Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Saratogan Andrea Liddie is the campaign coordinator of the San Jose office of the Leukemia Society Northern California Chapter.

Saratoga teacher inspired coordinator

By Suzy Ramirez

With the Leukemia Society of America's unofficial goal to find a cure for leukemia and related illness by the year 2000, the necessity for monetary and community support is stronger than ever.

The challenge is being met with growing support for the Team in Training program as well as a new Leukemia Society Northern California Chapter branch recently established in San Jose and coordinated by Saratoga resident Andrea Liddie.

Team in Training is an endurance training program for runners, walkers and cyclists to benefit the Leukemia Society of America through sponsorship and participating in century rides and marathons across the United States. The goal is to increase funds to support the Society's mission--finding cures for leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Liddie is the first campaign coordinator for the new office and was hired to oversee the Team program, specifically the South Bay cycling team. Her job includes recruiting people for the program and managing the team through their training. Additionally, Liddie is participating as a walker in the Nov. 22 marathon in Tucson, Ariz.

"Right now, not a lot of participation comes from Saratoga because of the lack of knowledge regarding the Team program," Liddie said. "There is no doubt that this disease has affected many people in Saratoga, and having an office [in San Jose] will help awareness."

Liddie's personal connection to leukemia came from the death of her fourth-grade teacher and father figure, Raymond Perri, who once taught at Argonaut Elementary School. Also, a close family friend died of multiple myeloma.

Individuals recruited for Team in Training must raise a minimum amount of money depending on the activity they are involved in; cyclists contribute at least $2,200 and walking and running teams contribute $2,700. Most people go over the minimum, with 75 percent of every dollar going toward research.

"[The Leukemia Society] brings groups to events already planned so we don't have to plan marathons and events and endure unnecessary costs," Liddie said.

According to Liddie, money is raised through sponsorships received from letter-writing campaigns, friends, family and co-workers. Other participants raise money by holding garage sales or contacting corporations with matching funds programs.

The spring 1997 team is currently working with 960 participants who train in honor of patients from their community affected by leukemia, called "honorees."

Honoree Taylor Calvert is a Saratoga resident who was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia when he was 3. The 712-year-old and the rest of his family have been involved in Team in Training for the past four years.

"Taylor has met such wonderful people and knows he is not alone in his battle with leukemia," said Taylor's mother, Sally. "The honorees get to meet all of the participants at events. Taylor wants to ride the century [marathon], but he has a few years to go."

Taylor has been in remission for a year and a half, and the family continues to volunteer its time to the Leukemia Society.

The training program includes perks such as supervised coaching from world-class and Olympic athletes, clinics on nutrition, injury prevention, training techniques and travel and accommodations for event weekends.

The team trains every other weekend, and training spans a three- to five-month period. Funds raised by team members cover travel expenses and participation in the races.

The Team in Training run program began in 1992, and the first walking marathon, the largest in the country, was in 1994. In the fall of 1995, the Northern California Chapter was the first to introduce a cycle training program, since adopted as a national program.

Anyone interested in learning more about Team in Training or participating in the next training program--which recruits in January and begins in February--can contact the Leukemia Society of America's San Jose branch at 271-2873.

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