AN INTERVIEW WITH AN INSPIRING LADY!

NOTE FROM MICHAEL: I HAVE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED GETTING TO KNOW MY NEW FRIEND, KERI OF "500 MILES TO NOWHERE". KERI IS A POSITIVE BEACON OF LIGHT FOR SO MANY FACING CANCER THAT I ASKED HER IF I COULD INTERVIEW HER AS A WAY TO HELP SHARE HER INCREDIBLE STORY. IF IT TOUCHES YOUR HEART, PASS IT ALONG TO SOMEONE YOU LOVE WHO MIGHT BENEFIT FROM HER MESSAGE OF HOPE. IF YOU'RE NEW TO MY SITE, I'VE RUN THIS POST SINCE WEDNESDAY AND IT WILL REMAIN POSTED THROUGH SUNDAY. LET'S GIVE KERI OUR SUPPORT!

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Keri, you have a story to tell of Cancer that I felt every Blogger should know. Tell us why and how you became involved in fighting this disease?

In 2001, my husband was undergoing some tests for some annoying neurological symptoms. In April of that year he had an MRI and on Friday the 13th he received a phone call from a neurologist. He said he had read the results of Keith's MRI and that they had scheduled another MRI for the following Monday, this time with color contrast, because they had seen something in the brain that they believed to be a tumor. They weren't messing around! You know they are concerned when they call late on a Friday and they already have your next appointment scheduled without even consulting you first.

The second scan confirmed their suspicions and two months later, on June 13th, we were at a prestigious hospital in the Midwest to have it removed from his right temporal lobe. As he recovered at home, we heard about the Relay For Life taking place in my hometown and thought it would be something to get involved in that would be very life affirming. We were right about that! There was a team affiliated with our local hospital that was taking on additional people if they didn't have a team of their own but wanted to get involved, so we thought this would be a good way to join without having to take on too much the first year. That's how we got started. You have to watch out for that Relay For Life fever, though It's pretty addicting. The celebration of hope atmosphere can get under your skin and make you want to hold on to that.


Many of us notice your catchy Blog Name. Where do you do most of your distance running?

I can't take credit for the name of the blog. I learned the art of plagiarism (in a good way giving credit where credit is due, of course) from great Relay Master. I stole the name from a whole group of people involved in a 500 Miles to Nowhere club! It was started by a woman who inspired me to put my mileage to good use because I was already running to get healthy anyway so I turned it into a journey for cancer donations. So I owe it all to Marn, who also happens to be a survivor herself.

As for where I run, you may not know this Michael, but I am a Wisconsin girl. So during the months of decent weather (we do get more than two of those) I like to run a route that takes me past a lot of my old haunts in the town in which I was born and raised. The few bitter winter months, though, I wimp out and stay inside on my treadmill.

Take us through a typical day for you when you log miles?

Okay, here's a typical November day. Like today. Up at six and I wake up the seventeen-year-old who is obviously allergic to alarm clocks. I think I was at 17 also, that's why this doesn't bother me! I get ready for the day, which includes packing a backpack with laptop and other writing gear. Check emails and blog comments if there is time and we're out the door.

I drop Kel at school and drive to the coffee house for a few hours of writing and work on whatever Relay project I'm doing, be it for the Online Fundraising committee or the team. I may be composing a letter, reading a training document or just brainstorming something. This week I'm working on my application for Celebration on the Hill. Then I might grab a light lunch before I eventually head to my folks house to change into my running gear.

I'll go out for a run and then drive home for my shower and change before I have to run back out and pick up Kel from school. Various after-school activities keep her until later afternoon and then we might go straight home for homework or it might involve time out with the nieces for girls' night working on a project or going to a movie. Now that Relay is kicking into gear I might have a training or a committee meeting to attend. If Kel has a date or something else keeping her out in the evening, I can usually be found at a coffee house doing more writing or working on a crochet project to be sold for additional Relay fundraising, or using their high-speed internet to do my blogging!

As a former distance runner myself, I understand the injuries and pain associated with running on different terrain along with accidents. How have you handled this?

I have been really fortunate in that I haven't suffered too many serious injuries with my running. I've had the occasional spill and picked up bruised knees and a bruised ego. I also have a nagging Achilles problem from an old injury gained by not doing a great job stretching. For the most part, I'm pretty injury free (knocks on wood). Of course, there was that time I spent Relay night on crutches (my first year as a Captain, too!), but that had nothing to do with a running injury.

How has running helped you cope with your husband's Cancer positively?

Exercise is a positive win-win thing for everybody. All of us could use a little more of it. It makes us feel better when we do it. When I'm running I'm reacting to the negative stressors in life in a much more positive way and I think I'm more positive around our family, too. I know that I'm coping with things better when I'm running. I don't let so many of the little things get me down. I wasn't doing any sort of exercise back at the time of his diagnosis and surgery. I have to wonder how much better I would have handled all of that if I had been.

Keri, I have at least three people on my Blogroll who are battling Cancer. What message of hope can you convey to each of them?

I don't want to sound trite. So many of the things that I will say here may sound that way. I don't want to sound like I'm giving sound bites. But these little words have such big meaning to those of us volunteering for the cause.

I just came from Wisconsin's Relay University where I met hundred's of other people just like me. Just. Like. Me. All doing the same thing for you. Because we want your cure found. As soon as possible. Many of us are volunteers. Because we want to. This is going on in every state. This is also going on internationally. For you. We're raising millions of dollars to pour into ACS research so that a cure can be found.

We will not quit until we find the cure.

Can you feel the heartbeat of this brand new day?
If you can find the will you can find the way.
A moment only lasts for a moment then it's gone.
But a moment is forever if you choose to carry on

Did you feel the heartbeat of this awesome day?
Did you have the will? Did you have the way?
Did you miss a moment or did you hear this song?
And when the sun comes up again and you can choose to carry on,
Well carry on!

From Tucson (off Coffee With the Angels)
Reprinted with permission by the author:
David M. Bailey

Music has always spoken very deeply in my life, Michael. And it speaks messages of hope, too. When Keith was finally diagnosed after four years of living with some difficult symptoms, we did a lot of internet surfing, as you can imagine. He did especially, being the analytical type!

Quite early in that search, he came upon a young man named David Bailey. David is a fellow Brain Tumor warrior. He also happens to be a song writer who had a few cd's for sale with clips online that we listened, and we liked what we heard, so we ordered everything he had available. We also wanted to support a fellow warrior. Plus we read his bio and were just amazed by what we read. Here was a guy in whom they found a baseball sized tumor in his brain and he was told after his surgery, "Sorry Mr. Bailey, but you've only got six months or maybe a year." Well David just put out another fabulous album and celebrated his 9th year since his diagnosis. He had a grade 4 GBM. In Brain Tumor lingo, that's a death sentence!

So that is my message of hope. Don't let your diagnosis be a death sentence. Research. Look for clinical trials like David did. Have great hope and great peace. It doesn't always work out, but it has given him many years longer than the doctors said it would.

Family members and even friends sometimes feel overwhelmed and withdraw. What can they do to become more effective as caregivers?

Constant communication. Ask that question (in fact, I'm going to ask Keith because it is such a good question). And I cannot stress enough the importance of taking care of yourself. You cannot be an effective caregiver if you are not taking good care of you. You won't have anything left to give if you give it all away.

When those around you ask what they can do, tell them. Let them help. Don't ever feel that you have to do it all yourself. And use the other resources that are available to you. For example, Relay For Life isn't just about funding for research. It is also funding other resources, too. And those resources help the caregiver as well. Please visit the Caregiver Resources site on Cancer.org for more info.

Well, the floor is yours, Keri as we wind up this visit.

I'm excited to be a volunteer with ACS. It was thrilling to be at Relay University and see so many young faces who are involved in the Colleges Against Cancer program and everything that they are doing to fight this disease.

Research has the power to cure the disease. That is why I keep on doing what I am doing. Because I believe that one day there will be a cure for cancer. There is a mandate that by 2015 it will be cured. I will be proud to say that I was a part of that cure because by then, we will have provided a lot of funding to those researchers. You can help immensely by visiting my donation page at the American Cancer Society's flagship fundraiser, my local Relay For Life. We are just kicking off our 2006 campaign. I hope you'll help us begin.

Thanks, Keri for taking time to share your story with us all!