I Was Forwarded this Email from one of our Fitness Friends, Lindsay on Behalf of her friend Heather:

Dear Friends and Family,

Cancer sucks.  It’s okay to say that, to scream it.  I don’t think anyone will get mad at you for it.  My three year old, Caleb, says it and even has a shirt that says it.   CANCER SUCKS!!!  I learned that the hard way this last year and now I am going to do something about that cancer.  I’m going to run a marathon.  Crazy, I know and go ahead and tell me that all you want.  You can say “how are you, little miss prancing ballerina, going to run a mile?”  A mile, ha!  Try 26 miles!  Okay, I’m not even going to try 26 miles quite yet but I will try 13!  I have decided to run in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Rock N Roll Seattle Marathon in June 2010. 

In April of 2009, my 3 year old son Baily was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  The tumor in his chest was 11cm, the size of a small soccer ball.  Baily had to give up going to preschool, the zoo, petting zoos, playing with his friends, going to church or anywhere that there were large crowds of people indoor.  This 3 year old boy was poked and prodded, spent weeks in the hospital, had an outrageous amount of scans, took medicines that made him throw up, lost all of his hair, and kept on smiling.  Baily turned 4 years old during his fight with cancer and I swear he was more like 34; he was forced to grow up very fast.  Baily endured 5 different chemo treatments and radiation, and had started testing at Fred Hutchinson for his life-saving, last chance option, Stem cell Transplant at the end of October of 2009.  Two days into testing we found out that not only was the tumor still active and growing but the cancer had spread into his lungs.  Back to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital we went on October 30^th.  Baily never made it out of the hospital.  He died there on November 17^th, 2009, from cancer.  Four years old.

So I’m mad.  I’m mad at that cancer and I am going to do everything in my power to help find a cure.  Running a marathon is nothing compared to what Baily and all of the other fighters have to go through.  I’m sure now it is obvious why this cause is so important to me.   I am going to honor my sweet Baily and make him proud, running is such a small thing but it makes a big difference. 

Team-in-Training is the largest endurance training program in the country and since 1988 has raised more than $750 million for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  As a member of Team-in-Training I have coaches, a mentor, and more than 70 teammates to run with.  We are all supporting each other and committing ourselves to raising money for a cure.  I have set a goal to raise $2500 as a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Will you help me meet my goal? It’s so simple to donate online, just go to my team in training page, http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl10/bennetth. You can check back often to see how I am doing too.  You can also learn about Baily, www.bailybennett.com.

This is the year of change.  I am changing my mind about being mad and doing nothing, now I’m mad and doing something about it.  I’m running…. not away from the hurt, anger and sadness associated with cancer…. but running with purpose, running toward a cure.

With my sincere thanks, 

Heather (Marshbank) Bennett

PS: Please feel free to forward this to others that you know who would like to be involved.  This is a great way to start your year off right.  We can all work together to find a cure; one penny at a time, one mile at a time.  Help me run for Baily!