I opened this email today and I was so moved I just had to share it with all of you. Yup, the tears were a flowing. You might want to get a tissue.
Melissa writes:
Hi Angela,
I read your blog everyday and I love it. I think it is amazing how dedicated you are to being healthy, both mentally and physically. I also try hard to eat right, exercise and feel happy in my life. I know you are training (and almost ready for) your first half marathon and that you have been reading other people’s stories about their first marathon or half marathon and I want to tell you about my first half marathon experience. :)
In August of last year I was diagnosed with a rare type of blood cancer know as Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). Learning that I had cancer at 23 was a huge shock for me, especially since I have always worked hard to take care of my body. I was lucky that my CML was caught early on a random blood test and it can be treated with a daily pill called Gleevec. I have been on Gleevec for almost a year now and I am doing great. Gleevec is a revolutionary new kind of cancer treatment and I am incredibly lucky to be able to take a pill everyday to keep my cancer under control. However, Gleevec is not a cure and because the drug is new there is no research on the long term effectiveness or long term side effects. I try not to think about this and instead I think about this statistic… In 1987 the survival rate for CML was 55%, today it is 95%. Amazing!! Everyday I think about how lucky I am.
As soon as I found out that I was going to be okay I knew I wanted to get involved and help The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I volunteered at a couple of events and then my boyfriend and I decided we were going to run in the Vancouver Half Marathon with Team In Training (a sports training program which raises money for LLS). I started my training in December and I will never forget my first run. It was only 4kms but my hemoglobin was so low and my muscles were so sore (side effects of Gleevec) that 4kms felt like forever. It took me 34 minutes and by the end I was in tears. I was lucky to have an amazing encouraging coach and an awesome boyfriend by my side. I though about quitting after that run but I knew I couldn’t. So every Sunday morning for the next few months we met our team for a 8:00am run in downtown Vancouver. We ran in the rain and the snow and every kilometer was hard. The runs we did during the week were not much easier. But I knew I had to keep going, I was lucky to be alive and even luckier to be able to do this. Despite some training setbacks we ran the half marathon on May 3, 2009 and it was the best day of my life. My sister, my boyfriend and my good friend ran with me and together we raised over $13,000 for LLS. It took us almost 3 hours, but I knew time was not important to me in the race, the most important thing was crossing the finish line. And crossing the finish line was one of the best moments of my life. I attached a picture of us with our medals at the finish line (I am on the left)! Next year my boyfriend and I will run in the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco with Team In Training. I cannot wait.
Good luck in your half this weekend! You will be great! I am super excited for your Monday blog so I can read all about it!Team In Training is a great program for marathons and half marathons, if you would more information here is there website. www.teamintraining.ca
I also read your post about organ donation and I think it is great that you are now an organ donor! I am too! I don’t know if you have heard of bone marrow/stem cell donation? OneMatch is the national bone marrow and stem cell donation program in Canada and it is great program. Without Gleevec I would have been looking to this registry to find a compatible bone marrow match (unfortunately neither of my sisters are a match) and I would have relied on this for a transplant. Many people with other types of leukemia still require bone marrow / stem cell transplants. If you would like more information about this please check out their website www.onematch.ca.
Thank you for your blog! It definitely helps me to stay positive and healthy!
Melissa
Thank you Melissa for your email. Thank you for being such a huge inspiration to all of us. I’m so proud of you and so touched by your story. I am definitely going to check out both Team In Training and One Match.
I started racing as a way to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society. All of the money I have raised (approx $3,200) has been donated in honour of a family friend named Chris who passed away to cancer in 2008 and anyone whose lives have been touched by cancer in some way. I have also worked with cancer researchers and I know how crucial funding is for their research to even happen. Not one training run or race goes by that I do not think about why I am running and I thank my lucky stars that I am able to do so.
I used to take so much for granted in my life, but with each passing day I try to work on that more and more. Stories like Melissa’s remind us how truly lucky we are and that anything is possible when you set your mind to it.
What inspires you? Do you have any people in your life that serve as role models?
Incredibly touching!
That is such a great email! It is nice to be reminded how blessed I am everyday for being healthy because everything can change in an instant. I am inspired by my mom and dad. They are my support, my friends, my everything. They inspire me to be my best.
Amazing!
Wow that is so touching I have chills. YOU inspire me!
What an amazing story! Seeing the strength that others have really inspires me to keep going even when I don’t think I can.
My one sources of inspiration is my mom’s best friend. She was diagnosed with breast cancer 4 years ago and this prompted me to sign up for the CIBC Run for the Cure this year. It’s a 5K run or 1K walk to support breast cancer research. My mom’s friend has been in the clear for a couple years now but she went through some extremely difficult times. I’m constantly inspired by how she kept going even when she was so weak from chemo. Now she’s planning to open an inn to serve as a retreat for cancer patients and families. It will be somewhere they can go after their treatments to recuperate and meet others that are going through similar things. She’s been working on this for months and months because it means so much to her. She’s an incredible woman – so hardworking and living each day to the fullest. When I start getting tired on my training runs for the 5K, I just think about all the things she’s done and it really helps to keep me going.
Thanks for sharing such a lovely story Ange! YOU and a few other bloggers out there have served as one of my inspirations! Thank you for that!
Such a great email!! It’s emails like this that make the negative ones seems non-existent. Thanks for sharing Melissa’s story!!
I wrote a whole post last week about role models – http://maintenancewithashley.blogspot.com/2009/09/who-do-you-look-up-to.html
Having them is so important!!
It seems that almost everyone is touched by cancer in some way now-a-days, which is just so sad. I’m also doing the CIBC Run for the Cure this year and when I think about Who I’m Running For I think it’s just for everyone…everyone who has had a mother, sister, grandma, aunt, friend…that has been touched by breast cancer.
Personally, I don’t have an history of breast cancer in my family, but other types have touched us- I feel that it is a worthy cause all around to donate to and to run for.
I’m really looking forward to the run and I’m so excited by how well my fundraising has gone- so far I’ve raised $1460 (only $40 away from my $1500 goal!) and with the help of some friends and family, my team (Team BREAST FRIENDS) has raise over $2000!!! GO TEAM!
Seeing how people overcome what seems like the impossible is really and truly inspiring- thanks for sharing Melissa’s story with us!
This story gave me chills, so touching and inspiring.
wow! that is such an inspiring story! way to go Melissa! :) Good luck on your half Angela! :)
Melissa, thanks for letting Angela share your amazing story with us!
Amazing story!
I ran a marathon for LLS in 2001, and they are truly a great organization and a bunch of awesome people. Running for a cause makes the sport even more personally fulfilling. I recommend people get involved with their local Team In Training chapter all the time!
So inspiring. I’m so humbled and impressed by Melissa’s glowing positivity.
Woohoo Team in Training! :) I am running the Nike Women’s Half next month, and I have raised over $4,200 for that wonderful program. I have had the best experience through Team in Training; I will recommend it in a heartbeat to anyone! The support is just amazing. Plus, you can achieve something you never thought you could. :) I’m running in honor of my best friend’s mother, who has lymphoma, and everyone else out there who can’t run. Thinking of them makes training easy.
Angela, thank you so much for sharing my story! You are an inspiration to us all, and I know you are going to do awesome in your run!
And thank you everyone for your wonderful comments! I truly appreciate them.
Wow, wow! Melissa, that is an amazing story! You are so incredibly inspiring. Not just because you were able to run through your won cancer, but also because you raised SO much money!! Thank you for sharing your story!
Such a great story!! When I’m doing my sprint tri this weekend and thinking I might not make it through I’m going to remember this post and think how lucky I am to be healthy and have the ability to do an event like that.
Thanks Angela and Melissa for sharing her story!
Courtney
Adventures in Tri-ing
This is a very touching e-mail. My husband had cancer as a early teen, so I always appreciate anyone working to find a cure. Thank you!
WOW!! You go, Melissa!!! You’re a huge inspiraion to me!
Wow, just wow. What inspires me? More and more, just about everything…posts like this, change of colours of the leaves, being able to run when I want to, meeting new people, hearing their amazing stories, getting to know them… really, the list can go on. And most of all, I think I’m thankful for being able to continually recognize more and more things to be inspired about as I allow myself to open up more.