Our family participated (all together for the first time ever) in the Hoosiers Outrun Cancer run/walk today. It was a beautiful day weather-wise, and though Gray was a tad bit crabby, I was determined to have fun. And then came the overwhelming emotions that I spent the rest of the morning trying to keep at bay. I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that it would be hard to find a single person who was not in some way affected by cancer. I mean, at just this event, I was only 1 of 5,000 people coming together to help find an answer for this wretched disease. And as I looked around I started noticing more and more red shirts. To anyone who has not participated in this, you're probably thinking, "What's the big deal?" Well, the deal is this: it was the cancer survivors who were wearing the red shirts. And they came in so many different shapes, sizes, and ages, that it took my breath away. Then I started noticing the bibs that people put on with the names of friends and loved ones that they were walking in memory of or in celebration of. It was AWESOME to see an entire family walking together when I realized that the oldest gentleman in the group had a bib on that said "In celebration of MY WIFE!", the son (I assume) had a bib in that said "In celebration of MY MOM!", and next to them was a beautiful older lady in a red shirt that I can only imagine was the aforementioned wife and mom.
Overall, it was a wonderful event. It obviously didn't hurt that the finish line just happened to be the 50 yard line on the IU football field, but even so the event just made me feel good. It left me with the hope that someday, someone will find a cure. Until then, I hope that there are more and more red shirts to see, and that those beautiful people know just how much the people in their lives cherish them for still being here.
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2 comments:
Tomorrow, we do the walk for Autism - it's such a great thing you're doing!
I didn't know you guys were doing that! What a fabulous cause to be a part of! Great for you! I get all emotional at those things too. My friend Jenn just emailed me and asked me to donate to her walk for Alzheimer's. I thanked her for doing it and told her my Grandfather died of Alzheimer's last September. She said she hadn't known anyone with it, so could she dedicate her walk to my Grandfather. How sweet is that? It made me bawl. I love it when people take the time to do such things for others. What a great experience for you, your family, and your son!!!
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