Running for children who have lost thier battle to cancer and children fighting cancer today.
Dear Friends and Family,
I write you today to tell you about what I am doing April 24th, 2010. I will be running the Country Music half marathon in Nashville, TN. I have chosen to do this because of a foundation called Emily’s Power for a Cure. Emily’s Power for a Cure was started after two parents lost their precious daughter Emily to Neuroblastoma on February 20, 2006. Emily had Stage IV Neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer of the sympathetic nervous system. A cancer of which 600-700 children a year are diagnosed and it only has a 30% survival rate. I did not know Emily, but have gotten the chance to work with her parents and her foundation. I also know the children fighting Neuroblastoma right now. Below are something’s about these beautiful and strong children.
There are two boys’ named Colin and Peyton who fought with all they had to beat Neuroblastoma. They currently have no evidence of disease and are now living their lives at home with their families being boys! But it doesn’t end there; their parents will constantly worry about a little cold or cough being that monster that once hurt their child. These children actively go through “scan week.” Scan week is a very scary week for these patients and families. They have different scans like Cat Scans and nuclear medicine scans to make sure their cancer has not come back. These two boys and their families are fighters and continue to raise awareness and fight cancer today!
The other 3 kids with Neuroblastoma we are currently treating are 2 spunky girls named Maddie and Sarah, and a little cowboy named Scotty. Maddie is a 7 year old who loves dogs and animals. She has been on treatment for over four years and never been in remission. Sarah is an 11 year old girl going on 20! She loves clothes and to play UNO. Scotty is a 5 year old boy with a smile that brightens any room. He loves cowboys and coon dogs. These three kids have gone through test after test, needle after needle, and have traveled to different states to seek experimental treatments. I have had the chance to get to know these families and I see what they go through day after day. The kids fight, the parents fight, the siblings fight, the grandparents fight, the aunts fight, the uncles fight, and the friends fight. Cancer does not just affect the child it affects the whole family. I see this first hand and that is why I have chosen to run the half marathon this year. I am doing the small things I can to join in these children’s fight against cancer.
To see a family fight this beast is horrible. To see a family lose a child to cancer is devastating and words cannot explain how you see the parents suffer. Jayden was another amazing child I had the pleasure of knowing. Jayden was a happy 5 year old boy with Neuroblastoma. Jayden was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, went into remission, and then relapsed 2 months after his remission. Jayden passed away on July 12th, 2009. Jayden is now cancer free running and playing in heaven. It is hard to watch a child lose his battle with cancer. It is even harder to see the parents go through such a tragic loss. April 24th, 2010 I want to run for Jayden and help find a cure for Neuroblastoma.
Below is a link to a video showing these amazing children I have wrote about. Please watch it and see their beautiful faces.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3hbdT3zang
This year I am running for the precious angel Emily and the precious angel Jayden. I am am running for the kids that have or have had neuroblastoma: Colin, Maddie, Peyton, Sarah, and Scotty I will be running for every other child who is battling cancer. I am lucky to work with these children every day. On April 24th, 2010, I will be running for these kids! One day there will be a cure. Help me fight cancer and find a cure.
If you would like to donate, you can donate online or send a check made payable to Emily's Power for a Cure:
Ashley Williams 1175 Pineville Rd Apt 155 Chattanooga, TN 37405 (Put my name in the memo line)
If you would like to help this fight and open your own active.com page to help me raise funds please feel free to do so.
With Hope,
Ashley
Here is a slideshow that shows me and some of the kids I work with.
