Rex Lee Run Thoughts

So, I am going to run the Rex Lee run in the morning. It is a 5K that is pretty popular, and it should be fun. While I should finish close to last, it will be a good time. Well, the Rex Lee run is a fundraiser for Cancer-type stuff. One of the things you can do is pay a little extra to “Honor a Cancer Fighter,” and the first thing I thought when I saw that is, “I don’t know anyone who is a cancer fighter.” Then, after thinking a little, I remembered, someone very close to me had colon cancer. Let’s call her Donna Loper. After remembering Donna, I wondered why I had not thought of her instantly when I thought of cancer fighters. Donna had colon cancer, had a goodly portion of her colon removed, had chemotherapy for a while, and has since been declared cancer free on every of the 8 or so visits since she was diagnosed. It was a process that was difficult—many tears were shed and it was a hard time for Donna and her family. So, why don’t I think of Donna when I think of cancer fighters? Donna never acted like a typical "cancer-fighter". She didn’t buy little bracelets or do any of those sorts of things. In fact, I would suggest many of the people who know Donna very well don’t even know she had life-threatening cancer. Donna is not a complainer, and is not a victim. While battling cancer was extremely difficult for her and her family, she keeps her battles to herself, and when she won, the victory was uncelebrated. So, here is to Donna. While I don’t think immediately of her when I think of cancer, I think of her when I think of amazing, tough, and vivacious woman who can’t be put down by anything.