In March 2007, my mother, Finnie John, passed away after a very difficult fight with cancer of the tongue. The tumor was aggressive and spread rapidly. She only lived for six months after her diagnosis. She was only in her early 60's, and passed away about a year before she would have retired and 3 months before the birth of her first grandchild. I miss her every day.

After almost 4 years, I’m finally ready to get actively involved in the fight against cancer. In memory of my mother, I will be running the Los Angeles Marathon on March 20, 2011 to raise money for the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS). I have selected AHNS because it is one of the largest organizations dedicated to fighting head and neck cancer. Additionally, the physician who treated my mother, Dr. Wayne Koch, is a past president of AHNS. This organization promotes the advancement of research and education for cancers of the head and neck, which are fairly uncommon cancers and do not receive the same amount of public attention as many other types of cancer.

Donations made through this website (www.crowdrise.com) will go to AHNS and are tax-deductible. You may also send donations directly to me if you don't want to use the website. I would appreciate anything you are able to give.

I will post updates about my training and fundraising efforts if you’re interested in following my progress. For more information on AHNS, you can visit their website at www.ahns.info/. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly at iyanrick@gmail.com.

Thank you so much for your support and for joining me in the fight against cancer.

Iyan John