Coach Tom Landry was born in September 1924 in a little Texas town called Mission. He was strong, confident, determined, and filled with courage.
Landry fought in World War II as a bomber pilot so he knew from an early age how to be a soldier and hero. Perhaps that time in the military was part of his preparation for later in life when he would fight a disease that threatens so many lives each year.
In the 1950s Landry played football for the New York Giants. Later he became their Defensive Coordinator opposite Vince Lombardi, the Offensive Coordinator. Then, in 1960, he became the very first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys where he coached for 29 seasons.
Known for his trademark suit and fedora, Landry was stoic and a great leader admired by coaches and players throughout the NFL.
In May of 1999, Landry was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). He endured nine months of treatments and died on February 12, 2000 at the age of 75. He has been gone for 15 years, but his legacy of honor and strength lives on.
Although great strides are being made to bring us closer to curing AML, it remains one of the most aggressive and difficult diseases to cure. Here are a few facts about AML:
- 20,830 new cases will be diagnosed in 2015
- 10,460 deaths from AML will occur in 2015
- 60-70% of patients will achieve a remission status
- 25% of patients will remain free of disease for 3 or more years
Thank you to all our TNT participants for your efforts to cure AML and other blood cancers!
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