His name is Drew. He has been battling a type of lukemia for a while now and is in remission. However, he is still going through chemo, which has been extremely tough on his legs. So much so, that there is no way he could run this marathon.
That is why I am running the 26.2 for him, as well as the hundreds of other patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This past Friday, I got the pleasure of spending a few hours with Drew and his mom, Holly. We spent most of the day waiting for his appointments, but I got to meet two special friends of his that are also patients.
I tell you, these children and teens are some of the strongest people I know, as are their parents and other family members. There is no way I could endure the constant poking and prodding along with the nausea, fever, and other ailments that come along with chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Not to mention the psychological issues patients and family members go through on a day to day basis. I am in awe of this place they call St. Jude. As I walked through the halls with Drew and his mom, every patient I saw had a smile on their face. If it weren't for the physical things you saw (like masks and no hair) you would never know these kids had cancer. We are so incredibly grateful to have such an amazing facility right at our back door.
My visit to St. Jude with Drew put a lot of things into perspective for me. It taught me to not take small things for granted and to cherish each and every moment I get with Miles. You never know when things will change for you. This is why I am running. Many people may think I am crazy to run 26.2 miles, but it would be crazy not to for such a worthy cause. These kids can't run a marathon. Some of them can't even walk down the hall. So, in a few weeks, I will gladly endure the months of training so that I can to run this monster of a race in order to beat this monster they call cancer.
Please help me in my endeavor. I am registered as a Hero in this race, but I am far from it. Drew is my hero.
Since I am a St. Jude hero, I am trying to raise $500 for Drew and all of the other kids like him at St. Jude. You can visit my fundraising website at http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Heroes/Heroes?fr_id=4820&pg=pfind. You can put in my name and it will pull up my page. My cousin, Cara, is also raising money to run the half marathon for Drew. Please help us help these kids!
I will keep you all updated on my progress throughout the next few months.
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