Kristen Adelman was in tiptop shape and felt she could take on the world when cancer gave her the challenge of a lifetime. And all those hours she spent training to compete in marathons and triathlons must have prepared her well, because she met the challenge, and then some.

Her aggressive form of lymphoma surfaced three times in as many years, and three times she fought it – with many rounds of chemotherapy, radiation, two stem cell transplants and weeks in the hospital. Today, Kristen is more than 18 months in remission and says she owes her life to a clinical trial that gave her hope when she had nowhere else to turn.

“God led me to the research that saved my life,” says Kristen, who teaches algebra, physical education and religion to children at St. Augustine School in Maryland. “I was part of a clinical trial and that study saved my life.”

Kristen says she was in terrific shape when, “cancer appeared out of nowhere.” She was ready and determined to fight it, and knew a positive attitude was critical. She went out and bought her dream bike, a Trek 5200. “I knew with that bike staring at me there was no way I’d take this lying down,” she says.

But even with chemotherapy, her tumor continued to grow. And after more high dose chemotherapy, total body irradiation and a stem cell transplant, the tumor was back six months later, this time on her kidney. Kristen needed another transplant and turned to her brother for help.

Kristen’s doctor helped her find a clinical trial at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), so she enrolled and underwent the transplant with her brother’s stem cells at NCI. “I knew this study was my only hope,” she says.

During her two-and-a-half-week stay at NCI, Kristin rode 100 miles on a stationary bike in her hospital room – her “NCI Century.” The transplant appeared to be successful, but there she was again, six months later, with news that the cancer was back. “I was truly devastated. I was so tired of being sick and bald and fighting what seemed like a losing battle,” she says. “In spite of wanting to quit, I didn’t. I bit my lip once again, dug down deep within, put a smile on my face and tried one last time.”

Additional chemotherapy and another dose of her brother’s cells seemed to do the trick. Today, Kristen remains cancer-free.

Throughout her illness, Kristen remained extremely active – participating in marathons, century rides and a run through Baltimore with the Olympic Torch on its way to Salt Lake City. By joining the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope™, she wants to help others facing the disease. “I want to let them know what is out there and encourage them to investigate every possible option,” she says. “Clinical trials save lives and I am a prime example.”