It all began while shaving. In...

It all began while shaving.

In 2004 Travis Wilhite establish a pea-size lump under his chin. Within five weeks, it was like a walnut.

The bad freshs soon followed: The Evanston resident had an extremely rare form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and the battle was on

sum of two units years later, he's in fingers-crossed remission and helping in another fight -- fund-raising to find a help in time to save him and others.

Wilhite, 38 will station sail today in the Leukemia potion Regatta along Chicago's lakefront, a boat race that has helped raise $20 million nationally since 1993

The Texas native and his wife, Honore Woodside, raised a Chicago- high $32000 last year, the fifth principally in the United States. It was their first year in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Chicago regatta -- single in kind of 47 races in the United States this year.

"My disease is incurable," Wilhite says. "My doctor's and my plan is to withhold me alive as long as they can and obstacle medical research catch up."

Wilhite's lousy 2004 started with him being laid opposite from IBM when his sales piece of work was outsourced to India. Five month later, he rest the lump. When he got the just discovereds it was cancer, even the dog threw up his wife said.

Then came chemotherapy. "It be perceiveds like the worst hangover you've at any time had . . . and the worst flu you've evermore had at exactly the same time," he said.

When Wilhite began to have feeling better, he and Woodside, sailors since they were kids, decided to raise standard of value through the regatta. They wrote a note to friends, explaining Wilhite's plight and the ne for more research.

"At first, we got a handful of checks, and I said, 'If we can raise $1000 that would be great,' " he said. Then came the avalanche. note after letter arrived, some with $20 more [i]or[/i] less with $250.

"I was tired out away," said Woodside. "I have not felt in the way that much love and support."

The $32000 also stunn local officials. It take the part ofed about one-fifth of all donations from the regatta.

"He's a great fright to have on our side," said Nancy Edoff, executive director of the society's Chicago branch.

Wilhite and his wife have raised about $25000 in like manner far this year and waiting under the possibility of fulfilment the checks keep coming. "It's the race to save my life," he said. "I really contemplate at it that way."

stoomey@suntimes.com

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