I guess to really understand why I really want to run in the
NIKE Women's Marathon, you need to understand just how much my mom means to me.
I have two beautiful kids, Lucas, 3 years old and Amee,
1. My mom comes over almost every day,
since she lives next door. Everyday Amee
is learning new things and my mom doesn't want to miss a new word or accomplishment.
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| Lucas and Amee, our holiday picture of 2012 |
Well, my family is very lucky to have this opportunity. Back in 2001, my mom was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin
Lymphoma. For quite some time my mom
wasn't feeling well. She had pain in her
joints and she just figured it was just part of getting old. She started wearing magnet bracelets that
were suppose to help with pain. They helped at first. However, as time went by the pain just got
worse. So after about a year and a half
of living with the pain, my mom found a lump in her lymph nodes. So she decided to go see the doctor.
Now when most people have been diagnosed with cancer they
normally get a call from the doctor or they have scheduled a follow up
appointment where the doctor tells them the results of any lab work. Well, my mom’s doctor was gone on vacation after
he did a biopsy of the lump. My mom
called the doctor’s office to find out the results. It was on that call when the nurse told her
she had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. My mom
got off the phone and felt relieved, since she thought that “NON” had to mean
it was NOT cancer. It wasn’t until my
dad googled “Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma” that they both realized it was cancer, and
not good news at all.
I will never forget the day my mom sat us down as a family
to tell us she had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
I had never heard of that before.
I immediately had the same assumption as my mom. It can’t be bad. Quickly my mom put the kibosh on that, and
explained that she had stage 4 cancer.
At the time my mom didn’t even have health coverage that was going to
cover treatment. So she explained to her
3 kids, my sister, Karen, 20 years old, my baby brother, Brian, only 11 years
old, and me, 27 years old, that she wasn’t going to be getting any treatment. We all knew what that meant, but no one said
it.
Thankfully after a few weeks my mom got new coverage and was
able to get treatment. My mom had the
best oncologist ever. I say this from
the bottom of my heart because she told my mom she was giving her a treatment
that wasn’t the “normal” treatment Kaiser used.
My mom was given 6 chemotherapy treatments of the new drug Rituxan. It was a long and tough road for my
mom. She worked the entire time she was
sick and losing her hair. She was self employed,
working with my dad so their business was the only source of income. During her treatment she got a skin
infection. Because her white blood cell
counts were down from treatment, she got so sick and was admitted to the
hospital for a week. Throughout her
treatment I would call her almost daily just to check on her. Most of the time when I would ask how she
was, she would lie to me and tell me she felt fine. She really wanted to stay strong for her
kids.
Thankfully she is strong.
Even after being told she had stage 4 cancer, that it was also in her
bone marrow, she NEVER gave up the fight.
My mom only had the original 6 treatments of Rituxan and has been cancer
free now for over 10 years.
When I think that so much of this story could have ended
differently, it really makes me thankful for so much. Had my mom never seen the doctor, had my mom
never found coverage that allowed her to receive treatment, had her oncologist stuck
to the “normal” treatment, my mom might not be here today.
Since my mom kicked cancer’s ass she has seen her youngest
graduate middle school, high school, and grow into a smart, strong man who is
now serving our country. She seen my
little sister grow so much into the beautiful woman she is today with her body
building accomplishments and meeting the man of her dreams. And
thankfully, with my mom still here today, she was able to see me get married to
the man of my dreams and the joy that comes with becoming a grandmother.
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| My brother, Brian, Me and my sister, Karen |
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| My mom and I at my wedding |
Now all of this is also possible in large part of The Leukemia
and Lymphoma Society. If it wasn’t for
the many years and millions of dollars that LLS donated to research and testing
of Rituxan, it would not have been available to my mom in 2001. Every year LLS donates millions to research. Last year they funded over $70 million to blood
cancer research. Cumulatively since they
were founded they have funded $875 million to research. But LLS also helps those who can’t afford
treatment or the cost of their medication.
Please help me, help LLS.
Please either go to my fundraising page to make a donation or mail me a
check made out to LLS with your donation.
Your donation will help so many people who currently have a blood cancer
and help those years from now by funding research going on today. It will secure me a spot in the upcoming 2013
NIKE Women’s Marathon so that I can run in my mom’s honor.
THANK YOU
Christine Sells
143 Brown St
#2
Vacaville,
CA 95688
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