This weekend, Elizabeth, her Aunt Jenni, her Uncle Jeremy and I traveled to Chicago, Illinois, to participate in the American Brain Tumor Association 5K. Unfortunately, Brian and Lucas had to stay behind for a football combine in Indy this weekend. The experience was remarkable as we joined hundreds, maybe a thousand or more, participants walking in honor or memory of their loved ones, raising money for brain tumor research. Everywhere we turned, we saw teams of people in matching t-shirts smiling, linking arms, hugging, and even wiping away a few tears. Each of us had one thing in common: someone we loved had been impacted by a brain tumor. The 5K was one way we could control the reality of the situation.
Standing outside Soldier Field in the freezing wind, we huddled in a mass and moved towards the start, and like that, we were off, walking beside Lake Michigan, the spray often misting over the crowd. What seemed like a long distance in the beginning went fast and the energy of being with that many people who have a common mission is infectious.
To get to this point, a lot has happened. Elizabeth has made an amazing recovery. She still tires, but it is improving. Each of us in our home has had to navigate our own feelings of what has happened and how it has changed our lives. We have all felt sadness, anger, and relief. Most of all, however, we feel gratitude. Elizabeth's story could have turned out much differently. We know that because we have read the stories and we talked to others at the Mayo Clinic the same time we were there. It was the night before her surgery that Elizabeth and I decided to do this walk. Watching her join the other survivors at the main stage for their survivor photo was moving. She is full of life and energy, and she understands how fragile life is. That's quite a lesson to learn at 21.
Last week, our family and several friends, including one of Elizabeth's best childhood friends and three close friends from Denison University, held a fundraising breakfast at the Main View, a local restaurant. As of this afternoon, Elizabeth has personally raised $5,213, and our team has raised $6,245. The American Brain Tumor Chicago 5K has raised $804,000! You can still donate for the next month. Please consider supporting Elizabeth by clicking this link: Liz's Unexpected Journey.
Thank you to all of you - those who have donated - those who have supported us in prayer and other ways - those who continue to think about our family. Life is good.
Standing outside Soldier Field in the freezing wind, we huddled in a mass and moved towards the start, and like that, we were off, walking beside Lake Michigan, the spray often misting over the crowd. What seemed like a long distance in the beginning went fast and the energy of being with that many people who have a common mission is infectious.
To get to this point, a lot has happened. Elizabeth has made an amazing recovery. She still tires, but it is improving. Each of us in our home has had to navigate our own feelings of what has happened and how it has changed our lives. We have all felt sadness, anger, and relief. Most of all, however, we feel gratitude. Elizabeth's story could have turned out much differently. We know that because we have read the stories and we talked to others at the Mayo Clinic the same time we were there. It was the night before her surgery that Elizabeth and I decided to do this walk. Watching her join the other survivors at the main stage for their survivor photo was moving. She is full of life and energy, and she understands how fragile life is. That's quite a lesson to learn at 21.
Last week, our family and several friends, including one of Elizabeth's best childhood friends and three close friends from Denison University, held a fundraising breakfast at the Main View, a local restaurant. As of this afternoon, Elizabeth has personally raised $5,213, and our team has raised $6,245. The American Brain Tumor Chicago 5K has raised $804,000! You can still donate for the next month. Please consider supporting Elizabeth by clicking this link: Liz's Unexpected Journey.
Thank you to all of you - those who have donated - those who have supported us in prayer and other ways - those who continue to think about our family. Life is good.