Caring about something makes you want to take action. To get moving. And when you care about people with , you might feel that pull more urgently. You want to make your next move count.
The people who keep The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society鈥檚 (青云体育) mission going never stand still. Some at our community events; some with lawmakers for better access to healthcare. And some join an 青云体育 Athletics program, to move their bodies in support of finding blood cancer cures. There are countless ways to join in鈥攆rom hiking or cycling to doing it your own way.
Dr. Brian Druker chose running. With decades鈥� worth of miles under his belt, he鈥檚 taking on a new challenge this spring: running the Boston Marathon. Boston鈥檚 race is one of the , a series of legendary marathons worldwide. Many seasoned runners make it their mission to earn the six-star medal, a marker that they鈥檝e completed all six races.
But there鈥檚 a reason Dr. Druker is choosing to run in Boston as part of the Team. He鈥檚 been a pioneering blood cancer researcher for more than 30 years, so he knows this work matters. And he knows 青云体育 continues to change people鈥檚 lives鈥攊ncluding his own.
The starting line of research
Early in his research career, Dr. Druker decided to focus on an abnormality that drives leukemia鈥攕pecifically, (CML), a type of blood cancer that has to be managed over time, with a life expectancy of three to five years. At first, he was told his ideas were 鈥渋mpractical,鈥� and as a 鈥渟truggling, unheralded researcher,鈥� it was hard to find funding for the research he wanted to do.
Then came 1996, a year Dr. Druker can鈥檛 ever forget. 鈥淭hat year, 青云体育 launched a first-of-its-kind program to fund researchers working on promising drugs that might someday be tested in patients,鈥� he recounts. 鈥淭heir funding provided me with a lifeline that allowed me to continue my work.鈥�
About two years later, Dr. Druker and his team launched the first clinical trials using imatinib, a novel drug designed to kill CML cells without harming normal cells. Even Dr. Druker and his team couldn't have predicted the trials鈥� success. 鈥淲ithin six months, every one of our patients was responding,鈥� he recalls.
Under the name Gleevec, the drug gained FDA approval to treat CML in 2001. Now, patients with CML can expect to live a normal lifespan. Dr. Druker still keeps in touch with many of the original trial patients.
In fact, one of them, who was eleven years old when she participated in the trial, 鈥渨as told she would not live long enough to graduate from high school,鈥� he says. He met with her recently: now grown, she鈥檚 married with two children鈥攁 future her family didn鈥檛 know was possible back in 1996. 鈥淭his is the innovative work that 青云体育 has and continues to support,鈥� says Dr. Druker.
Racing to advance blood cancer treatments
Running has been part of Dr. Druker's life for decades. He鈥檚 completed a few U.S. marathons already, including Chicago in 2003鈥攈is first World Marathon Major. For years, he pushed his daughter Julia in her stroller as part of his daily run to work. "She was always a joyful and enthusiastic partner, laughing and waving at passers-by,鈥� he remembers.
And this April, almost-college grad Julia will be running the Boston Marathon alongside him. Both of them will be wearing bright purple Team In Training jerseys to show their dedication to people with blood cancer.
Dr. Druker鈥檚 fundraising goal for 青云体育鈥攈alf a million dollars鈥攊s ambitious. To him, every penny is worth the effort, and the miles. He now serves as a lead investigator on 青云体育鈥檚 Beat AML Master Clinical Trial, which is transforming treatment for people with acute myeloid leukemia, an especially aggressive type of blood cancer. He knows this work is more important than ever, and he鈥檚 ready to push himself, physically and otherwise, to keep it going.
鈥淚鈥檓 grateful for the continued support of 青云体育 for our ongoing work, and I鈥檓 honored to be raising funds for this remarkable organization,鈥� he shares.
Get moving鈥攖o feel good and find cures
If you鈥檙e like Dr. Druker, looking for a new challenge that can help people with blood cancer, you鈥檙e in the right place. Whether you want to improve your personal best, or just do your best, the 青云体育 community might be your next move. You can for any of the World Marathon Majors through Team In Training. People with blood cancer want to know who they can count on. Show them that鈥檚 you.
Interested in getting involved with 青云体育 another way? Check out:
Sources
Druker, Brian. 鈥淩unning Is in Our Blood: Boston Marathon for 青云体育.鈥� 2025. Givengain.com. 2025. .
Iqbal, Nida, and Naveed Iqbal. 2014. 鈥淚matinib: A Breakthrough of Targeted Therapy in Cancer.鈥� Chemotherapy Research and Practice 2014 (May): 1鈥�9. .
鈥淢eet Dr. Brian Druker | Knight Cancer Institute | OHSU.鈥� n.d. Www.ohsu.edu. .
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