Being a marathon runner and someone who has lost a sister to breast cancer, this story really touched me. I know how challenging it can be to train for a marathon. I cannot imagine training (at the Olympic level) while working and taking care of a young child who is battling cancer, but that is exactly what Emily LeVan is doing.
On November 5, 2007, Emily's three year old daughter, Madeline (Maddie), was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Emily and her husband Brad, who live on a farm off the coast of Maine, had their entire lives changed that day. Although Maddie is responding well to treatment, the weekly trips to the Maine Medical Center in Portland and the Maine Children's Cancer Program Clinic in Scarborough and the numerous financial, physical, mental and emotional challenges of having a sick child take their toll. But the family has been inspired by the support they have received at the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital and the Maine Children's Cancer Program (MCCP). They feel incredibly fortunate to have these resources available and want to make sure other families have them as well.
Currently training for the 2008 Olympic Trials, this emergency department nurse is taking her love of running and raising money for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. The fundraiser entitled Two Trials, which started on January 18th (Maddie's birthday) and will end on April 20th (the day of the Trials), represents two marathons - the one that Emily is training for and the one that Maddie is enduring with cancer. Since a marathon represents 26.2 miles, Emily multiplied that number by two and came up with their fundraising goal of $52,400. Emily wants to use her running to benefit something greater than herself, and with Maddie in the BabyJogger having logged thousands of miles with mom and run a few races herself, I have no doubt that's exactly what she will do.
My best wishes for Maddie's full recovery and an Olympic run for Emily.
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