to simply raise $5K.

So, that’s 900 miles on a bike, pedaling, doing what I love.  As always, I'll do the "hard work”.  I’m only wondering if you’ll do the rest?  Will you help me and consider donating whatever you can to Huntsman Hometown Heroes and the Huntsman Cancer Foundation?  The donation may be tax deductible (talk to a tax expert), but I know that’s not what matters most.

If you feel you can donate (any amount, that's up to you), you can click the link below and go directly to my LOTOJA Hometown Heroes donation page. I choose to roll my Huntsman 140 fundraising into my LOTOJA fundraising so I only have to ask friends and family once, and not pester them over and over (too much).  You can donate via credit card right on the page.  Or, if you'd like to donate via check or cash, you can send them to me and I'll get them to Huntsman.  My home address is:

1597 E. Ridge Rd.

Layton, UT 84040

Please click here if you'd like to donate: http://lotoja.kintera.org/toddjhandy

In closing, let me thank you for reading to this point.  Even if you choose not to donate, or can't at this time, know how much I appreciate your love, support and interest.

I thank you all in advance for anything you feel you can do. I’ll continue to post updates of fundraising progress on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/toddjhandy), my blog (http://www.toddhandy.blogspot.com/), and via Twitter (http://twitter.com/toddhandy). 

Thank you for your relationship with me, and for your love and support! 

Much love,

Todd