Lots going on in this head lately.....

Hello strangers!  Yes, I have neglected this poor blog since I returned from San Diego.  So, I have decided to try and post more here.....

So, I have been involved with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for a few years now....the first few were just walking in the Light the Night walk with my family and then more recently, with Team in Training starting in 2009.  My reason for getting involved was to walk in memory of my Grandma, who had Leukemia.  She was diagnosed in her 80's and was pretty much told that there was not much they could do because of her age and the side effects of the treatment.  So, my inspiration has been to help raise money to fund research that will hopefully find less toxic treatment for all cancer patients, but the elderly in particular.  My Grandma passed away in 2006.  I have always hated this dumb disease but recently, I have had way too much exposure to it.

One of my Team in Training teammates lost her dad to Leukemia a few weeks before we went to San Diego for the marathon.  That was rough to see as he was one of her biggest supporters when it came to her running and marathons.  I never met him but you could see it in his eyes in pictures.  We rallied around her and conquered our long run on the canal behind Sunnyslope with his name on our jerseys.

Last month, a guy I went to high school with found out that his 4 year old has Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, which is a common childhood cancer, but can be aggressive.  I have not really had any contact with Woody over the years and then everyone joined the facebook bandwagon, so that is about it for a connection but that doesn't matter when you take one look at Ronan.  Strangers have taken to his story because his beautiful eyes just pull you in, whether you like it or not. He has begun a journey that is not going to be easy but all you have to do is read his Mom's blog and you will see that he will be just fine.  I don't know her but her personality and determination is very evident in her writing.  The Thompson family will get through this and I can't help but follow their story and keep them in my thoughts and prayers.  Follow his story at www.rockstarronan.com

Two weeks ago, I read an update from a friend of mine that just set the waterworks off.  I am sure you get tired of hearing me talk about how much I love Team in Training and how great of an experience it is.  All of that is true about both seasons that I have completed but there was something about our San Diego/Seattle group that was different.  We clicked instantly and spent every Saturday on the canals/mountains and smelling up either Einstein's or IHOP, depending on the week. We invaded the track at Andersen Jr. High every Tuesday and did so with smiles on our faces and determination to raise money and awareness about blood cancers.  In the end, everyone was raising money for each other to make sure everyone met their goals.  I had not seen that happen in my previous season, which just said a lot about the friendships that had formed during this training season.  No matter how fast or slow you were, we were all together at the end of practice and either ate together or continued on our merry way each Saturday.

We headed to San Diego and I went by myself, so I needed a roommate.  I just indicated on my paperwork that if there was anyone from the East Valley group that didn't have a roommate, I would rather room with them over someone from another location.  So, I looked at the name on my envelope at our send off party and found that Heather would have to put up with me for a weekend.  We all had so much fun and she was the best roommate ever!  So, when her little announcement to us was, "I have cancer," I was shocked.  So now, she is one of our heroes.  Her positive attitude as well as all the support she has is going to pull her through being diagnosed with breast cancer at 29 years old.  She heads into surgery tomorrow and we will all be there for her whenever she needs anything.  In only a few hours, we filled up a spread sheet of people who love her and will provide dinners for her and her Mom over the next few weeks while she recovers and then heads into her chemo treatments.  That is what a TEAM does.  Heather - kick cancer's ass!

Thanks for being my free therapy this evening.  I have had so much running through my head dealing with this horrible disease called cancer and how it's affecting everyone from small innocent little boys to women too young to have to decide on what kind of surgery to have, and everyone in between.  Hopefully, with all the research going on out there, we can find a cure and not have to deal with all this garbage.  Seeing all of this over the past month or so has put things in perspective for me personally.  I may have issues going on right now that are stressing me out but it's nothing compared to what Ronan and Heather are going through.

So, find a cause that you are passionate about and get involved.  Every little bit helps....