Posted in News, Running, Team Finish Line.
Survivor Stories
After a successful fall fundraising effort, Team Finish Line is at it again! This season, our corporate team is training for the Bermuda Race Weekend, Jan. 18-20. Help us reach our goal of raising $50,000 to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission to find a cure for blood cancers by donating directly to our team’s fundraising page.
We are honored to have two survivors on our team, and their stories are worth sharing.
Meet Jennifer Hinshaw, who is celebrating 10 years in remission
“My name is Jenny Hinshaw, and I am a cancer survivor. It seems much easier and less scary to say I had lymphoma than it used to. Sadly millions of people are diagnosed daily and are living with cancer today – all types and no one seems to be excluded. I never really realized this until the day I became a member of that club. I was a college athlete, lived a healthy lifestyle – how does cancer happen to someone like me? From my very first treatment at Duke oncology, I knew my life was going to change. Maybe not for the better the year I had treatment, but I knew it would. I just wasn’t sure how.
“I had two goals once I finished treatment: to find the silver lining in such a terrible diagnosis, and to use my experiences to make a difference in other people’s lives. I found everything I needed when I joined TNT; this is definitely my silver lining. I became a volunteer to mentor newly-diagnosed women, I’ve raised money to improve treatment so more people are fortunate like me to live on remission, and I’ve spoke publicly to thank people for their involvement in saving lives. My “thank you” is from thousands and very heartfelt as I have lived 10 years in remission due to the generosity of complete strangers.
“Until everyone has the opportunity to live in remission like me, my efforts will continue. Health is a gift and one that may be the best gift we can give each other.”
Meet Stacey Moser
Here’s a snippet from Stacey’s story; the complete version is inspiring and worth reading as a reminder of why this work is so important.
“This year marks 20 years — just a few weeks before my 12th birthday — that I learned I had Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia and was watching my life take a left turn my family never saw coming. Throughout the following 2 ½ years of treatment there were bone marrow aspirations, spinal taps, finger sticks, transfusions, countless drugs, and even more side effects. I was often not able to see friends and sometimes family, lost my hair at an age where everyone just wants to fit in, and often couldn’t walk even a few steps down the hospital hallways to keep my strength up. … In October of ’94 I had my last pills and tests, and 5 years later I was considered officially ‘cured.’
“I am living proof that the dollars we are raising and the miles we are running/walking truly make a difference. That’s why we are out there giving up so much of our time, to wake up early on Saturday mornings and lacing up our shoes and hitting the pavement, and to be a part of this incredible team that is saving lives one mile at a time.”
