Recommitment

After training and fundraising for a month, Team in Training gives us a chance to evaluate our commitment. If we have 25% of the minimum goal and are serious about the completing the fundraising and endurance event, we fill out the required paperwork and submit it on the recommitment date.

February 22nd was my original recommitment date. Many of you remembered and sudden inflow of generosity pushed the figure up to $1,366.80 by the end of the day. I had more than the required 25%. In fact, I had enough to consider running the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego instead of the Country Music 1/2 Marathon in Nashville. Uh oh.

At this point, our team manager, Amy, moved the recommitment date back to February 27th. Great, now I have four more days to agonize over the pros and cons of each event. And for all of you familiar with indecisiveness, it was four more days to avoid a decision.

• A marathon is much more impressive than half a marathon.
• There would be one more month of training time for the marathon.
• But I would have to fundraise an additional thousand dollars.

I consulted the parents. I consulted my friends. Personally, the full marathon sounded like the way to go. But my anxiety wouldn't go away. I was grilling Amy with questions that had no correct answers two hours before the recommitment deadline. I hung up the phone.

As I was walking back to my computer, I suddenly heard a voice say, "Country Music 1/2 Marathon." It was so out of the blue that it didn't register until I sat down, but I never questioned the authority of the voice. I immediately started filling out the paperwork. I felt a sense of peace. And I knew that God had spoken to me directly.

Saturday Morning #4

My routine has become four days of endurance training and three rest days nestled between. Coincidentally, the latter occurs on days I attend fellowship, church, and discipleship class.

Wanting to give Angela a break, I arranged to carpool with Holly and Joe Ann this morning. Unfortunately, I set my cell phone on vibrate the night before and completely missed their call. Jumping out of bed at exactly 7am, I shook mom awake and asked demanded she be my heroine. With 20-some years of parenting behind her, she barely bats an eye as she grabs her keys and slips on her jacket. Vague directions withstanding, she hands me off to the team when they're about ½ mile in.

Everyone cheers.

I sheepishly grin and greet everyone. As adrenaline pumps through me, I make my way up to the front to join Shae, my mentor, and Kerry. Shae is a history graduate student at St. Edward's and is planning to take the Foreign Service Written Exam and serve in Japan. Kerry is another Longhorn alumni and former lawyer. She's currently a full time mom that has her hands full with two adorable toddlers.

The weather was cool; a perfect day to try out the eight mile scenic route Jeanette plotted out for us. The neighborhoods we pass through include gorgeous lakeside properties that we ooo and ahh over as we pass by. The sky suddenly darkened and the air becomes dank. And it rained. Poured like heaven had a plumbing issue. There's no place we can take shelter under, hence we grit our teeth and continue along. You know you're soaked when your undergarments are dripping under three layers of clothing. We are quite happy to see Jeanette's car, i.e. mobile water station, when we have about two miles left. Shae's PB&J sandwich hit the spot just right!

With Jeanette's blessing, Shae and Kerry shorten the route by a mile and we breeze into the parking lot. Kerrie takes me back home, where I take her advice and enjoy a long, hot shower.


2/2 Shae and her husband, Gene

3/25 Kerry and her children

Life of Faith: Gloria Saathoff

One of Will's friends shared her experience dealing with cancer in the family.

In one of my past blogs titled CANCER I fill you in about my Aunt Gloria and all she has endured with this ugly illness called cancer.

The past 6 months have been very trying. When my Aunt was told she now has stomach cancer, she refused to do chemotherapy and opted to follow the healings of a holistic healer. This consisted of a regime of carrot and celery juice. Every day for every meal. Before our own eyes: myself, my sister, my brother, our cousins Erica and Bobby, our parents, our grandparents, and Aunt Gloria's life partner Molly, we watched as Aunt Gloria went from 140 lbs to maybe 98 lbs, if even that. But with this regime and prayer, she was going to fight this illness. She is going to beat this illness. Faith is my Aunt Gloria. She is the strongest believer in prayer. For all life crises or ailments, there is no better cure than prayer.

The strength the love the faith the determination this woman has is only half of what I believe I can ever be. This is the backbone of our family...the SAATHOFF's. She keeps everyone together. She brings us all together for every special occasion. Because of her, we have some sort of relationship with our grandparents. Because of her, me, Jack, JR, Erica, Nobby, Vanessa, and Renee will always share a special bond.
In the past couple of weeks, she's requested us to come over late one night to tell us all that she has made peace with God. She has told Him that she is ready when He's ready to take her. She is tired and she is weak. She doesn't want to suffer anymore. No one says much... we try to cry silently so that she doesn't worry about us anymore than we know she already does. That's her role in the family. Worry Wart... she always seems to know when something is up with one of us and out of the blue you'll get a call from her just because she's thinking about you, but more so because she knows you're going through something. She's a counselor. She attempts to fix everything or just lend an ear to listen. Because sometimes all you need is to get it off your chest, is what she told me once.

Second call, we're requested to come to her home again. She's asked the Priest to come and give her communion and read her last rites. Each of us (the cousins) calls each other. We cry with each other... This day is a beautiful day, the sun is shining, and the weather is cool. This tiny woman is sitting on her couch with the biggest smile she can make... she's suppose to be ready to go, yet she exudes so much life and love. She's cracking jokes and loving each of us the way she always has. You can see the joy in her eyes as she holds her great nephews and niece. Her eyes light up even more as Bobby brings in the ton of balloons that were ordered for her. Aunt Gloria loves balloons. You can see her eyes tear up a bit and she just laughs it off.

There are quite a bit of people here, not just us, so we the family, sit back and let each and every other non family member say their hellos and good byes. Finally it is just us... the cousins, Aunt Rita, and Uncle Robert. Aunt Gloria asks Jacque to read her something beautiful from an inspirational book our mother bought for her. The reading is an introduction to asking your family to gather around in a circle and each person to say a prayer of thanks to God. All the prayers were so beautiful... there was not one dry eye in that circle.

We thanked Molly for being the woman she is and taking care of our Aunt, our precious beautiful strong woman. Molly has set aside any life she's known before to care for this woman who has probably pushed Molly to the point of wanting to tear out her hair! Hahaha. But Molly stays and she doesn't give up on our Aunt.

"Thank you God for this beautiful day. These are the days that make me strong... these are the days that make me not want to give up."

And that's all that I can hope for is that she will not give up, but that she will keep fighting and praying and that her faith will get her through this. But if she can't fight any longer, I will have had one of the greatest experiences in my life... the day she brought us all together once again and blessed me, Jacque, JR, Erica, Bobby, Vanessa, and Renee with a bond we can never deny. Family, that's what we are..., a strong loving faithful family. Nothing or no one can break that. We owe that to her... our beautiful wonderful precious Aunt Gloria. Thank you for who you are who you will be remembered as and all that you stand for. Please keep HER in your prayers... even though you don't know her personally... knowing me and my family there is a piece of her in each of us.

-- Sandi J. Saathoff

Strong Survivor: Corinne Evans Wise

I was hard at work on my first batch of fundraising letters the day after our Kickoff Party. Will wandered over from his cubicle and discovered me piecing together words and phrases. He patiently waited until I had a letter to hand to him; then surprised me by giving me my first donation on the spot.

During our bantering, he revealed that his mother was a cancer survivor. Which led to me asking him for a personal statement about having cancer in the family two weeks later.

Yah, I'd love to do that. It will take me a while, because it's a subject with many details and a little soul searching. I'm feeling a little better already.

A week later, I had two great testimonials in my inbox. You can feel the strength that Mrs. Wise's words exude.

It is imperative that we get the word out that cancer is not an automatic death sentence. I had an "inoperable sarcoma" that was successfully treated and I am alive 8 years later. In every book, every movie, the cancer patient dies. It makes for a good tear jerker, but sends such a wrong message. So, when people hear "cancer", they give up. I wish that I had seen a "Relay For Life" during or before my cancer. That is the kind of strengthening message that needs to be publicized. HUNDREDS of
people walking the track that are cancer survivors!

Also, something HAS to be done about small-time doctors that do not encourage patients to seek treatment at big centers. So many say "there is nothing that they will do there that we can't do here." BULL!! (I seriously think that they see dollar signs in the number of useless treatments, at the expense of a patient that they will see die.)

My cancer, a sarcoma, is a type that an ordinary doctor may see maybe three times in his or her lifetime. I went to M.D. Anderson, where they treat sarcomas every day. I had an operation that involved a vascular surgeon, a pancreatic surgeon, a sarcoma surgeon, and an abdominal sarcoma surgeon. Before the surgery, my case was reviewed by a committee that consisted of radiologists, renal specialists, vascular specialists, and sarcoma specialists. My "home" doctor had told me that if they did surgery, it would kill me. But he was only a general surgeon, and not a team of specialized surgeons.

Then, I had what is known as a "Whipple" surgical procedure. A regular surgeon may do one or two in their lifetime. At M.D.Anderson, they have guys so specialized that they do them every day, and so highly specialized that all they do is pancreatic surgery, or liver surgery, etc. -- several a week!! So the success rate is phenomenally high. Also, most Whipples have very problematic complications that go on for years. Because M.D.Anderson does so many, they have it down to a science, and I can eat anything, and have no "bowel" problems. I haven't had any aftereffects.

Also, M.D.Anderson has a holistic program that involves meditation, centering prayer, support groups, etc, etc.. That is provided by their "Center of Wellness". They promote everything from green tea, to Tai Chi.

Have I gone on long enough? I am a very grateful survivor, and will help in any way to get the word out. I went from a death sentence to a full, pain-free life. Contact me any time.

-- Corinne Evans Wise

Fundraising: A Mind-Altering Experience

Fundraising has been a mind-altering experience. It was one of two reasons I hesitated from committing to the ½ marathon. To me, $2,950 is about fifteen times my average checking account balance at any given moment. It seemed very illogical to commit this much money when I have bills waiting to be paid. Perhaps God was using Sandie to talk me at the information session. He said to trust him. And despite reservations, I did.

I still have no clue how to ask people for money, but ask I’ve been doing and the response from each of you has been astonishing. It completely blows my mind and I really do believe it’s a testimonial to God and what he can do. Because of every one of you, in two short weeks, we are now 25% closer to the goal of $2,950. And we are another step closer to eradicating leukemia and lymphoma.

As you know, I have been frequently updating my Active website to chronicle the training and fundraising. I am also in the process of creating an “online mosaic” that people can browse through for stories from cancer survivors as well as families and friends of cancer patients. If you or someone you know would be willing to write up a personal statement, please do so and send it to me. Friends are telling me it is gratifying to have a chance to share their story.

I pray that you have a blessed day every day.

Saturday Morning #3

I became much better about training during the second week. Largely due to a discovery that keeping my mind occupied with prayer, i.e. conversation with God, lent power to the legs and made the distance seem shorter.

The cold front came into Austin last weekend, so layering up at the third group training had no effect, whatsoever. There were significantly less attendees because our mentors were all at the Freescale Marathon.

Angela was away at a wedding in Chicago, so I rode with Jeanette instead. Jeanette gave us a new seven mile route around town. We set off as a group, but slowly paired off according to pace. I started with Kendra, a chemical engineering senior at UT, but ended up spending most of the route with Monica, a Longhorn that graduated back in the days where her RTF classes had only eight students. She is the first person on our team to reach the fundraising goal and she gave me an abundance of encouragement because she wants me to complete the Country Music ½ Marathon with her.

Saturday Morning #2

I slacked off during the week, stopping by the gym only once. At the Saturday training, I discovered that several had already dropped out due to commitments, but several newcomers had joined. Holly and Joe Ann, best friends that met through the Christian Family Center up in Leander, told me about Joe Ann’s amazing story – a grandmother and a three time breast cancer survivor!

Angela prepared ribbon-tied packets of trail mix for us to nibble on as we started off on our six mile walk. Well, everyone except for me. After getting approval from Jeanette and saying adios to Jana, I went off like a bunny, mixing running in with the walking. Started off at the end of the pack and ended up being the first one to finish all six miles. Or so I thought … turns out that I confused the directions and really only did five. No wonder I kept on running into teammates on the way back. Even as I enjoyed my Einstein Bros everything bagel, I felt rather silly. Took care of it by having Angela drop me off about a mile before my place so I could make it up.

Saturday Morning #1

Angela, the assistant walk coach, was outside my door before the crack of dawn to wake me up and drive me down to Town Lake. A few minutes of chit-chat and we were off to walk four miles. I fell into step with Jana, who decided to complete the Country Music ½ Marathon because she wanted to honor Kimberly, her best friend and cancer survivor. Even though we were born almost three decades apart, we easily talked and laughed through the walk. We covered everything from pets to boys and she gave me some good advice on the latter! =)

How I Became Involved

Let me fill you in on how I became involved with Team in Training. I happened across their website when I was looking for information on marathons. Per habit, I filled out a request for more information. They happily obliged with a colorful brochure, but I promptly forgot about it after a cursory glance.

The New Year crept up without much warning and it was again time to think up resolutions I would never complete. I was on instant messenger at the time and my friend laughed at my futile efforts. In an effort to prove him wrong, I told him "I'm going to run a marathon!" With the cat out of the bag, I had to look for a better motivator than the procrastinator in me. I recalled Team in Training, so I signed up for an information session on January 20th. When the day finally arrived, I had talked myself out of the endeavor and only went because I didn't have time to un-RSVP myself.

As I sat in that room full of strangers, I found it hard to share in the excitement. I was getting ready to sneak out when Sandie sat down next to me and let me pepper her with questions about the program. My two biggest concerns were being out of shape and fundraising. Sandie, a dedicated walker, introduced me to Jeanette and Angela, the two walk team coaches, who said that they would be more than happy to train me to walk or run my way to the finish line. She also fervently proclaimed that fundraising can be accomplished. I was convinced and signed up right then and there for the April 29th Country Music ½ Marathon in Nashville, TN. Not an entire marathon because I believe the coaches when they say that I need more than three months to go from couch potato to pavement grinder. I will consider flying to San Diego to run the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon if I make it through the half.


2/2 Kickoff Party @ Hyatt