Becoming a Global Hero

As usual I'm a few weeks late in blogging about this, but earlier in the month I had the opportunity to run the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon 10 Miler as a Medtronic Global Hero. The team was made up of 25 runners who all had implantable medical devices, and despite the various medical challenges we faced, were able to complete distance races. The medical conditions ranged from diabetes to heart conditions to Parkinson's to hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus being the condition that I suffered from prior to having my shunt implanted to help relieve the pressure of fluid building up in my brain because of my brain tumor.

 

 

 

 

The weekend was amazing. We were treated like VIPs, Medtronic is an incredible company, Minneapolis and St. Paul were beautiful, and it was so great to get a chance to meet and spend the weekend with a group of runners that I had something special in common with. As the saying of the team goes, "a diagnosis didn't end the run". I found myself getting emotional many times over the course of this weekend, and I went from almost crying in my pre-race interview to full on crying during my post race interview. I'm starting to cry just thinking about it! I'll let these pictures tell the story of the weekend.

 

 

Schedule of a Busy Weekend

 

 

Medtronic Headquarters Tour

 

Cerebral Shunts Similar to Mine

(the four little pieces on the shelf)

 

 

Award Luncheon with Medtronic - Hold the Cheese!

 

 

Hydrocephalus Caused by Brain Cancer

 

 

Global Heroes Award We All Received

 

 

Performance by Roger Frisch

(Remember the recent news story about the  man who played
the violin during brain surgery? He was on our team!)

 

 

Medtronic Global Heroes Swag

 

 

 Selfie Selfie with David

 

 

Friday Dinner with My Wisconsin Carlson Family

 

 

 Global Heroes Team Photo on Saturday

 

 

Team Photo with our Boxing Kangaroos!
(gift from our Australian team mate)

 

 

Team Huddle

 

 

Packet Pickup - We Had Our Own Section!

 

 

Girls on the Run!

 

 

Race Morning- Layered in Under Armour

New Shwings Are Ready to Fly!

Me & My Favorite Race Partner

Pre-Race Group Huddle

Put your right shwing in, put your right shwing out...

Getting Ready to Run

I didn't take any pictures along the way....

Approaching the Finish Line

We Did It! First Race Together in 3 Years

37F at the Start, 41F at the Finish - BRRR!

 

 

Race Signs at the Heroes Tent at the Finish

Post Race Celebration

 

 

The weekend went by in a blur and I was sad that it had to end so soon. Being on this team was an amazing experience, and I have a lot of respect and admiration for Medtronic for putting together a team like this to bring us all together and help us celebrate the challenges we've been through. I'm so glad I had to chance to meet everyone on the team and wish we had been able to spend more time together.  We've all been keeping in touch on facebook so who knows, maybe a reunion race will be in the future!

 

 

 

 

2 Year Cancerversary

Last Sunday on September 21st I celebrated my two year cancerversary. I'm not quite sure if it's actually a day to celebrate though. Sure, I have survived cancer for two years and feel great each day, but that day in 2012 was a horrible devastating day, and it's strange to feel like each time that date comes around on the calendar it's means for celebration. I'm also only 36 so celebrating having lived from 34 to 36 doesn't seem quite right either. David and I talked a lot about the meaning of the date and I think for me its a reference point to look back on to compare how far I've come in that time.

 

 

Cancerversary Dinner at Cowboy Star

 

 

In the past two years a lot has happened, both with cancer and with the rest of my life. On the cancer side since diagnosis I went through brain surgery, 6 weeks of radiation with low dose chemo, 12 months of 5 day cycles of high dose chemo, and endless blood tests, MRIs and doctors appointments. And of course the never ending bills that are associated with all of that. Ugh. On the personal side of life I've changed jobs, gotten married, moved, seen the Glam Runner business explode (thanks Tutugate!), and have continued to run, race, ran three more marathons, and even completed my first half Ironman.

 

 

Finally a Half Ironwoman!

 

 

These past two years have gone quickly, and it's really hard to believe sometimes that I'm living with cancer and feel perfectly fine. Not that I want to feel sick, but sometimes I really can't believe that I can feel perfectly healthy, have no side effects, carry on with a normal active life ... and yet I have something inside my body that is trying to kill me.

 

I'm trying to do what I can to stay healthy and positive, and the most recent thing that David and I have done is enroll in the 8-week Natural Healing and Cooking program through UCSD's Center for Integrative Medicine. I saw a doctor there recently who specializes in treating cancer patients from a whole body perspective. Diet, lifestyle, activity, etc. I really believe that all of these factors play into the prevention and treatment of disease, and with little in my control right now with my brain cancer and no cure on the horizon, I feel that this is the least I can do and the best I can do.

 

 

Natural Healing & Cooking

 

 

My cancerversary falls on the same weekend as the San Diego Brain Tumor Foundation 5K oddly enough, and last year and this year I had a group of friends join me in the race as Team Mokie. It was great to see everyone out there running and walking in their tutus, and I really appreciate everyone who came out to support me.

 

 Team Mokie 2014

My Fave Running Partner

Unicorn Running Team

My Awesome Oncologist

 

A few days after the 5K I had my next MRI, and the Baizes were nice enough to continue their tradition of meeting David and I for dinner before I headed in for my scan. The weeks, days, and hours leading up to an MRI are filled with anxiety, and having a fun distraction is always welcome.

 

 

Pre-MRI Dinner Tradition

 

 

Good news - but my MRI looks great! My tumor is still stable when compared to my previous MRI, and better than that when we compared it to a MRI from earlier last year you could see significant shrinkage in some areas! I can now relax again for a few months until my next MRI, and can go back to appreciating feeling healthy and symptom free.

 

This weekend David and I are heading to Minneapolis for the Medtronic Marathon 10 miler, and later this month I'll be rappelling down the side of the Manchester Grand Hyatt again to help raise money for brain cancer research trough ABC2's Over the Edge event. Want to support me? You can donate here.

 

 

Last Long Run

 

 

Here's to two years of living life to the fullest, and many more years to come.