Skip to main content

Race for the Cure...The Story of the Runners

The Race for the Cure is a fantastic opportunity for runners and walkers to get out and share in a great cause. As a runner, I have never actually been involved with this race until this year.  My mother-in-law  is a breast cancer survivor, and I lost my aunt to breast cancer a few years ago. So, my husband, Gavin, and I, decided to run with the Des Moines University team, Team DMU.


Anyone who knows me understands I love to capture moments, and I had planned on creating a great collage of the DMU participants to share with the campus. The streets were lined with people of all ages, some dressed in crazy outfits others had pink hair. I laughed as I passed women who wore bra-caps, feather boas,little boys wearing sports bras over their hot pink tees, and even those sporting pink mustaches.  I was encapsulated by all the smiling faces, face paint, and pink as we prepared to run.

The streets were lined with supporters, survivors and those still battling the disease. There were children high-fiving, bikers in tutus and a steady stream of pink costumes all around the runners.
However, I was not prepared for what happened next, and I captured many moments, which will last a lifetime.

The sound of the cannon explodes in my chest
Slowly I begin quickening pace with the rest
 Breathing in and out to find my steady beat
As my hot pink shoes fall upon the street 
   
Focused on running, breathing, mile one 
The glitter from a passing runner glinting from the sun
Draws my eyes and brings me from my reverie
As I focus on the person running steadily past me

My breath is caught between the intake and express
As I read the words, "In my daughter's memory, God Bless." 
A picture of her loved one smiles, "goodbye," as she pulls ahead
This devoted mother runs this street in honor of life; a tear I dare shed

I started paying attention to the backs of individuals all around
For this is where the stories were shared and memories were found
The stories of loved ones who succumb to the disease, or had clung to life and battled back. 
I was inspired by shirts that read, "Survivor," and families running together in a pack

Pure love fueled the hearts and pumped the legs of the young and old 
As they each ran to honor and fight, and allow a powerful story to unfold
My heart captured moments of love, support, and community 
As we all became part of the Race that brings hope to humanity


I am so honored I was able to share in this great day with some of the strongest individuals I have ever met.  Thank you to all of you for allowing me to share in your stories, and for giving me permission to take your pictures. I am blessed because I was able to capture those precious moments of memory with you and to be part of the Race for the Cure Des Moines 2016 story. Continue to overcome through courage and strength.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Buella (cancer) Has Spread

Buella was entirely removed along with five lymph nodes and all the breast tissue they could remove on both sides. The tissues and tumor were sent for pathological testing. The report came back and was not what we hoped for.  Buella has spread to the lymphovascular system, lymph nodes, and tissue around the nodes. Buella was also less than 1 mm away from the chest wall, so cancer cells are likely in the chest wall too. The tumor grade was thought to be a Grade 1 before surgery (not aggressive), and has now been determined to be a Grade 3 (most aggressive and has the highest recurrence rate).  The news was hard to receive as I was praying for it to be all contained in the single tumor, and that would mean just surgeries and careful watching for a bit. However, this is not the story of my journey. I will need radiation, and we are waiting for the Oncotype test to come back to determine the need and type of chemotherapy. This will take 4 weeks, and we cannot start any treatment u...

Well, Poo: Update on Cancer Treatment

The radiation oncologist entered our room in a medical halo, looking very uncomfortable and much like an image of Frankenstein. He was healing after suffering an injury to his neck in a swimming pool two weeks ago. "How are you doing?" he asked with genuine care and concern.  "Well, obviously, better than you at this point," I replied as I internally scolded myself for complaining about the rough nights sleeping in a recliner the past 6 weeks.  He smiled and said, "Yeah, maybe so." Then we got down to business. He reminded me that before surgery, we had discussed the possibility of doing radiation. He had laid out some clear signs that it would be necessary.  Buella (the cancer) had spread to the nodes (CHECK)  Tumor is greater than 2 cm (CHECK) There are cancer cells in the Lymphovascular system (CHECK) There are unclean or close margins from tumor edges to chest wall (<1 mm CHECK) You are premenopausal (CHECK) Each component increases the odds of lo...

Eviction Notice: Buella (Cancer), You Have Been Served!

Dear Buella, This is your notice that you are being permanently evicted from the premises, also known as my body, effective July 1. You have exceeded the number of recommended days to be in residence by more than 30 days; therefore, you will forcibly be removed so you can no longer wreak havoc upon the landscape of our lives. - Management / Allie Dear Family and Friends, On July 1st, I will have a double mastectomy and begin reconstructive surgery. Buella, the name I gave my tumor, has been served her eviction notice after 70+ days since detection, and we are grateful to have a date scheduled.  However, I do keep trying to convince Gavin that traveling to the Amalfi Coast for pasta and coffee would do wonders for healing cancer instead. If you have a study that supports my hypothesis, please share it with me, as I have read at least 50 research articles and a few books about cancer in the past month and have yet to find a correlation or causation study about the benefits of authent...