How I Celebrated My One Year Cancer Free Annivarsary

One year ago (yesterday) I had a radical hysterectomy done because I had Stage 1B1 Cervical Cancer. Now that a year has past I am finally feeling back to my old self and although it has gone by quickly, my body really did take nearly a full year to recover. I really wanted to do something special today to ring in my anniversary but I didn't want to make it just about me. I've shared my story with you a couple times now so I wanted to celebrate and help St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at the same time.

St. Jude Hospital in Memphis

 

For my anniversary I did what I do best, run! I put together a Fun Run/Walk with friends to benefit St. Jude. You may have seen my St. Jude run posts on facebook or even the website, it's a charity I've been very passionate about, even more so, after finding out I had cancer. I was a lucky one! I only required surgery as a cure but it still brought along similar hardships, especially the financial hardship. When your fighting for your life, or your child's life, the last thing you ever want to have to think about is a bill. That's why I'm such a strong supporter of St. Jude, no family ever even see's a bill, not for treatment, food, lodging or even travel expenses. Because St. Jude is non-profit and a research hospital they SHARE their information with doctors and hospitals around the WORLD! How can you not want to support a place like that?

I asked my friends and family on my one year Anniversary to join me in celebrating and supporting St. Jude by making a minimum $10 donation to the St. Jude Run I'll be doing this summer. I also asked them to go for a walk or a run, anywhere/time on May 13th, or they could join me at Grandview Drive and we can run together. Of course not everyone who wanted too could join, because its a Tuesday morning, but the donations have flooded my in box ALL DAY!  I'm so excited to announce my little "fun run" has brought in $750!!!!!!

My friends who were able to walk and run!

What was so special to me is that friends who are also St. Jude runners showed up and donated! And one of my friends, Jess (Run With Jess-who also gave me the idea of organizing the run), made some teal ribbon cookies (teal is the color for gynecological cancers) for us to enjoy after the run. I had so many left over I brought them to the radio station and asked everyone to donate a couple bucks for a cookie and that brought in another $30!

Yummy F.U Cancer cookies, in teal to represent Cervical Cancer.

Taking a bite out of cancer!

If you'd like to join the donation party please log on to www.peoriaruns.stjude.org/akinkade and make at least a $10 donation.

Now with out furter ado here are the BIG WINNERS in my prizes I had up for grabs. Everyone who donated on or before yesterday was entered into the drawing.

-a $50 Gift Certificate to Running Central - BETH SCROFF
-a pair of General Admission tickets to the Indy 500 SUSAN RENNER
-one box of my favorite energy drink Spark from AdvoCare!!! TINA MORRIS
-Free 6 Month membership at World Gym-Peoria! HEATHER HAYES
-Free Oil Change and Full Car Detail from Green's Finish Line Ford JENNIFER JACOBSEN WOOD
-a $50 gift certificate for Arbonne BARB JOHNSON

I want to shout out to everyone who joined me on my run today and also those to donated: Matt N., Run With Jess, Melissa C., Tina M., Brittany K., Maria D., Amy J., Steve W., Brandy C., Deanna C., Laura L., Oralia Z., Pam P., Kelly B., Scott & Amy M., Jennifer J-W., Bob & Margaret M., Brian & Kate D., Barb J., Diane B., Lindsey N., Patricia C., Teresa S., Carla W., Heather H., Susan R., Cassi Z., Karla J., Beth S., Tracy S., Robynn M., Jeanette H., Yolanda M., Biel A., Oralia Z. and Monique W..

Special shout out to my Matty too because it really made my day that he took the afternoon off of work to run with me. He really had his hands full this past year as I had some struggles. I'm lucky I have such a calm, patient man because calm and patient is what I am not. Love him more every day for always sticking by my side, I may hate him when he pushes me but love him when I succeed.

The Most Magical Place IS St. Jude In Memphis

Even before I had cancer, I was running for the kids of St. Jude, after having it and beating it will continue with more motivation than ever before to help these kids and families fight this awful disease.

Just before Thanksgiving I was able to tour the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee and if I had to describe the place in one word it would simply be 'magical'. Many people have said "I would have cried." or "Didn't it make you sad?" and even "I don't think I could handle seeing all those sick kids." and I felt the same way, up until I walked up to the building and was greeted by the statue of St. Jude Thaddeus. 

The entrance to the hospital.

We were lucky to have toured on the Monday before Thanksgiving as they had many events going on; the Today Show was there with Marlo Thomas (daughter of founder Danny Thomas) to kick of the Give Thanks Campaign, they were holding the naming of a horse donated by the Memphis Police Department (the horse was appropriately named Jude) and there lots of kids in for treatment before the Thanksgiving holiday.

St. Jude is truly a place created for children its not your average hospital where everyone looks sick, sad, bored and unhappy to be there. Every inch of every wall is brightly colored and through each hallway you travel through the seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. You will see children laughing, playing games and the kids are the ones that will be checking in, desks are made to their height and they are the ones asked questions. In a normal hospital you'd never see kids pushing around wheelchairs laughing and having fun, OK well you have but they normally get in trouble for doing so but not here, that kind of stuff is encouraged. You see crafts being held and a giant ginger bread house being created.

This is the ginger bread house that was being built.

Teenagers have their own rooms and little kids and adults are absolutely forbidden, parents can try to come in but as we were told, security will come after them and kick them out. The teen rooms are just that, teen rooms, a place of their own.  

I was told Halloween is the BEST time to be at St. Jude because they go all out for it. I saw probably a hundred kids all of them with maybe the exception of TWO had smiles on their faces and even with their bald heads you could see they were filled with hope. It is so amazing to see that this place was build on love, I know that sounds corny, but it's true. Donations = love and ST. Jude was built and saves lives and gives hope because of donations, something I always knew but never was able to quite put into perspective until yesterday.

I learned so many things about St. Jude and over the  next year as I embark on my third St. Jude run I will be sharing them with you. Trust me you want to hear them and will be glad I waited to share them.

It's really hard to believe that St. Jude was at one time just a vision of Danny Thomas and to see the facility has has built upon, the lives that he has saved and miracles he fostered, yes I agreed St. Jude really IS the most magical place on earth.

I was told that when you are supposed to rub Danny's nose for good luck so that's what I did.