Once you choose hope, anything is possible..

I’m not sure what I’m here to say, but today has been a really emotional day. It might have been that we returned to our Shag danging lessons last night, and they all wanted to know how Casey was currently feeling and if everything was okay. We hadn’t seen any of them since last year, when Casey was diagnosed with cancer.  And, for the most part everything is okay. Casey has learned that the Chemo has had an effect on his immune system since he’s picked up quite a few more colds than normal. He can’t push himself through all nighters or really exhaust himself because he ends up sick  shortly after. He has to sleep more and he doesn’t have quite the amount of energy he used to. Meaning, he’s lost the superhuman energy he used to have and he’s more like a normal person who needs 8 hours of sleep a night but overall? He’s healthy and happy and there isn’t a lot more we could ask for as far as that goes.

What I’m here to talk about today is fear. Casey’s next surveillance appointment is coming up on the 29th of July for his CT Scan and follow up with his oncologist. He’s not worried about it one bit, he’s sure everything is going to work out fine. I wish I had that attitude, because I’m scared to death that something could be wrong. Every time he starts to feel under the weather I’m freaking out inside because I’m scared that the cancer may be back. But, Casey’s no nonsense approach to the whole situation, I think is the only reason I feel grounded. He’s the yin to my yang. I freak out and worry and he takes everything as it comes, more hopeful one day than the next.

When I cry because I’m so frustrated that Casey and I are having such a hard time conceiving a child, he’s right there to dry my tears and tell me that it will happen when it’s supposed to happen. When I cry because I see all these other women announcing their pregnancies and having babies, he calmly hands me a tissue and tells me that everything is going to be fine, that our dreams will come true.

I don’t know what I would do without the sweetest boy I have ever met. I think that’s why these weeks leading up to the appointment are so emotional for me. It’s hard to even think that the cancer could come back and take him away from me. He’s my everything. I know it sounds cliche’ but it’s true. I’ve never met anyone like him in my life and I thank my lucky stars for him everyday, even when he’s getting on my nerves, even when he frustrates himself and me over silly dance steps, or even when he tries to wake me up in the morning by giving me dragon breath kisses. I could never ask for a better husband or a better best friend.

So, if you don’t mind sending up a prayer for us in the next weeks that things come back negative, we certainly would appreciate it.

With love & hope,

Jenn

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April 23^rd & April 24^th were Nash County’s Relay for Life. Many people have never heard of Relay for Life.  RelayforLife.Com tell us that the American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.

Relay began in 1985 when Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon in Tacoma, Washington, ran and walked around a track for 24 hours to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Since then, Relay has grown from a single man’s passion to fight cancer into the world’s largest movement to end the disease. Each year, more than 3.5 million people in 5,000 communities in the United States, along with additional communities in 20 other countries, gather to take part in this global phenomenon and raise much-needed funds and awareness to save lives from cancer. Thanks to Relay participants, the American Cancer Society continues to save lives.

We began participating in Relay for Life five years ago when a friend of ours asked us if we were going to go. Her Mom participated on a company sponsored team and asked us to come out and support them. Relay is sort of overwhelming on your first visit. You don’t really get a sense of how powerful it really is. There are booths set up all along the track selling food and other items. There are TONS of people there walking the track. After that first year, we asked how we could start being a part of it. Our friends Wayne & Crystal decided to start a team with just their family and friends. They were calling it Huntin for A Cure and asked us to be part of it. We decided we would sell funnel cakes at our tent. Our team is made up of almost 20 people and has three survivors.

That year we got there early in the morning and started helping set up. My employer allows us time off of work for community service so it couldn’t have worked out better. We put on our orange shirts and got to work. We decorated our tent, set up lights for when it got dark and prepared for the onslaught of people. This was the first year I experienced the survivor lap. The opening ceremony starts off with all the survivors making the first lap around the track. They hold signs up saying how long they’ve been survivors. Every single time I experience this, I cry. All walks of life are represented in that lap. Cancer knows no boundaries, young, old, black, white or purple it does not discriminate.

This year I watched my husband with his purple Mohawk lead the lap. He walked with others who had less than a year as a survivor and I cried tears of joy because I was so proud of him. It was such a powerful moment knowing that we had fought cancer and while our battle is not over, we are winning. All of those people are winning and I was proud to be part of an event that honored those who have fought a long and hard battle.

Once the survivors finish walking their lap we prepare for customers. The air is filled with the smell of fried dough and powdered sugar. People line up and we start taking orders. It’s hard work and by 11pm that night we’re worn out and have run out of funnel cakes after selling almost 500 in 6 hours. Some of our team will continue to walk the track for the rest of the night and sleep in tents. The next day they celebrate children with Cancer and have a kid’s walk and activities for children.

We fall into bed that night exhausted but so happy because we know that while it was a drop in the bucket, we’ve made a difference. We couldn’t do this without the help of all of our family and friends and the whole community we live in. We thank you so much for all of your generosity and support for not only this event but your continued support of us.

Read more about the Nash County Relay for Life on the Rocky Mount Telegram.

UPDATE: The Nash County Relay for Life raised $294,352.31 this year. We thank everyone in helping our cause!

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