Racing to Save Lives

Hello Friends & Family,

Welcome to my fundraising website! This year I am so proud to participate in my 1st Boston Marathon as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training!

As most of you know I work as a nurse at Brigham and Women's Hospital and most recently started on a Dana Farber oncology floor. The majority of the patients I care for are those affected by cancers of the blood. My patients inspire me each day with their bravery and strength in the face of cancer. I am very lucky and privileged to work where I do!

The picture above is myself and my patient John who is battling a blood cancer called myelofibrosis. He has failed a stem cell transpant in his treatment and is now fighting graft vs. host disease. Throughout it all though John's sense of humor and ability to take things one day at a time inspires me each day as he always brings a smile to my face with his quick wit and one liners. :) He has been my patient now for 6 weeks and we have developed a close bond.

I will be running in honor of John and all the patients I've cared for who are battling these cancers each day. These people are the REAL heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

The fundraising minimum for the team is $3,250. The Society puts 75% of every dollar raised directly to research and services for patients and families. I know times are tough with a poor economy and with the holidays around the corner, so I THANK YOU in advance for any donation you may be able to give!

My heartfelt appreciation to you for your generosity, prayers, and support as I start this incredible chapter in my life -- again thank you SO much!

Love,

Stephanie

Update 11/24-I have reached 50% of my fundraising goal! I am SO incredibly thankful to all of you. Happy Thanksgiving! xoxo

Update 11/28-I have raised $2,000 so far and am on the homestretch! Thank you everyone! Training is going well so far. Feeling good and training smart/safely through the support of the Team and all of you! John sends his thanks as well!

Update 12/ 11-

<3 Rest in Peace John. May angels lead you in <3

This week I said goodbye to my friend and patient John. Over the past 2 months I have been blessed to get to know John and his family very well. Johns unwavering strength continuously amazed and inspired me. John was a family man and wonderful soul and he was also a big kid at heart. He always made light of a situation. He'd say "it always could be worse" and would always say "thank you" for every little thing. On a couple of slow weekend shifts, we spent time just sitting and watching Sponge Bob, Aladdin, and most recently corny Christmas movies on ABC Family. I remember the time John was finally able to drink fluids and he did the "happy dance" for a hot cup of tea and later his "cocktail" of cran/apple on the rocks. He was able to still smile and make the best of things during these long past few weeks in the hospital. Yet John had his tough days too and would often hit the call bell for me to come in his room and just ask for a hug. He let me draw my elementary cartoons on his whiteboard of Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas scenes and even complimented them. I affectionately called him "boyfriend" and he called me his "lady" or sometimes just "kid" but also noted that I would never hold a candle to his beloved wife Rose Marie. Throughout his hospitalization I became close with Rose as well as Johns devoted sister Mary, his 4 sons and their families too, even his grandson who drove up from N. Carolina after just coming home from Iraq. They were all immensely proud of this website and have been so supportive so a big huge THANK YOU to all the Sheridan family. And while I am so sad to have lost John, I am so relieved his suffering and fighting is over. I can now say I will have my own personal guardian angel with me all 26.2 miles of the marathon. Last week when I told John I hit the $2,000 fundraising mark he was so proud and when I thanked him he said "anything for you lady I' m happy to help." I will never forget these little moments. When I asked John over a month ago if I could run in his honor it didn't dawn on me that I would be running now "in memory" of him. I feel privileged to have cared for John during his last days and spend time with his gracious family. He has left an impression on my heart and nursing career, and I will forever be a better one because of him. Rest in peace, John.

Update 12/14-

This past week has been an emotional rollercoaster. As I was out running my 7 miler, John had passed away surrounded by his family and left this world peacefully and comfortably which is the most important. John will be sorely missed by many people as he touched so many people's hearts. Yesterday was my first shift without having John as my patient and I felt a huge void and aching in my heart as I missed his presence on the floor. Another huge milestone this weekend happened though, I raised 100% of the fundraising minimum for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!!!! I was jumping up and down with joy, just completed elated and immensely touched by all who have donated and supported me. From my closest friends and family to the Sheridans to perfect strangers who so graciously gave with monetarily and with the hearts, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know John is SO proud of me and definitely doing a happy dance up in the clouds somewhere. :)

Update 2/11

Tomorrow I will run 15 miles!! I'm still in denial that I am really doing this! To think before all this I had never run more than 5 and here I am about to run 15! Everytime in training where I feel like I am "hitting that wall" they call it, I look up to the clouds and just close my eyes and feel Johns presence and it truly helps me to refocus and just keep running. Tomorrow I will be speaking in front of the team for our weekly "Dedication"in honor of John! I am so nervous but know that sharing my story with my teammates will help me honor his wonderful spirit. The marathon is nearly 2 months away and as fate would have it, April 19th is John's birthday which would have been his 63rd. Another reason again this is all so special to me. Thank you again everyone for your support. <3

Update 4/12

A message of thank you to my donors:

ONE WEEK to the Boston Marathon! I am so incredibly excited and truly looking forward to race day!  Seven days from now, Marathon Monday for me will be the reward and pay off to our hard training…the frosting on the cake! I just want to enjoy all the dedication and time we’ve put in these past 5+ months of training and truly appreciate the experience of running Boston mile by mile. Two weekends ago we did our longest run beginning at the official starting line in Hopkinton and ran the first 20 miles of the course. I felt awesome, strong, and most importantly I had FUN! It was definitely a confidence booster and got me so excited for April 19th!

This morning amongst a typical busy day at work, out of the blue, one of my patients whom I cared for a few months ago (and actually gave his stem cells to) called the floor to wish me luck next week! He had remembered when I was just first training for the marathon and called to say he had recruited his prayer group to root for me next Monday and wanted to track my bib number. Ray also reported he was doing great and was just given clearance from his doctors status post his transplant to go out to Honeydew Donuts for a coffee.  Given the fact I hadn’t talked to this patient since the day of his discharge, I was incredibly moved by his thoughtfulness more than he will ever realize. His phone call made my day and was the ultimate motivator to start my weeklong countdown to race day. Ray’s phone call made me pause, reflect, and smile about “why I am running and who I am running for” which makes this experience that much more meaningful. Not only am I going to accomplish the challenge of running 26.2 miles but it will have done so with a passion for a cause that is so much bigger than myself and my personal goal of completing a marathon. It is about my patients and those who I’ve personally known and have lost to cancer.

My patient John who is my “honored hero” on my donation page would have been celebrating his 63rd birthday on April 19th 2010. It is divine fate Ill be running in his honor on his birthday on the day of the marathon. His memory has been a huge source of support and whenever I am felt like I was about to “hit a wall” during my training runs I remembered John and the incredible impact he had on my nursing career and how I will never forget some of the conversations and jokes we shared together. I have since raised $4,300 while our 150 member team has raised $682,000! This money will be used primarily for research funding and secondly patient care services such as co-pays and support groups. I see the benefit my patients receive from Leukemia & Lymphoma Society donations raised first hand on a daily basis in my line of work, and on their behalf, THANK YOU!

My bib number is #23517. Feel free to track my race online or via text. Just send a text of “RUNNER” to 31901. Then they will ask for my bib # 23517. Here is the link for the Athlete Alert website if you have any questions: http://registration.baa.org/2010/cf/RegAthleteAlert/pg_AthleteAlert.cfm?mode=preentry&snap=55697488&

If you are going to be along the actual route and have any questions on how/where, the BAA has a helpful “Spectator Guide”. If you live outside of the city it may be easier to view the course from outside of Boston such as Wellesley (half-way point) via Route 9 (which is open) and our team will have a huge setup for family/friends at the Wellesley Community Center. Parking is available. Additionally, our team will also have a meeting spot @ the Copley Marriot in Boston and there is a garage available there too. Public transportation is also highly recommended and the BAA Spectator Guide maps out nearly every point along the route with a commuter rail station and/or T stop available which is super helpful. If you are going to be out on race day, PLEASE let me know so I can look for you!  My wave starts around 10:30 but I heard it takes a while to actually cross the starting line so I figure Ill be finishing somewhere around 330-4? I’m really not sure how it will all play out but this is what I am thinking!

The Spectator Guide link is: http://www.baa.org/BostonMarathon/SpectatorGuide.asp

After the race, Ill be meeting with my teammates at the Copley Marriot, showering there then heading right over to the North End to the Four Winds Bar & Grille to celebrate with some good food, drinks, family, and friends! All are welcome. There are 2 huge parking lots across the street. And I imagine Ill be there by 530-6ish  and by the way, my cell phone is (978) 764-4741.

So again I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for the incredible amount of generosity and support you have all shown me. It has meant the world to me. Honestly. I’ve been completely overwhelmed by the incredible support from you all and cannot adequately thank you. I will think of each of you on race day and please know I could not have done this without you. I am so blessed and so very grateful! Thank you again!<3 Stephanie

4/19/2010 Marathon Monday

Hey everyone!!!!!

I did it!! 26.2 miles and had the “BEST DAY EVER!!” Best day ever is the motto I carried with me from the minute I woke up til right now haha. The story behind it is from one of the honored heroes for a teammate of mine on the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society who lost her precious nephew Aidan at age 6 from leukemia and he was known to say “today was the best day ever” and my team mate gave an incredible dedication about him one day at training and those were the words I lived by today as I ran the race.

So again, I had the best day ever! My morning started off with a piece of cold pizza and hopping in a cab to the Boston Common to catch the bus where I left my beloved stick. www.thestick.com if you don’t know what it is- its ESSENTIAL to runners!! It has been my left hand for the past 5 months. So I left that in that taxi, and I think it was right there and there I got rid of any possible bad luck. Because honestly from mile 1 to mile ever. Shortly after crossing the starting line, best thing ever, as fate would have it, I saw the sister of my honored hero John Sheridan. Mary Lavin, her husband Leo and daughters Maura and Kristen were there with flailing arms, cheers, and cowbells. It was the BEST way to start my race! So thank you guys! John definitely set that one up for me because it was the perfect start. From there I seriously cruised, but also paced myself slow, because if you didn’t know the first 15 miles of Boston are down hill and it can be very easy to go out hard (too hard) and then pay for it later…..so I paced myself well and ran the best race I could have. So I cruised all of all sudden I was at mile 10 and there was my Dad, Uncle, Aunt, and little sister Kristin! Best ever! Next up, Wellesley with the screaming college girls and I was half-way done! I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun!! So next up was the turn at the firehouse in Newton- the start of dreaded “hills” a 5 mile span of 7 hills, the last one being “Heartbreak” and at that point your legs are 17 miles deep- aka their NOT fresh and are feeling achy. Again, my buddy John, looking after me placed his sister Mary and her family AGAIN in the middle of one of the hills and they ran me up it! It was SO awesome of them. Finally hit heartbreak hill which I didn’t even feel though cause I felt like a rock star with all the drunk BC kids chanting “steph steph steph!” it was truly incredible. God bless them. After mile 22 is Brookline…or as I dubbed it the “blah” mile it was cold, cloudy, and my legs were feeling the past 22 miles/hills. If I hit a wall, it was there, but I persevered and not once did I walk the course other than to grab a water/Gatorade at the stops. So mile 23 comes and my amazing sister Lauren and her roommates hopped in, fresh off their “kegger/rager” at their apt and pulled me through to Coolidge corner where I saw the Cahills/Graveleses and got a huge 2nd wind! From there I coasted into Kenmore Sq which was a complete blur cause at that point I just wanted to be done! Turned left onto Hereford, right onto Boylston where I saw my Dad/Uncle/family again and my little sis Kristin jumped over the barricade to run the last stretch with me! And lastly with a few hundred yards to go I saw my 4 best friends from North Andover that I literally met during my first days of being the “new girl” in the middle of 6th grade and have since to this day remained my closest friends, sisters really, so seeing them was just the cap to perfect run! They gave me pink roses, so fitting. And from there I picked it and finished at 5:03, which 5 hours give or take, was my goal- woo hoo!!! After the race, I cleaned up to the best of my ability in a bathroom with some handy deodorant and perfume, change of clothes, and headed to Amhreins in Southie where all of my closest family, friends, my roommates met up to celebrate!! I had a bud light in my hand within 5 minutes of getting there so the runners high/bud light are to explain the huge tangent this email is taking haha. At dinner, I bopped around talking with everyone, again having the best time ever, when about half-way through, I was completely and utterly taken aback when I saw the face of the wife of one of my beloved patients, Bob Joyal, who I cared for in the fall of 2007 as a brand spanking new nurse. I wore Bobs name on my jersey today as Kathy had donated to me and I wanted to honor him on race day. Little did I know she would surprise me with coming to my after-party. Bob and Kathy’s son Brad was also there, they traveled over 2 hours to make it there. Needless to say I was floored, humbled, and overwhelmed with emotion. Obviously the water works started as I was so incredibly touched. Seeing Kathy and Brad was the cherry on the sundae, the reason WHY I did this insane notion of running 26 miles consecutively and brought my entire day full circle. From seeing John’s family at mile 1 in Hopkinton and Bob’s family after the race brought it home for me and my day as I’ve said for probably the 26th time, the best day ever!

So again, thank you ALL soooooo much for your support, your donations, your words of encouragement, your facebook posts haha, your emails, and your faith in me that I could actually do, I appreciate it so much and thank you again from the bottom of my heart!!!

Love always,

Stephanie