As most of you know, today was my first 5K. What you may not know is why I'm so passionate about childhood cancer- and that's an important part of this story. I promise to talk about the run, but the important stuff comes first.
When I started teaching at Chalkville, I met the most amazing person. Ginger Dyer is kind, beautiful (inside and out) and God-loving. She and her husband had multiple miscarriages, but finally were blessed with a baby girl in November of 2006. Meredith Grace. The following summer, Mere was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. I remember the binder of information the Dyers received from the doctor and the pain on their faces. They struggled so much with hospitalization, doctor visits and the unknown.
Childhood cancer is evil. It is Hilter and Osama bin Ladin making a baby and sending it in a category 1,000,000,000 hurricane. Each day 46 children are diagnosed and 7 more die.
Meredith had a (comparatively) short battle. God blessed them with a quicker healing. The fight, however, is never over. They have the ongoing fear of reoccurrence, tests, and they watch the battles continue for those they came to love and know.
I was so touched by this. I began following other children on caringbridge.com, I got a childhood cancer ribbon tattooed on my wrist. I tried to find small ways to make a difference. I've met kids and families that have changed me forever. I met Tucker Beam. Tuck was the cutest little boy- he loved sports (especially Alabama football!). I remember the day he died and I remember the line at his visitation- covering an entire High school gym, out the door, through the school...I remember Tuck every single day. I met Taylor Hendrix. She's a bad mamba jamba- high school senior, six reoccurrences, and just had her lung removed. Yet every Christmas she does stockings for the kids at Children's so they will have something at the hospital while fighting cancer. Then there is Kristen. Kristen Dreyer is my sister's best friend from college. Her battle is almost a decade old. She has been to every major hospital in the US (almost) and sought treatment in Europe. She has had organs removed, been away from family for months. He's constantly sick and tired- literally. Kristen is always positive and keeps the dark spots of her battle to private moments. She's such a champ.
Truth is- if my full-time job could be to fight childhood cancer- i'd do it in a heartbeat. It's my dream. Funding for childhood cancer is pennies compared to other cancers- and where does it all start?!
So I get the chance to run today. We all know I can't run three miles. But it's an hour of my day. Will it hurt? Yes. Be tiring? Yes. Scary? Yes. For an hour. Not for a year- like Mere. Eternity like Tuck's family. Six years like Taylor or a decade like Kristen. One freaking hour.
So the fun part :) We get there and have to walk two blocks. Really? Shuttle bus? I tell everyone that if I go missing- I'll be at Dreamcakes! I prep by eating a granola bar and drinking some Spark. We take pictures. My sweet sister comes with a sign to cheer me on.
On your mark, get set, go! Well, it didn't really happen like that- but I ran. Then I walked. Then I ran. I made deals with myself- you will run to ------- and then you can walk. I ran every downhill. I looked at every picture along the way of the kids I was supporting. I thought about "my" cancer kids. People sat on porches and cheered us on. I ran. I walked. I felt horrible for throwing my water cups down. Of course, my gum FLIES out of my mouth at about a quarter of a mile in. Ugh. My fingers swelled. I saw Dreamcakes, they were closed ;)
Finally, I'm falling up this hill. It felt like Mt. Rushmore. I see a sign telling me that...well, I saw the sign. Time to get my eyes checked because I couldn't read the distance. Finally, I got close enough and It said 2.5 miles. I had less than one mile to go!! I knew I could do it.
Then- my IPod changed songs. Jeremy Camp's "I Still Believe" started playing. Tears welled in my eyes and goosebumps covered my arms. That song was written about his sweet wife, Melissa. She, too, lost her battle with cancer. I was like, "Okay, God. I gotcha." I started running. Then I walked for a bit and saw the end. It was crowded and had a red light with times. I took off running. I saw my sister, and Annette and Brenna.
I did it. I finished a 5K. My chipped time says 48:50. I didn't finish last. I was best by some walkers, a guy with one leg, and probably a nursing home...but I wasn't last.
I crossed the finish line and saw Meredith and Ginger. Then I cried.
I'll be sore tomorrow, but I'm proud of myself. Today I showed an ounce of the strength that my friends with cancer show every minute. I set a goal and met it.
Today was for you, Mere. It was for Tuck- but he got to root me on the whole time from his seat above. It was for my hero, Taylor. It was for the sunshine of Kristen. It was for every child diagnosed with cancer. It was for every adult fighting cancer. It was for hope.
