Every Day Advancing the Cure

David Robles and his sister-in-law Kendra Goffredo set out to race three full-length Ironman triathlons culminating with Ironman NY to honor Kendra’s father, “Poppy Tony”. Already the two have faced the Arizona and St. George Utah Ironman triathlons.

At the St. George event David ran into  incredibly brutal and freaky wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour that came on like a flash and prevented him and scores of other athletes from completing the swim portion of the race.  Disappointed, to be sure, but undeterred, David is back at training, more fresh than he would have been otherwise, and still pressing on.  He'll be ready for his sixth, Ironman - NY!

David is a champion of myeloma research, both as a great MMRF supporter and as an employee at Onyx Pharmaceuticals, which for several years has been working with the MMRF in a collaboration initiative.  Recently, a promising new Onyx drug,  Carfilzomib, was recommended for approval.  It's availability represents an exciting step for patients that had thought that they were out of options.  This is a very important and exciting development for myeloma patients, and we are thilled to have David with us! David and Kendra hope to raise $30,000 for the research that continues to make such advances possible, and they are going great distances to achieve their goal- 562.4 miles to be exact!

Crazy Schedule- Crazy Dedication!

For a busy mother of four, finding sufficient time to train for an Ironman is always a challenge. Still, Kathleen Bucci pushes herself to work hard without making any compromises- and without complaining! For her, racing in endurance events is something of a “secret hobby.” “When I train for an event, [the rest of] the world has no idea what I do to prepare,” she says. She usually stays quiet about her training, but she has told her friends and family about the New York Ironman, making this the first time she has people to cheer for her on race day! Finding time to train is difficult, but Kathleen finds encouragement in thinking of every individual who has ever been touched by multiple myeloma. “Every single day, before I get out of bed I dedicate my workout of that particular day to someone that is battling a sickness or someone that has lost someone close to them [because of] sickness,” she says. “On those days when the thought of working out is so hard, I think of someone that would give anything in the world to not only work-out but to simply get out of bed.” Despite her hectic schedule and days where she feels simply exhausted, Kathleen’s perspective and her heart for those affected by cancer keeps her grounded and helps her find the strength to keep going…all the way to the finish line!

Like Father, Like Daughter

Kendra Goffredo and her brother-in-law David Robles are running not one, not two, but three full-length Ironman Triathlons in honor of Kendra’s father, Tony. With their three races, Kendra and David are honoring “Poppy Tony”’s “trademark ability to outperform all odds,” which he demonstrates in everything he does, whether he is running a marathon or fighting multiple myeloma. Tony was once a competitive cyclist and marathon runner, and though he eventually traded training for time with his daughters, he always encouraged Kendra to do her best, saying, “Goffredos are not quitters.” When he was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2003, Tony and Kendra decided it was time to accomplish their long-standing goal of running a marathon together. “Impossible though it seems, we trained, raced, and qualified for Boston together through the unrelenting fatigue caused by his cancer,” Kendra remembers. “My first marathon was his last. And he ran every step of the way by my side.” To this day Tony upholds his principle of never quitting as he begins his 9^th year living with a cancer with a 5 year survival rate. Today Kendra does her father proud as she pushes herself to “cover distances we never thought possible...three times.”

David and Kendra

It's Bigger Than One Person

This is Steven Kurczewski’s third Ironman, but this year is different; he’s racing with the PowerTeam! Steven is a serious athlete, and though he is motivated by the sense of well-being that comes with an athletic lifestyle, he also races because of the way his racing influences others. “Hearing that I motivate others to challenge themselves gives me the extra edge on the days when training is tough,” he says. Though Steven does not have a personal connection to multiple myeloma, as part of the PowerTeam his race takes on new meaning and purpose as he races for a cure. “I feel that this event is bigger than me and I don’t want to let anyone down,” he says. Racing for myeloma research gives him just that much more drive to finish strong and continue to inspire others to push themselves and achieve what may seem impossible.