130 Oak Ridge Road
Clark, NJ US 07066

 

I am so excited to be helping to establish the Miracles for Myeloma 5K run/walk here in New Jersey!  It is my goal to raise awareness and money, to go toward the fight against this deadly disease. My personal story began in 2007, when I went to my primary care physician for my annual routine physical.  This appointment turned out to be anything but routine!  Imagine my surprise, confusion, and fear, when I was diagnosed with a disease that I never knew existed!  This disease, multiple myeloma, is defined as an incurable cancer of the plasma cells.

After going through chemo treatment and two stem cell transplants, I am currently in a remission. However, my personal battle with myeloma is far from over, as there is no cure yet!  Of course, my goal is for a cure to be found, and this is why I am so passionate about establishing this race in conjunction with the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF).

I am blessed with a wonderful support network of loving family members, devoted friends and co-workers who have helped me during my cancer journey. I also have a knowledgeable and compassionate group of doctors and nurses who have helped me in so many ways. Now I am calling upon all of you to help us get to the finish line… finding a cure for multiple myeloma.

I am usually the type of person to think and care more about others before myself, but sometimes we need to be a little selfish, like today.  Let’s put all of us cancer survivors first, and use this race for the strength and hope it can give us to fight our fights. Let’s use Miracles for Myeloma 5K run/walk to win our battles.  The money raised will fund much needed research to make words like myeloma, words of by-gone days!  So with this in mind, let’s all try to help accelerate the cures, and give hope to myeloma survivors and their families. Please participate with the IMF to fight this deadly disease and to get to that finish line… the cure for multiple myeloma.

 

My brother, Frank Guarino, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in June of 2011. He passed away just 18 months later, on December 31, 2012, at the age of 51.  When he was diagnosed, we had never heard of this terrible disease but that changed after countless trips to Hackensack University Medical Center, two stem cell transplants and several chemotherapy treatments.  Frank was an avid runner since high school and he had discussed wanting to raise money for multiple myeloma research by hosting a 5K race. I wish that I had never heard of this illness but unfortunately it struck our family in the worst way.

Multiple myeloma is not a widely known cancer, but as fate would have it I met a wonderful person who was struggling with the same disease as my brother.  Within the hallways of my daughter's preschool, Sheree Pask and I became instant friends while discussing our circumstances surrounding this rare form of cancer.

As a tribute to my brother Frank, during his funeral we hung several of his racing numbers along with many photos of him running throughout his life. Sheree and Ron Pask saw these numbers and asked if I would join them in creating a fundraising 5K race. At that moment, I knew that I had to work with them on my brother's behalf to raise awareness and money to help find a cure for this rapidly progressive disease.

If the Miracles for Myeloma 5K would help save one family from enduring the heartache this disease has caused my own family that would be the biggest tribute I could give to my brother Frank. Please join me, along with the rest of the Miracles for Myeloma 5K committee in making this tribute a reality.

So come and join us! Oak Ridge Park is located in Clark, NJ, exit 135 off of the Garden State Parkway.

If you cannot participate by attending, please support us by making an online donation.

Remember someone special with their name on a laminated placard along our Remembrance Path on race day.

Please visit:
 https://online.myeloma.org/NetCommunity/miraclesformyeloma

to donate or for remembrance path

Garden State Parkway Northbound 

Exit 135. Stay to right and bear right onto Brant Avenue. Right at light onto Westfield Avenue. Left at light onto Raritan Road. Go through two traffic lights. Oak Ridge park is on your right. 

Garden State Parkway Southbound

Exit 135. Bear right off of exit onto Central Avenue. Left at light onto Raritan Road. Go through 4 lights. Oak Ridge park will be on your right.

From Lake Avenue (Rahway)

Head west.  Left turn onto Oak Ridge Road. Park is on right.

From Lake Avenue (Scotch Plains)

Head east. Right turn onto Oak Ridge Road. Park is on right.

If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.

Questions?

If you cannot participate by attending, please support us by making an online donation.

Remember someone special with their name on a laminated placard along our Remembrance Path on race day.

Please visit:  https://online.myeloma.org/NetCommunity/miraclesformyeloma

to donate or for remembrance path

MAIL IN APPLICATIONS must be postmarked no later than 9/27/2013