This photo was taken after I completed the Dogwood Canyon 15k on November 13th, 2022. It was a special day for me. This race was the final race of 6 that I completed in as many weekends. All but this race being 5k’s. I’ve always enjoyed running 5k’s or 10k’s, but I had never done so many in such a short amount of time. Normally my motivation for running comes from a desire for adventure. This time, however, I was motivated by a need to stay as healthy as possible. In August of last year, I received a call from my Dermatologist that I had Marginal Zone Lymphoma (MZL) on my left elbow. I called my wife and told her about the diagnosis. Both of us were shocked. A couple weeks later, a biospy showed that the MZL was also in a lymph node near my right elbow. Receiving news like this is never easy or simple to handle. There is always so much uncertainty and that can be devastating mentally. I remember driving with my coworkers to jobs having to fight back tears as I was tormented with what if’s. We’ve all read or experienced situations like these, so I won’t go into more detail; though, I will say that my faith was and is instrumental to my well-being.
A few scans and lots of bloodwork later, we had more information and found out that the MZL was indolent (not aggressive) and that it had not spread to any other part of my body. Whew! What a weight lifted from our shoulders. My doctor explained that I would need radiation treatment on both elbows. He said the treatments would be every weekday for roughly a month and that I needed to stay active during the treatment period. This was my motivation! Stay active while going through radiation. So, I went online and found 6 races.
The first was a 5k trail run at Trailfest which is held at Two Rivers Mountain Bike Park in Highlandville, MO. The second was on Table Rock Lake, but I couldn’t make it, so I ran a 5k at Wilson’s Creek Battlefield on my own. The third was a 5k called Priebe Strong held in Republic, MO. The fourth was a 5k in Branson, MO put on by K-Life. My family joined me on this one and my daughter took 1st place for her age group! The fifth was 5k put on by Bass Pro Fitness in Springfield, MO. I recorded a PB of 25:36 at this one! Finally, I finished with the 15k at Dogwood Canyon south of Branson, MO.
It was so much fun participating in so many events. I loved every minute of it. But my favorite part of each weekend was embracing my wife while holding our daughter after I crossed the finish line. I’ll never forget those moments.
