Well, I'll get the sad news out of the way first. Today, I
learned that a fellow cancer warrior lost her battle with lung cancer.
Josephine and I met while we were in Austin for the LiveSTRONG/Planet
Cancer retreat. She and I didn't have much time to connect, but her
spirit and drive was evident. In spite of her battle against the pain,
she smiled and laughed as much as anyone. She will be missed, and will be
remembered. Jo was 32 years old - WAY too young to lose her battle.
On a lighter note, the 3rd Annual Undy 5000 took place today, and it was an unbelievable day. You know that I've been working towards this for a long while, and it has taken the hard work, dedication, time, and effort of a small group of people (Anne, Shelia, Kevin, Kendra, Virginia, Betty, Rebekah, Sean, and some that I'm sure I forgot) to make this event come to fruition and be as successful as it was. I don't have accurate numbers, but at last count, we have 1,130 people register, and we raised over $100,000. According to the CEO of CCA, Andrew Spiegel, we were able to pull together one of the largest Undy 5000's in the NATION! Can you imagine my excitement when I heard that?
I'll try to give you a quick rundown - my day started at 4am, when I got up to get ready. After a quick shower, final check of things I needed to bring, and a stop at Dunkin' Donuts for coffee, we headed to the site location. By the time we got there, the site was about 50% set up. We worked with the volunteers to get the rest of the tables ready, and started guiding the vendors as they arrived. We had a few hiccups, but nothing that couldn't be resolved, thankfully.
By 7:30, all of our volunteers had their duties assigned, vendors were on-site and set up, and people started arriving. We had a face-painting table set up with volunteers using stencils to dab blue paint on people in the shapes of various colon cancer awareness symbols. Our Faces of Colon Cancer Display (where we have pictures of survivors and those that lost their battle, telling their stories) was a huge hit. People dressed up in a variety of costumes and in all sorts of underwear - it was overwhelming, in an amazing way.
At 8:30, my friend Heather Dziedzic worked with the DJ to help folks with stretching and warm-up exercises. At 8:40, our starting ceremony got underway, hosted by CBS 5 KPHO evening news anchor Sean McLaughlinand the Colon Cancer Alliance CEO, Andrew Spiegel. They got the participants excited and worked up for the 5k race and 1 mile walk. The opening ceremony included speeches by BettyRose DeCarlo, one of the founding members of our local chapter, Miss and Mrs. Arizona, and a rousing rendition of the National Anthem by the OK Chorale. Then, we were off!
At one point, during the opening ceremony, I took a moment and looked around - I think it was during the National Anthem, because there were several people looking at the US flag behind the starting line. I started crying - all of these people are here for the same reason I am - they might not know it, but they are all helping us fight colon cancer. It was powerful, so powerful.
Most of you know that I've been training for months to run this 5k, and that I was sidelined recently by a bout with bronchitis. I wasn't sure how I was going to do running this race, but I was going to try like hell to finish it. My goal was to cross the finish line in under 45:00 minutes. Amazingly, I crossed the finish line in 41:37, over 3 minutes under my goal. I am SO PROUD of myself - I still can't believe that I did it.
My good friend Heat met me about 50 yards before the finish line and crossed it with me - that meant so much. She's been listening to me complain, celebrate and work through this training. It was very cool to have her there with me!
After the race was over, we had a survivor celebration which is always amazing. Sean did a great job of really taking a moment to point out survivors. Everyone was on the lawn, and he had all survivors remain standing while the rest of the crowd dropped to one knee. To see all of the survivors standing there, with all of our friends, family and supporters kneeling to honor us might have been the most powerful, moving sight of the day. I know every single survivor felt a sense of accomplishment, joy, and power from that - Sean, if you read this.....well done. Well done, my friend.
My amazing team surprised me by thanking me in the closing ceremony and presenting me with a GORGEOUS bouquet of red roses. It was a really nice validation of my hard work, and while they singled our my dedication, there's is just as strong and important to making this event as successful as it was.
On that note, I have to say that we have great interest from folks for next year's event, and between that and the unbelievably exciting things coming our way in March for colon cancer awareness month (more information coming as it's made public), I truly believe we are on the cusp of seeing great changes in the way colon and rectal cancer are viewed in the public. It's very exciting.
Here are some pictures from yesterday - I didn't take any, so these have been pilfered from friends. More to follow, I'm sure, but this gives you a feel for what we had going on yesterday. Here is a link of a photo slide show that is posted on KPHO (our local CBS affiliate, and our local media partner).
These are
the gorgeous flowers that my amazing team gave me, as a thank you for what we
did this year. They deserve this and so much more - I'm humbled by their
appreciation!
My
amazing friend Randi - she's one of my biggest supporters, and I'm so grateful
to her for her friendship. She lost her mom to this disease, and is as
passionate as I am about early detection and prevention. I love my
Randi...
My friend
Jill, who has a family history of colon cancer. Her shirt has my name on
it, and while I can't remember the exact wording, it's an honor to be
considered special enough to be on her shirt.
Jill and
I post-race (I think). She's an amazing woman and a huge supporter of
mine. I'm glad to call her friend.
My friend
Shelia's son, Ryan, and Miss Arizona, Brittini. He's a hoot, and makes me
laugh each year - his costumes get crazier and crazier, and I look forward to
them every year.
My good
friend Heat, who is amazing. She's a cancer survivor as well, and has
been instrumental in keeping me motivated for my training.
My
"SURVIVOR" panties, which were worn most of the morning. This,
by the way, is the only time you'll see me showcasing my big bottom.
Anywhere. :-)
The Colon
Cancer Alliance - Central AZ Chapter Executive Board and our guest emcee, Sean McLaughlin.
From left to right: Kevin Bergersen (PR Dude), Shelia Casto (Outreach),
Sean McLaughlin, me :), and Anne Bergersen (Secretary/Treasurer). The
best team, in my opinion.
Crossing the finish line!
I did it - I ran a 5k!
Comments:
Tina said...
It
sounds like the day went perfectly! You did a great job! Thank you so much for
all you do for colon cancer survivors. You inspire ALL cancer survivors!
October
31, 2010 at 12:34 PM
jnwhiteh said...
So
amazing Michelle. I'm so proud of everything you've been able to accomplish. I
miss you!
October
31, 2010 at 3:50 PM
Wow.
What an awesome event! Congratulations on achieving All of your goals.
October
31, 2010 at 5:43 PM
It
was a great event! I was so honored to be there! Congratulations on your time!
My heart goes out to you for your loss.
November
2, 2010 at 7:31 PM
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