A Journey of Hope
By Renee Thornton –
On September 10th, 2017 over 1,300 people participated in the Wilmot Cancer Center Warrior Walk raising over $170,000 for the Judy DiMarzo Survivorship Program and cancer research at Wilmot. I was proud to be one of the participants and among the top fundraisers.
I am really not a very competitive person by nature in the way of games or sport activities. I prefer to simply have fun doing those activities. I am however very competitive when I set a personal objective to do something. Whether it is to finish my spring cleaning list, hike a tough mountain, workout every day or to raise money for something I am passionate about. I become quite determined to achieve my goals.
For the Warrior Walk I simply had 2 goals; to get in shape for the 5K in order to run the entire thing, and to raise as much money as I could for this great cause.
The fight to find a cure for cancer is very personal to me having lost my Mother, Better Bertou, in June 1997 to ovarian cancer and my brother, Jim Bertou, last December 11th to bladder cancer. Cancer is without a doubt a very indiscriminate and formidable opponent for far too many people. Statistics state 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with cancer. Those numbers are staggering. It is not just about the person in the fight with cancer, it is also about the people who love and care for that that person. It takes a toll on everyone.
As I was writing my personal page for the fund raiser, I named those for whom I was doing this for. I listed the names of loved ones I know that are currently in the fight, other loved ones that are survivors and sadly my longest list was for those I was running in memory of. It really drove home the fact that I was doing the right thing for the right reason. Cancer research and early detection education is pivotal in this fight and money is needed for both.
And so I practiced running, which for many people may seem trivial, but to someone who has rounded the corner to 60, has not run in over 12 years and has put on a few pounds since then, trust me when I say it was far from trivial for me. However, I was bound and determined to run the entire 5K.
The day of the event turned out to be a gorgeous sunny day. Not too hot, nor too cold for anyone running. The registration desks were busy. People all over had their running gear on. Many of them looked like this was old hat to them. In some ways I felt out of place, so I just kept repeating my goal over and over in my head – just run the entire race.
This day was about survivorship. The survivors were out in number. They wore their yellow survivor badges around their neck. I could not help but wonder what their stories were. Every cancer survivor has a story.
While I was registering I was not sure if I was more proud to pin my 5K number (1530) on my shirt front or to place my “I am Running for” tag (Jim Bertou and Betty Bertou) on my back. I felt nervous yet excited.
I went to greet my nephew Shane (Jim’s son) at the 10K finish line. Then it was time for the 5K to begin. My niece Sarah was running her first 5K ever, in memory of her father. My brother Jim was an avid runner. The 5 of us lined up; Sarah, Shane, Shane’s 2 sons Josiah and Judah and myself. And we were off.
I kept my pace steady. When I felt like I needed to stop and walk rather than run, I said a silent prayer to Jim and Mom for help. I thought again about the reason I was running and got emotional at one point, which did not help my already ragged breathing. I felt reassured when I passed many other runners who had stopped to walk. When I saw the .1 mile marker I knew I was going to make it! It was about the same time I heard the music that was being played at the finish line. However, that was soon drowned out by the ‘Rocky’ theme music that was playing in my head. Crossing that finish line never felt so good!
After the awards for the 5K race was over the announcement was made for the 1-mile Family Walk. The teams gathered. Looking around I saw team names such as; Alan’s Avengers, Pray4Pammy, Team Hope, Meme’s Miracle, WeR Surgeons and many others. We rounded up our ‘Team Bertou’, maybe not too original, but it worked. There were 13 of us altogether.
In the air there was a definite feeling of being a part of something bigger than one’s self. A feeling of camaraderie and a sense that others could absolutely relate in one way or another to your own cancer story, whether as a survivor or as someone who loves/loved a cancer victim. I saw tears and smiles, people getting and giving hugs, heard laughter and stories being told by the survivors present and other stories as memories of loved ones were recalled. So many stories.
As we started the Family Walk the music to ‘Wind beneath My Wings’ was playing. That was my undoing. As I pushed my great-niece Evelyn’s stroller, I thought how Jim had only lived 2 months after his first granddaughter had been born. This little angel would never know her sweet, fun loving Grandfather. God gives and God takes away – the circle of life. The tears I shed that day were a mix of happy memories and deep etched grief. Both will always be a part of who I am.
After the Family Walk many activates were taking place in Highland Park Bowl complete with Food Trucks, bounce houses for the kids, live music and the survivorship tent. I was more than content just spending the time with my family.
Progress in the fight against cancer is being made every day. There is an army of medical professionals who devote their lives to making that true. New cancer treatment options such as immunotherapy are being tested with positive results. Scott Spezzano (98.5 The Buzz) was the emcee for the Wilmot event. He stated that in 2016 there were 15 million cancer survivors in the United States. It is predicted by 2020 there will be 20 million.
Those are numbers that bring hope. Those are numbers that make events such as the Warrior Walk and other cancer research fund raisers all that much more important. Maybe next year I will set my goal to running the 10K.