Today is the New York Marathon and I am cheering someone on. We’ve got a runner in this race!
I know…I know…that seems pretty hypocritical after I went on and on how stupid it is to run a marathon. How I hate running and how this whole cancer thing feels like a marathon where you just keep looping the 19th mile over and over.
I went on and on how this is a bad idea and how it’s such a privilege thing to do this. That I only know people who do this to prove something when they turn a decade. And then I went on and on by instead of being selfish by spending your days training, why don’t you volunteer and make the world better. Ugh. How opinionated I can be.
BUT I’m changing my mind when it comes to you cancer mom. Just you.
I get why you run.
When you spend years sitting. Sitting and sitting with no control.
When you spend years in the room of waiting. Waiting and waiting with always another scan waiting just over the horizon.
When you spend years looking at the clock. Looking and looking as it tics and tocs knowing that it controls your child, it makes sense, to fucking RUN.
RUN CANCER MOM RUN.
And eat every chocolate along the way.
RUN CANCER MOM RUN.
Run for all of us.
RUN CANCER MOM RUN.
Run against that clock. You tell that fucking clock who is boss.
RUN CANCER MOM RUN.
Beat that time that is “e” word. Beat it for all of us. Show that “e” word that YOU get to decide what is expected.
RUN CANCER MOM RUN.
Run because you can!
Run because you are in control of your legs.
Run because this is your choice over sitting.
AND of course, run for cancer and the rest of us who can’t. The rest of us who are too paralyzed in even walk.
So run Jennifer James! RUN. Thank you for running for our Jacob.
Below is a post from Jennifer. Jennifer and I have never met, but she knows my story all too well. She lived it with her beautiful little girl Scarlett who was diagnosed with T Cell Lymphoma, a rare form of pediatric cancer. Jennifer is one of those heroes I alluded to and now spends her days helping others through loads of initiatives including the Scarlett Fund. And today she ran for Jacob.
NYC MARATHON DEDICATION
MILE 26.2 – Jacob
I received the first text a few months ago about a little boy named Jacob who had been diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. Since then, I have connected with Jacob’s mom, learned that Jacob’s neighbor is one of Scarlett’s classmates and friends at school and never go a day without reading Jacob’s mom very raw blog, Nightwing: A mother’s journey through Children’s Neuroblastoma. I learn something new every day about this awful disease. I remember when Scarlett was in treatment at MSK and we could hear the child next door to us screaming from the treatment and Scarlett turned to me and said, “Mommy, why does a baby get cancer? I mean, I can handle it, but a baby? That is not right.” You are correct, Scarlett, it is not right. And that is why I run. Today, I learned that Jacob’s Daddy had surgery a year ago to remove a lung. This is one strong and one very tight family. So am running the finish for Jacob. Because I am going to keep fighting for you and running alongside you until you cross that finish line. I know that we are going to feel pain. That is a given. I know that there are going to be many lows but we are also going to keep finding highs. Your Daddy crossed the finish line. Tomorrow, Team Roar is going to cross the finish line but we are not going anywhere. There is a team of people that you don’t even know that is praying for you and rooting for you and waiting for you at the Finish Line. And to quote your Mommy, “Next you, Jacob. Next you walk away. WE OUT.”
So today Jennifer runs while I sit.
And I thank her for being my legs as I’m just trying to learn to walk over here.
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