Two longtime friends are teaming up to help fight leukemia and lymphoma.

Monday, April 09, 2001

Two longtime friends are teaming up to help fight leukemia and lymphoma.

Amy Bennett Vogt and Keralyn Paulsen, Freeborn County natives now living in Prior Lake, will participate in the Suzuki Rock & Roll Marathon in San Diego, Calif., June 3. The two have joined the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Teams in Training Program to help them reach their personal fitness goals and walk the 26.2-mile course.

Paulsen learned about the program through an acquaintance of her father, who asked her to sponsor him in a similar event. As a result, she decided to learn more about the marathons, and asked Vogt if she’d join her in one.

&uot;We decided to do it for the cause,&uot; Vogt said. &uot;It seemed like a good way to show support.&uot;

Added Paulsen, &uot;A marathon is something I never thought I’d do. But it’s for a good cause, and it’s a good way to get in shape and learn more about nutrition and my body.&uot;

Both young women have seen the effects of cancer first hand. Vogt’s grandmother, Goldean Neff, died of cancer in 1990 at the age of 56. Paulsen’s mother, Kathy, developed cancer in 1982 and had to have her leg amputated just before Christmas that year. She also lost her grandfather, Jack Paulsen, to prostate cancer in December of 1998, and her godmother and aunt, Marlene Paulsen, died of cancer last Thanksgiving.

Vogt and Paulsen met each other while serving on Herberger’s Teen Board in high school. Keralyn, the daughter of Kathy and Daryl Paulsen of Geneva, is a graduate of New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva High School, and Amy is the daughter of Mike and Paula Bennett of Albert Lea. She and her husband, Brian Vogt, both graduated from Albert Lea High School.

Vogt, a graduate of Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., works as a teacher for deaf and hard of hearing students. Paulsen, who attended Riverland Community College, works for Chart Industries in Burnsville as a network administrator.

The Teams in Training Program asks that team members complete their events in honor or in memory of a patient with leukemia, lymphoma or other cancers. Their honoree is Karlene Holen of Fargo, N.D., who is battling chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Vogt will walk in memory of her grandmother, great-grandmother and two great uncles. Paulsen will walk in honor of her mother’s battle with cancer, as well as in memory of her grandfather and aunt.

Some 18,000 people are expected to take place in the San Diego marathon.

The Teams in Training program is a comprehensive endurance program for runners, walkers and cyclists to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The goal of Team in Training is to increase funding to support the society’s mission while promoting fitness and healthy lifestyles. The women are now walking a couple miles each day as well as taking part in team walks. They took part in an 11-mile walk March 31 at Lake Harriet, and plan to do an 18-mile walk at Lake Calhoun April 28 and a 21-mile walk May 12 on East River Road.

&uot;The training’s getting tougher and more time-consuming,&uot; Vogt said. &uot;We’re really get to know who we are.&uot;

Paulsen and Vogt have been asked to each raise $3,500 as their commitment to the Leukemia Society. The money will help with cancer research.

Anyone wishing to help support them can send contributions with checks payable to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by April 22. Paulsen’s address is: 13208 Henning Circle, Prior Lake, MN 55372. Vogt’s address is 3361 Freemont Circle NW, Prior Lake.