A walk to remember...

I went for a two mile walk tonight and by most standards, I didn’t blaze any trails. Yet, I think it was one of my more successful walks.

Last month I signed up for a half marathon walk in Savannah, Georgia on November 5^th.  I did it for mostly selfish reasons because I felt I needed a healthy goal to strive toward. So tonight, I knew I needed to walk, but I had been out with friends and didn’t really feel like going.

But on my walk, I was thinking about how the 13 mile walk in Savannah would go. It isn’t my first time walking 13 miles, nor my second, so I kind of know what to expect. Except this walk is a little different because I walked the others to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 

So as I walked, I enjoyed the thoughts of who this walk could honor. What will give me the push in miles 8 and 9 when I feel my thighs tingle a little? And that is when I thought about Destinee Smith, my Aunt Pammie, Jody Ryan, Brady Burkhart, Joe Agostino and Carol VanBraune and all of the other courageous cancer survivors I have met over the years.

I know many of you are probably tired of hearing about the importance of blood donation and what I do for a living, but volunteering for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is something I started many years before I set foot in South Bend Medical Foundation.

When I was in high school I worked in the kitchen for LaPorte Hospital. I was a junior in high school when I met my very best friends for the next several years, Michelle Reese and Jody Ryan. It wasn’t long after I met Jody that she was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Her struggle was so courageous that I don’t think she’ll ever really know how much respect and admiration Reese and I had for her. And her fight paid off and I am glad to say she overcame cancer. And because of her, it was shortly after I started college that I became interested in volunteering for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

It was then that I met Carol VanBraune and Joe Agostino. Carol was in remission and Joe had recently undergone treatment for his cancer. I can’t tell you how impressive their attitudes were to me.

About 10 years later, I started at the Foundation and I am honored to be able to know the cancer survivors who have benefited from units of blood and platelets such as Destinee Smith and Brady Burkhart.

So tonight, on my walk, when I wondered what could push me on my 13 mile walk, I thought of these people. Of how they sat for hours on end getting chemo treatments and how much I’ve learned from each of their stories. Talk about perseverance and determination!

So as I walk in Savannah on November 5^th, I’m proud to say that I won’t be walking alone, but with those who have walked in much bigger shoes than I will and I’ll know how lucky I am.