Lisa Ling, Co-host of ABC's The View is Running the Boston Marathon for Ali & Dad's Army.
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Lisa Ling, Co-Host of ABC's Popular Daytime Talk-Show The View, Joins Ali and Dad's Army
Her Cousin's Legacy to Kids Battling Cancer

Lisa Ling will be running to fulfill the dream and wishes of her courageous cousin – a young girl who lost her personal battle with cancer but won the hearts of the hundreds of
foot soldiers who support the fight against cancer on behalf of other stricken children.

Boston, MA---Lisa Ling, the popular co-host of ABC's daytime talk show, The View, is racing against time. Ling and nine other runners in the Boston Marathon are dedicated to running for Ali and Dad's Army, continuing the legacy of her cousin Ali Pierce to help kids battling cancer. Ali & Dad's Army is a volunteer organization, formed in 1998, dedicated to supporting the Ali Pierce Endowment Fund at the University of Massachusetts' Cancer Center.

Since 1992, more than 8 million students have watched Lisa Ling on Channel One News. Ling has reported from all over the world while producing award-winning documentaries and participating in a joint investigation with Time Magazine on a Russian nuclear weapons smuggling ring. She joined The View in May of 1999 and has rocketed to national stardom along with co-hosts Meredith Vieira, Joy Behar, and Star Jones.

Having accomplished countless achievements in her 27 years, Lisa Ling is now facing perhaps the greatest challenge of her life - assuming the mantle of Ali & Dad's Army. Despite never having run more than three miles before beginning her training, Ling will continue her family's legacy of turning tragedy into triumph by running one of the most prestigious marathons in the world.

In Lisa's words, "Uncle John never crossed the finish line. I am determined whether I run, walk or crawl to complete the Boston Marathon and cross the finish line for him. I want to make Uncle John's and Ali's dream of helping kids with cancer a reality.

Ali & Dad's Army has been created in loving memory of Lisa's extraordinary cousin, Ali Pierce, who died in 1996 at age 14 of liver cancer after a long and difficult battle. It is also dedicated to Ali's father, John Pierce, who suffered a fatal heart attack less than one year later while running to raise funds in his daughter's name. It was John's dream to recruit runners from road races around the country to raise funds to benefit children afflicted with cancer.

Yet John's dream could have come to an end ten feet from the finish line on that fateful October day had it not been for the strength and devotion of his widow, Anna Pierce, who stepped to the front-line in the battle against cancer. In a loving tribute to her husband and daughter, Anna found a way to turn tragedy into triumph by developing the Ali Pierce Integrative Treatment Program.
                                            
The Ali Pierce Integrative Treatment Program, also known as Ali's Gift, is an established program funded by the money raised from Ali & Dad's Army. Ali's Gift employs alternative treatments such as massage therapy and acupuncture in addition to medicines to help cancer-stricken children find relief from their pain. Ali's wish was that every child suffering from this horrible disease would be able to receive these treatments, and The Ali Pierce Integrative Program will stand as Ali's Gift to any child diagnosed with cancer. It will also serve as a research model for other cancer centers worldwide.

In addition to relieving their pain, Ali also wanted to assist children who were not responding to traditional cancer treatments. Ali's Gift will fund alternative and experimental treatment and the collection of new data to aid children across the country. Donations will also establish parent support groups, produce informational publications and support brochures dealing with topics specific to children in and out of cancer remission, provide access to resources, and pay for professional staff as needed.

It is the goal of Anna Ling-Pierce and Lisa Ling to insure that their family's legacy will be able to support any child needing comfort or treatment. "I don't know of many people whose lives have not been impacted by cancer," explains Anna. "I am hopeful that Ali and Dad's Army will be instrumental in our fight against childhood cancer. Lisa's participation in the Boston Marathon on behalf of Ali & Dad's Army is a loving tribute to my daughter Ali, husband John, and all children who battle this terrible disease."

For further information, go to: www.umassmed.edu/foundation/alianddad or www.abc.go.com/theview or send an email to alianddad@umassmed.edu. Call toll free:1- 866-888-6277 (866-88 UMASS).




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