runDisney Charity Spotlight: Team In Training | The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, celebrated charity of the 2020 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, captures one member's experience as part of Team in Training.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face".

My story began in 1975, when my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the age of 55. Two years prior to her death, my dad had been diagnosed with chronic AML and the stress of her death propelled the cancer into an acute stage, and a year later, in June, we buried my dad. He was 56.

During the last month of his life, my younger sister, who was 21 at the time, had a lingering fever, and was tired all the time. The week of my Dad's death, she had blood work done and was found to have acute AML. Her white blood cell count was so low she wore a surgical mask to protect her from infection so she could attend our dad's funeral. She went into remission for a short while, but in March of the following year we buried my sister.

In 2006, I developed a cough that would only occur as I took a deep breath.An X-ray and a CT revealed an 8 cm mass on my lung, which was beginning to protrude into my airway, causing me to cough. Biopsies of the mass were done and it was determined I had small cell lymphocytic lymphoma. I developed a lung infection after 4 rounds of chemotherapy so my oncologist decided to treat it with Rituxan, a drug that received FDA approval in 1997, and 18 months later I had a PET scan which revealed the mass was gone. Without a doubt, the chemotherapy my body needed to fight that cancer was an answer to prayer, and would not have been possible without the advancement of new treatments.

I became aware of LLS Team in Training through a co-worker of my husbands. He registered for an event and asked if he could run in my honor. After reading his fundraising page I was so humbled and inspired by the dedication of LLS to find a cure my answer was of course “Yes”! My husband was so inspired as well, and it was then that our journey began with LLS.

I am happy to say this year I am celebrating 10 years cancer free, and will be entering my 9th event, raising a little over $250,000! My husband Chuck does the talking and I do the walking, and together, we are making a difference!