Why I'm Running (or at least attempting to)

I was flipping channels in between periods of the Blackhawks game today and saw that Little Big League was on.  This movie has always been special to me, and it's been years since I've seen it.  It actually took me a while to remember why Little Big League has meaning for me.  Then I remembered - I was in the basement watching it when my parents called me upstairs to share some news with me.  They told me my dad had prostate cancer.   I was 14 at the time, and I didn't know how to respond.  Mom and Dad were pretty calm in sharing the news with me and led me to believe things would probably turn out well. I listened to what they said and then went back downstairs to watch the movie.  I cried on the couch - confused and scared.

My dad had surgery and the cancer was gone. All things considered, perhaps the best cancer journey one could ask for.  I often forget my dad is a cancer survivor. It was a small blip on the timeline of our family, though it didn't feel like it at the time. Maggie and I took the day off of school when he had surgery, and I remember being scared. I even remember the song that was on the radio on our way to the hospital.  But I don't think about it anymore - about my dad's cancer or the way it shook our family.

I work with cancer patients and survivors every day.  I work with families who had a much tougher journey than what my family experienced. And sadly, I work with many families who have lost loved ones.  We recently said goodbye to Aunt Kathy after her four-year battle with ovarian cancer.  Cancer sucks. This isn't news, I realize. Watching this movie today and traveling back to my 14-year-old self reminded me just how scary it can be.

I signed up to do the Chicago half marathon with Team In Training. I'm honestly not sure why. I'm not a runner. I've started some basic pre-training and with every aching step, I wonder why I committed do doing this.  As part of this journey, I am raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  I suppose in some small way, I'm running this half marathon as a way to work through my grief in losing my aunt and the many patients I've known who we lost in the last year. When the running hurts (and it did today), I think of them and their journey.  And I put one foot in front of the other and just keep running. Sometimes it's all we can do.

I invite you to join me and support this great cause.

Dad is fine now - and always the life of the party


Comments

  1. AnnieApril 7, 2013 at 7:38 PM

    <3

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 1, 2013 at 9:36 AM

    Hi Annie, I was just checking a few of your posts and had a quick question about your blog. I'm involved in the cancer community and was hoping you could email me back when you get the chance -emilywalsh688 (at) gmail.com- Thanks : )

    Emmy

    ReplyDelete

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