After a 13.1 mile run with the team this past Saturday, I headed over to Dana-Farber for our Patient Partner welcome party. It is hard to believe it has been just about a year since I met Darla and her family, and each and every time I see Darla it is a reminder of why this team and our mission is so important. Because while much of the party was spent seeing just how many gummy bears Darla could put on her ice cream sundae (they are her fav) and hearing all about her Make-a-Wish trip to Disney over the holidays (where, according to Darla, Belle informed her she was my favorite princess- naturally), after the party we headed towards the garage which took us past the Jimmy Fund Clinic. And no matter the amount of kid friendly lights, toys, and decorations that make the clinic as fun and welcoming as possible for its patients - at the end of the day it is still a clinic. In the middle of a hospital. For kids. With cancer.
So as we strolled towards the garage I watched as Darla bounded ahead of me and then casually turned and said "this is my clinic where I go for treatments." With the same nonchalance as when she showed me where she practices for cheerleading, or where her dance recital was last year. The location is so familiar to her and forever embedded in her childhood. All at once I was struck again by the magnitude of how this disease forever changes those it touches, but also by the safe haven and hope that Dana-Farber provides for those bravely fighting it.
As we continued towards the garage, we came upon one of my favorite parts of the Dana-Farber campus - Marathon Way. In addition to highlighting each year's DFMC singlet, the team's history and milestones, and the previous year's check to the Barr Foundation (man did I love seeing that cardboard check again!), visitors have the chance to "travel" the marathon course from start to finish. And so, here is my motivation for this Monday and the next 12 that follow. And probably many more Mondays after that. I may have a long way to go until I get to that finish line, but knowing this girl is running beside me will keep me going until I get there!
It's a long way from the start to the finish, but Darla is ready to help me take on the challenge!
Pointing to a pic of Darla and her family at Fenway Park which
is featured on a timeline honoring the longstanding commitment
of the Red Sox to the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber.
Darla was in treatment when that picture was taken, and
to stand next to this smiling whirlwind of energy with a head full of hair
while looking at this picture of her tiny, balding, and in her Dad's arms was
a bold reminder of the miles she has come since her diagnosis