On April 12, 2012 I went under the knife for Bilateral, Deep Inferior Epigastric Perferator (DIEP) Breast Reconstruction Surgery after treatment for right sided breast cancer, and for preventative measures on the left. On May 1st (my 42nd Birthday), under the influence of Vicoden, and from the comfort of my “puffy chair”, I decided to join Fred’s Team in order to allow myself entry to run the New York City Marathon being held on November 4th 2012, thereby, committing myself to raising $3,500 for Cancer Research. Oh yeah, and RUNNING a MARATHON within 6 months starting from the lowest point I’d been physically in 10 years!
About one month later, I woke from
my haze, stood mostly upright, looked at my gaping abdominal wound in the
mirror and I realized what I had done. I had to come up with a way to raise
money, to heal this wound, and to get into shape again. I remembered a time not long before I was diagnosed with
breast cancer my old coach Steve Sisson told me that it’s good to do something
that scares you. Well Steve, cancer scares me, and I’ve done that, so, I guess
now I’ll try fundraising!
With the help of Fred’s Team, I
built this Event Personal Page for an easy way to receive donations online.
Please visit the site for details on donors list or further donations.
Donation Benefits:
$50.00 -
I will highlight a person of your choice in my blog with a note by you (if
desired).
$100.00 -
I will dedicate a mile of the NYC marathon up to (26.2 miles) to a person of
your choosing and I will carry their name with me along the route. + Blog
Highlight.
$250.00 -
I will take a photograph of myself with the name of the person of your choosing
next to the Fred Lebow Statue and provide you with this photo, plus dedication
of mile (up to 26.2), plus blog Highlight.
Over the next several months, my
wound healed, and family members, friends, and strangers made their way to my donation
site and made thoughtful and generous donations. All while I’m working my way slowly and
painfully back to some semblance of fitness…recumbent bike, elliptical machine,
slow jogging, some pick ups then slow distance.
I am now very proud to announce that
I have completed my whirlwind marathon training, I have raised over $3500 for
Cancer Research, and that I am ready to run the 26.2 miles of the New York City
Marathon! As I run I will be dedicating
the miles to the following people on behalf of my donors and myself.
#1 Me -I’m going
to go ahead and run this one for myself because it will represent
an exciting fresh start for me.
and survived treatment for Breast Cancer. Her mother passed about 1 year ago
due to Breast Cancer, and her Father is currently fighting Skin Cancer. Jennifer is one of the nicest people I’ve met recently and I’m gonna run this one for her because it
will likely be the easiest mile for me, and frankly I think Jennifer could use
something easy! It will be an awesome view and on the downside of the
Varrazano-Narrows Bridge!
#3 Cindy Movold (On behalf of the VanBrunt family)
by Amy Van Brunt:
The Van Brunt Family would like to dedicate this donation to Cynthia Ann Movold who passed on April 27th, 2003 at the age of 43. We would like her story to be told by her 3 wonderful daughters (My cousins): Jessica, Jennifer, & Ashley.
By Jessica Movold:
Cynthia Ann Movold. a wife and a mother. a role model and a friend. a shoulder to lean. an extended hand to hold. a warm smile and comforting gaze. an unfailing love. an unspeakable presence.
To find words that adequately express the grace, elegance and beauty that is and was my mother, is a challenge that has the ability to leave some at a loss. Her joyful soul with a giving heart was something made unmistakably recognizable to family, friends, even strangers. My mother's compassion for others and selflessness for herself were visible each and every day through not just kind words, but also by consistent acts of love to everyone in her life, even those simply just crossing her path. To speak about my mother, even the highest most praise, can still only provide simply a keyhole view of the remarkable woman that she was. Rather than looking behind us, as a family we choose to look forward with gratitude and thankfulness for the abundance of blessings we have in our lives because Cynthia Movold was our mom, wife, role model. I have best friends in the sisters that I am blessed with and a father that consistently showers us with his never-ending love and support. We lost our mom to cancer but she has left us with her legacy. That legacy, her legacy, will live on forever.
By Jennifer Movold:
Being the youngest of three girls, I always felt as though my mother and myself had a special bond, with our own unique relationship. I hold the memories I have with her very near to my heart. She had such a positive influence on my life and helped mold me into the caring young woman I am today. My mother was known for her compassion and lived by the philosophy of helping others. It is a goal of mine to carry on her legacy by living by the same philosophy. Which is why I have chosen nursing as my future profession. When others see me, I want them to also see the same caring traits they saw in my mother so she can live on through me.
Blog By Ashley Movold Varian
http://racheljenae.com/journal/dailies/ashleys-legacy/
#4 Polly Blackwood (on Behalf of Lisa Blackwood)
by Lisa Blackwood
My mother was 45 when she adopted me as a 3 day old baby and I was 14 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1983 at age 59. She had a full mastectomy and lymph node removal, and at that time, was only recommended to have radiation. She knew she had something wrong with her breast for 2-3 years before she ever went to the doctor but delayed because she was terrified of the reality. She reluctantly went when her nipple became inverted and the surrounding area black/blue like a large bruise. Once she learned the truth, she fought to get back to normal as quickly as possible. She refused to have reconstruction as she didn’t think she needed it at her age and still donned a bathing suit in the summer with a prosthetic in the bra and proudly showed how a softball could fit in her armpit from the removal. Life was normal for several years and as her 5 year anniversary approached, we all believed she was cancer free. What we thought was an arthritis problem in her back turned out to be a tumor around her spine. She had surgery to remove it and found that she had cancer in her lungs, bones and it was moving to her brain. She lived another six months, where her health declined and ability move around diminished. She died shortly after her 65th birthday. As a woman who didn’t finish high school, she instilled in me a strong desire to excel in academics and get a college degree. She taught me to be strong and be sincere all the time, and to have the confidence to make my own way, and to depend on myself in my career and in life.
Kathleen is a dear friend that is a breast cancer survivor but continues to battle
recurrences of the disease.
#6 Dedicated to Linda Wilson - “Grandma Linda” who is one of the nicest ladies I
know. She has fought and beat breast cancer. Linda is the mother of Adaline’s
wonderful caregiver and our family friend, Jennifer Stark.
#7 Dedicated to Lance Armstrong for being a figure that has given myself and millions of
others hope for recovery from cancer and return to a fruitful and even
successful life. I was a fan of Lance’s before cancer. I read his books during
my treatment and his story provided me with hope for recovery and inspiration to
continue my running no matter how weak I felt. When I half-jokingly asked my
Oncologist for blood booster and/or EPO to help my low blood counts before my 50 mile
trail race he said NO. Then he stated that Lance won the Tour with a Hemoglobin count
of 10 (I doubt this is accurate, though). Mine was 10.7 at the time.
Lance, you could have done it without the EPO or hormones, too..
#8 Mary Crawford (on behalf of Lisa Blackwood)
by Lisa Blackwood
I have known Mary Crawford all my life. I grew up with her son in the same church in Dallas and now my husband and I are on a deer lease with her. She has two grown children and five grandchildren. She sings, plays the piano, deer hunts and rides ATVs on our deer lease and is a basically the "matriarch" of our group of 11 families that have hunted together for over 40 yrs.
The following was written by Mary Crawford herself:
I am not a writer, but family, friends, of lot of prayer with hope and faith got me through the difficult times. I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer 2 years ago from my mammogram. Stage 1 Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) 7 1/2 weeks of radiation followed by a tamoxifen taken each day for 5 years (2 years and counting) Praise God it was contained in the duct and no chemo was needed. Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy, Breast surgery and Breast reconstruction. I am now Cancer free. God has been my anchor, but Bob, my husband of 54 years, kept me on good solid ground when the words came from the doctors, "Cancer". He has taken care of me, drove me each day for radiation and he has continued to be at my side for all the doctor appointments. I remember feeling as if I was caught up in a whirlwind, and could not let go or I may fall off the cliff. The unknown is scary. I went into surgery not knowing for sure what the outcome would be. I have met so many people along the way who did not have the support that I had and their case of cancer was bad. I thought how lucky I really was, I had received the best of care, from all of my doctors. In the 7 1/2 weeks of radiation that I took every day, there were always someone to share your experience with and you were always encouraged by them that you were not alone in this fight for a cancer cure. Life is more precious to me now and I stop and smell the roses along the way. I have lived in a fast paced world before this sickness came my way, but I am doing well and I am a survivor and glad to be alive!
#9 Terry Stark - the father of a longtime friend of mine. Terry underwent and
survived lung cancer and it’s treatment.
#10 Dedicated to Barbara Carl (on behalf of Doug Feick and Trisha Carl).
#11 Sandie Shepherd - Sandie was diagnosed with Lymphoma and bone cancer in
September of 2011. She finished her last chemo in January of 2012. Sandie is doing
well. Sandie has been a follower of Ballotable Records and she always had wonderful
and encouraging comments.
#12 Stori
Hughes, is the daughter of Sandie Shepherd.
Stori had breast cancer in 2000, double mastectomy, reconstruction, and
then got a staph infection and had to have both removed again. She chose not to
do more reconstruction. More recently she has been battling a blood cancer.
They were hoping to get her healthy enough to do a donor transplant, were
unable. She is currently on comfort care after 84 days in Duke University
Medical Center Hospital.
#13 Derek Pocock- I’m going to dedicate this one to my Step Father
Derek who is a
Lymphoma survivor, an awesome person, husband and grandfather.
Derek once
trained for a half marathon to come and participate with me and
support me when I ran
my first marathon after only ONE phone call. Derek has been one of my biggest
supporters during the past two years. I truly appreciate Derek and all of his
kind words,
love, and support.
#14 Susan Selby- I’m dedicating this one to my Mother who has been there for me
AND my step father Derek throughout the full courses of all of our treatments.
May she never have to enter another chemo room!
and brain cancer. Mr. Bill has been an outstanding neighbor and he is currently
fighting medical issues.
#16 Charles Scott Senior (on behalf of Charlie and Mary Scott)-
by Charles Scott Jr.:
My Dad, Charles H. Scott, Sr., grew up in Frisco, Texas and lived most of
his adult life in the Dallas area, working in the semiconductor industry
at Texas Instruments. He was a survivor of lymphoma, after being
diagnosed and beating it in the late 80s. In 1994 he was diagnosed with
small-cell carcinoma and, after a tough fight, passed away in March 1996.
He is remembered as being kind, caring, funny, and good humored. When he
was sick, I never remember him complaining and he was always more
concerned with how my brother, Jack, and I were doing than himself.
#17 Sandy Kennedy was diagnosed in 2003
with Acute myeloid MP3 leukemia. She was hospitalized for 6 weeks, received
several rounds of chemo and a blood transfusion every other month for a couple
of years. She then received oral chemo. Sandy is doing very well now and has
passed the 5 year mark and counting! Sandy was an inspiration for me during my
treatment because I had remembered meeting her when she was going through
chemotherapy and I knew that she was a survivor.
#18 Nita Gay Rogers - Was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer and cancer
of the peritoneal lining in 1996. Nita
Gay underwent and survived Chemotherapy and Surgery and is doing very well
now. Nita is a friend of my Mother’s who
had never met me but followed my blog and once wrote me a wonderful heartfelt
letter of support. #19 Joyce Selby – My father’s mother, Grandma Joyce, was in my eyes a strong and independent woman who could fish with the best of them. She died of lung cancer and I wish I’d known her better.
#20 commonly known as “The Wall”: I will dedicate to my family. I will think of my husband Richie who has always been there with
tough love when I needed it. Thank you
for being my “gristle”, and for giving me so many reasons to press on. I will
also think of my daughter Adaline and
my son Ace who challenge me, and provide
me with love, and inspiration daily.
# 21 Julian Atkins. “Pappa”. My husbands grandfather who survived prostate cancer for a
few years and passed due to metastases. He was a smart and funny person and he
loved politics, Scotch, and playing golf.
#22 Judy Selby- My Aunt who is a wonderful artist and mother of 2. Judy was diagnosed
with breast cancer and has undergone lumpectomy and radiation. She is doing very
well.
men ever. A wonderful cook. A loving husband, father, and grandfather. This man
made art out of fresh water fishing. Granddaddy survived skin cancer with aggressive
treatment and then later passed at the age of 91 due to metastases.
stage IV Inflammatory Breast Cancer.
By Chuck Duvall
Lori was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She went to both high school and college there. She was from an Italian family. An infectious laugh.
Fantastic with people, social and a person who many gather around.
I knew her at the Portland Spirit where we both worked. She was very successful there and went on to become the Director of Sales.
Everybody loved Lori.
#25 Heather A. My Online friend and writer of Some Girls Prefer Carnations Blog.
Badass scientist. Knits stuff, and mother of 2 beautiful young girls. Heather is a
Survivor of Inflammatory Breast Cancer. She provided camaraderie, information and
inspiration to me, throughout my treatment.
#26 and 26.2 - Angelica Torres I’m going to run
this for a friend of mine who touched my
life. Angelica Torres was diagnosed with
ovarian cancer in March and passed
away with beauty and grace in June 2012.
Angelica was a chemotherapy nurse who
nursed hundreds back to health, a runner,
a dancer, and a great friend to many.
I want to thank each and every
person who has followed my blog, supported me during the past two years, and
who has donated to this cause. You all
are the icing on my cake!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI have a quick question about your blog, would you mind emailing me when you get a chance?
Thanks,
Cameron
cameronvsj(at)gmail.com