Legacy Run

It's been exactly one year since I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. And one year ago I participated in the local cancer support race, the Legacy 10K and Spirit 5K. I was a little shell shocked and scared to death because I had just been handed a chemotherapy for life sentence. I didn't know what the future would hold for me and the internet can be scary as hell if you let it show you the dark side of life. Amber M. ran most of the 5K with me and helped me keep moving and Claudia B. was running to honor her mother who's cancer was making a comeback. These ladies were wonderful supporters and friends. Without them I would have just stopped in the middle of the street and cried.

My dad and brother lost the battle with cancer.

A year later and I'm happy to report that I'm feeling much better. Not 100% and some days are a struggle but I'm managing this disease and trying not to let it manage me. I'm still active but slow. But I was never fast anyway and turtle power gets me to the finish line. I've learned how to give myself injections and have joined the Racing For A Cure team to raise money for the Arthritis National Research Foundation. Doing something pro-active makes me feel like I can make a difference, even if it's a small contribution.

While I know there is no cure and this will be with me for life, at least I have a life ahead of me. That fact was hammered home as I looked at the signs along the run, each one with the name of someone who battled cancer in some form. Some won, but many others lost the battle. I found the sign I dedicated to my dad and brother and realized how small my problems are in the grand scheme of things. I used to get mad when people would say "at least it's not cancer" even though I take weekly chemotherapy drugs and will for life. But as I read the names, so many names of the old and the young, I said to myself, "at least I don't have cancer". I'll keep running and biking and swimming and moving anyway I can for as long as I can. If there is a legacy for me to leave behind it is to never give up and never give in. My friend Gina G. gave me a quote from Roger Crawford - "Being challenged in life is inevitable. Being defeated is optional." I try to live that philosophy every day and to turn my eyes to the sky and say, thank you God. At least it's not cancer.