In June, Lori Plotz, a former NIU Building Services worker, will walk 26.2 miles in the Mayor’s Midnight Marathon with a group of other supporters in Alaska to raise funds for leukemia and lymphoma patients.

Leukemia is a malignant disease, a form of cancer of the bone marrow and blood. Plotz said 80 percent of the money raised will go to patients and family members who have leukemia and lymphoma. The other 20 percent goes to research and educational materials for the families.

A leukemia diagnosis requires specific blood tests, including the examination of the cells in blood or marrow. The overall five-year survival has tripled in the past 40 years for leukemia patients, she said.

Plotz said she is excited to walk her first 26.2-mile marathon. She and her teammates train every day.

“We trained in Beamer Woods in Western Springs walking 10 miles in the rain, sleet and snow,” Plotz said. “After being in that horrible weather, that was a gut check for me. If patients can go through chemo and family members can stand by and support them, I can walk 26.2 miles to raise money to support finding a cure and help support the families.”

Plotz said her inspiration was the death of her grandfather, Harold Matteson, and the death of a close friend, Dave Platz, whom she once worked with.

Not only is Plotz walking in memory of her grandfather and friend, but for her hero patient, 8-year-old Rebecca Lamanna, who is fighting acute leukemia. The hero program is through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Plotz’s goal is to raise $4,000. All proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a charitable organization dedicated to finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s Disease and myeloma and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

For more information on signing up for a marathon, call 1-800-482-TEAM or visit the Web site at www.teamintraining.org.

For credit card donations, corporate sponsorship or additional information, call (815) 246-6305.