Brianna Kirby fights the disease that took her mother, 13.1 miles at a time
Written by Brianna Kirby
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[dropcap]My mother was diagnosed with colon cancer in the fall of 2006. The cancer metastasized to her ovaries in 2008 and embedded in her abdominal muscle the year after. By 2010, it was in her lungs, then the lymph nodes, until the cancer stopped responding to chemotherapy altogether. Watching hospice assemble the hospital bed in my mother’s home was the most horrifying experience of my life. She died at home in August 2012. She was 52.[/dropcap]I couldn’t bring myself to help make her deathbed. I watched from the kitchen as my aunt took over the methodical chore, tucking and folding the extra-long twin sheet set I’d used in college.
I remember wanting to scream. I had to do something to regain some sense of control. I needed to rebel against the polite, hushed tones of visitors and caregivers, to scream so loud and for so long that the emptiness inside me would burn up. But instead of screaming, I ran.
I finished my first half marathon two days after I buried my mother. I had a vision of carrying her memory through 12 half marathons in 12 months while raising money for cancer research. It was with that intent I launched Still Easier Than Chemo, a campaign to give hope to those whose lives have been affected by cancer, and inspire those who can to help.
In May, fellow cancer haters gathered at Point 2 Running Company in Newport News, Va., to step up to the challenge (and onto a treadmill) to fight back against a disease we all want gone.
The inaugural 24-Hour Cancer Hater Challenge kicked off at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 10, and concluded at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Twenty-four runners (and walkers) relayed the treadmill-a-thon and raised money to benefit Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center.
Each participant had a personal reason for taking on the challenge: a sibling honoring the memory of her sister whose life was taken by cancer at just 22-years-old; a survivor thankful for the ability to participate and the opportunity to help save lives; a daughter who’d also lost her mother to cancer and another who’d lost her father; a widower celebrating 10 years in remission from the same cancer that took his late wife.
Even as the hours ticked away deep into the night, laughs and cheers filled Point 2’s store. Chick-Fil-A, GU gels and Starbucks coffee were available to runners, walkers and donors. A smorgasbord of fabulous prizes was raffled off throughout the event. Everyone walked away with something and with pride in knowing that their contributions will help find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat a disease that has taken too much.
As runners, we marvel at the human body’s ability to endure. As cancer haters, we lament its capacity for self-sabotage. As a community united, we will end cancer.
With only two half marathons to go, my journey is coming to an end, but my resolve is not. For as long as cancer continues to turn lives upside down, I will run for those who cannot.
For more on how you can help this cause, visit StillEasierThanChemo.com.