Thank You 2016 Sponsors

Our Corporate Sponsors are a HUGE part of our fight against Pediatric Cancer. Without their support, we could not continue to grow and make an impact in the cancer community. It is because of them that we are able to put on the wonderful event that we do, year after year, to honor Isabella and all children that fight. We are so humbled by and grateful for all of the businesses and their volunteers that came together to help make the 9th Annual 5k/10k For Kids Cancer such a huge success. It truly takes a village to make it happen and we are forever grateful to each and every one of you. It is our honor to work with you and hope to continue the fight together.  We want to take the opportunity to once again thank all of our 2016 Race Sponsors for your support and hope to continue our partnership in the future. (Photo Courtesy of Beth Wade Photography)

PRESENTING:

METLIFE

 

PLATINUM:

COMMUNITY BLOOD CENTER OF THE CAROLINAS

LEVINE CHILDRENS HOSPITAL

CHARLOTTE EYE EARS NOSE AND THROAT

BULL ENGINEERED PRODUCTS

MARTIN TRUEX JR FOUNDATION

JEFF GORDONS CHILDRENS FOUNDATION

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS

 

GOLD:

SUSAN HOCKADAY DDS/ JIM BAUCOM DDS

CHARLOTTE SMARTY PANTS

SHEA HOMES- CHARLOTTE

LAFFTER, INC

NOVANT HEALTH/ CARMEL OBGYN

CARDINAL FINANCIAL

YELLOW CAB OF CHARLOTTE

BISSELL

 

SILVER:

SKYZONE

PROVIDENCE EYE AND LASER SPECIALISTS

SMALL HANDS BIG ART

BALLANTYNE PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

THE BLACKER FAMILY

ARBORSCAPES

LAXER, LONG AND SAVAGE

TOM BUSH LAW GROUP

PURE BARRE BALLANTYNE

BRACES BY BIRD

ESP ASSOCIATES

EXTREME MULTISPORT/ ISAGENIX

BEAT CANCER TODAY

SHUTTERFLY

SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL

DICKENS MITCHENER

HF FINANCIAL

BURGER 21

SOCCER SHOTS

PROPERTIES BY PATTON

PHYSIOFOCUS

FRESH SALON

ORANGE THEORY FITNESS

YOGA ONE

 

BRONZE:

BIZ TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

CHARLOTTE SWIM ACADEMY

DANNY & BETH RIVERA – TASTEFULLY SIMPLE

GNC BLAKENEY

FAMILY FIRST CHIROPRACTOR AND ACUPUNCTURE

KUPKAKE KOUTURE

LANG KERLY CONSTRUCTION

MEDI WEIGHTLOSS CLINIC

MERRILL LYNCH- RIVLIN FIRESTONE GROUP

MILLER STREET DANCE ACADEMY

SOUTHPARK PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

TUTORING LINK

SUPERKICKS

DAS GROUP

CAROLINA SPORTS CLINIC

 

SUPPORTERS:

CHICK-FIL-A

BRAND RPM

DJ JEREMY

TPM

106.5 THE END

THE WOODY AND WILCOX SHOW

A BOUNCEABLE TIME

SEARCH AND BE FOUND

MOLLY GRANTHAM

 

VIP PARTNERS:

BLACKFINN AMERIPUB- BALLANTYNE

JIM N NICKS BBQ

 

IN-KIND FOOD PARTNERS:

CHICK-FILA

ANOTHER BROKEN EGG CAFE- BALLANTYNE

ZOES- BLAKENEY

CLEAN JUICE- STONECREST

THE PRODUCE BOX

AQUAFINA

JASON’S DELI

COCA COLA BOTTLING

MCDONALDS

KING OF POPS

NOTHING BUNDT CAKES

 

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY:

BETH WADE

CARRIE WATTS

DANIEL CORDERO

Mental Training

I’ve sat here all evening trying to think what to write about. Normally, I don’t struggle with writing, but after the crazy week it has been in the Queen City, I am still reeling with it all. As I woke up on Thursday morning to go for a run, I left my iPhone by the bed, so that I could think. Thinking how I run for love. For the love of people that I don’t even know, like the children fighting cancer right now. This love, this purpose, is vital as our mileage increases on Saturdays, closer and closer to our goal of 13.1 miles. While our physical training is important, so is the mental training. A few things I’ve learned along the way:

It takes a combination of passion and perseverance to carry you through the hard times. As my fellow bloggers have written, having the purpose in your heart and running to crush cancer helps spur you on when you want to give up. When you see a big hill and feel defeated, reminding myself of my purpose helps me overcome the physical obstacle.

Speak and think positive. You have to speak positive, and believe in yourself. This team cheers on everyone and encourages me during every run. I’m thankful for the smiles and high-fives on Saturday mornings from this team

As we finish #pediatriccancerACTIONmonth, don’t stop now. Let’s keep going

Cancer’s Got To Go

This week, I lost my best friend to cancer. I read that sentence and I still can’t believe it’s true.

She was diagnosed with leukemia at the end of April when she went to the doctor about a cough. It’s less than five months later and she’s gone.

For the record, she was the best person I have ever known and the best friend I could ever ask for. She always had a smile on her face, she always had something encouraging to share, and she just made life better. She had also just finished her first year of medical school (below is a picture from the day she found out she was accepted). She was determined to change the world.med-school-acceptance

Instead of curing illnesses or delivering babies, meeting her future husband and having kids of her own (her greatest dream of all), or anything else worth mentioning, she’s gone. And tomorrow I have to stand in an auditorium filled with people grieving the loss of the best person I’ve ever known. What’s fair about that?

When I got the phone call on Monday afternoon, I couldn’t breathe. It felt like someone had me pinned to the ground, holding me down by my chest, refusing to let me up, with pressure building and building and building. And every day since I’ve walked around with a hole in my chest and a lump in my throat and I wonder: Will it always feel this way?

On Tuesday, I began to feel this hot, burning rage bubble up inside me. Cancer stole someone precious from me and I can never get her back. And with that rage came the determination to stop it in its tracks. Families and friends should not have to mourn these losses anymore. Tori got 24 years of life and I am immensely grateful to have experienced the last five of those by her side. But families and friends of these young children fighting this disease don’t have time like that. Children like Isabella and Imogen deserve to experience their futures: the high school heartbreaks, the all-nighters, the weddings, the babies– the LIFE.

So I write to you today in the midst of my heartache, in the midst of fighting with the hole in my chest and the lump in my throat, to beg you to take action. Go read Erin’s posts through the ISF social media accounts about what cancer has stolen from her and her family– they will show you what it feels like and they will break your heart. And then don’t just say “that’s sad” or shake your head– DO. SOMETHING. Sign up for the ISF 5K/10K next week, donate to ISF, organize a fundraiser– it doesn’t matter what but DO SOMETHING.

I’m moving forward with my training alongside the Dream Team with an even stronger passion. It is such a blessing to have them behind me. I got a text on Tuesday with the image above showing two of my friends running for Tori. As Nichole said in her message, “Cancer’s got to go.” Let’s kick it to the curb– for Isabella, for Imogen, for Tori, for everyone else who fought the fight valiantly, and for those who are still fighting.

 

Falling On Deaf Ears… the Consequence of Silence.

By: Erin Santos (Isabella’s mommy)B&W Ib Picture-2

I’ve written some things in the past that have made a difference or gotten someone up out of the chair. For the first time this year I thought, I’m not going to write something because people finally get it. I’ve written about how “awareness” is a bullshit word and how instead we should take action. I’ve written about what all cancer steals from a family when someone dies. And last year I wrote 30 days of “whys”. Why people get divorced, why I stopped visiting her, why we cremated her and more. I have poured my heart out year after year, picking my scab and pulling back the curtain on what cancer, loss, and heartache is really like. So I figure you get it now.

Each year the foundation grows more and more. We see more dedicated people coming to support the cause who never even knew Isabella. People would tell me what we are doing here is phenomenal. Most non-profit’s had a run rate between 8-10 years before they close their doors. They slowly lose their supporters. But we were different somehow. We had some secret sauce to what we were doing that meant we were going to survive the charity down turn. Even more amazing is that we were doing this all without Isabella standing on stage or asking people in Target to come to her race. Maybe we were going to be the charity that survived the industry down turn because our supporters were lifelong supporters.

I have to say, today I’m scared.

When you are riding on the wings of a ghost year after year, you begin to have moments where you think your message is falling on deaf ears. In years past, it seemed easier for me to rally the troops. But this year I feel like something changed. I sit back and watch social media and see these people on the Dream Team posting pages after they have gotten up on a Saturday morning while everyone in the world is snug in their bed. I see them fighting mentally to run in the heat and humidity, up hills – putting in mileage they never dreamed they could accomplish. Only to finish with their body’s aching, limping to their cars. They go home and push out their proud morning to their supporters and often times get no donations to support them. We have runners that show up every morning, to save kids they don’t even know – someone else’s kids – and have trouble receiving $500 in donations over a period of 6 months of training. How is that possible? I worry I have somehow let these people down by not providing them with a child they can fight for. Am I not supplying content that is meaningful that will make their supporters understand how important this is?

I watch us work all year towards a race that is dragging in numbers. I have to tell myself that people always sign up late, but we all watch as excuses come in about why someone can’t attend. Soccer games, vacations, family in town, and a party the night before (possible hangover)… the list goes on and on. It’s so hard for me to hear the excuses when I watch my team work tirelessly to make the day so amazing for everyone. I want the entire city to show up and appreciate all they have done.

I think it’s hard because I watched Isabella walk Time Warner Cable arena, on a beautiful day when all her friends were playing, to collect money for the Ronald McDonald House, or bake cookies for families or give her toys away.   No matter what she had going on – she knew what was important and made the time for it. Stuart always said that by watching Isabella, you always realize the things you really thought were important – really aren’t. She always got it. I love those that get it. I love seeing people that have been there year over year – no matter what their Saturday looks like. I love when I see people at the race who come with their company that is in for the weekend. I love people like the Gold family who are currently fighting neuroblastoma themselves, who can’t come to the race because they are taking their family to Disney. (Talk about a good excuse!) Instead they created a team and are constantly recruiting people to come to the race under their team name. They created a FirstGiving page and have raised over $3,000. Just today their family was here picking up our ISF tent to hold a lemonade stand on a Saturday night to raise money for a cure that might help their own daughter. They get it.

I wish I knew how to motivate others into action like I once did so easily. I wish the Dream Team was being rewarded for the 8 miles they ran for other people’s children this morning, and again and again when they ask for your support. I hope my ISF team feels a huge sense of accomplishment when they see the waves of purple 2 weeks from today. I hope everyone who supports ISF feels proud when we are able to send funds to advance treatment is Isabella’s name. I wish Isabella were here so you all had someone to save who you could see that morning. But she isn’t here because for years, these pleas have fallen on deaf ears and her death was the consequence of silence.

My hope is that instead of liking a page, sharing a post or being aware of her passing – you make the change to do something about it. These kids all need us to change from awareness to action. The clock is ticking.

Sign up for the race. Be a Phantom Runner. Create a Team. Create a FirstGiving Page. Support a FirstGiving Page. Just do something.

Marathon Fashion- A Jersey Girl Nightmare

By Guest Blogger: Juliane Kilcoyne

I have lived in Charlotte for over 11 years now, but I will always consider myself a Jersey Girl. Born and raised in Northern NJ – I’m not sure my inner Jersey Girl would approve of this present day Charlottean during marathon training.

The Hair – Let’s be honest, Jersey hair was BIG. It was curled, it was teased, it was covered in Aquanet. (no, I will not include a picture). Marathon hair is the opposite. It’s in a pony, a tight pony, usually covered by a hat, sometimes if I’m feeling fancy, there is a braid. After every run I wash it, then weigh the pros and cons of blowing it out. I’ll either be running or cross training the next day, so what’s the point right? It’s a vicious cycle and my poor hair pays the price.

The Nails – My Jersey Nails were hot pink, plastic and well maintained. While my fingernails are nondescript now, my toenails get a lot of attention these days. They fall off! During my 16 mile run in the rain this past Friday, I thought something had gotten caught in my sock. I realized after it was over, that not only were my toes swollen and blistered, but, I had in fact, started losing my nails. It’s totally nasty and a rite of passage for most marathoners. Sometimes I muster the courage to get a pedicure during training just because a soak and foot massage would be amazing. Then, I spend the entire time apologizing to the nail tech and stopping her from applying fake nails to my toes.

The Fashion – My old Jersey Girl loved her black leggings, scrunchies, leg warmers and oversized shirts. These days, my style consists of running tops, running shorts, running shoes, oh, and running socks. Yes, after my workouts I shower (don’t blow out my hair) and put on clean clothes – clean running clothes. I think, “what’s the point of getting dressed up for a couple hours, the kids will be home from school soon, which means it’s practically time to go to bed, so why waste a perfectly good outfit?” Oh the shame my inner Jersey Girl must feel seeing me in the same running clothes day after day!

While the Jersey Girl in me may not approve of my marathon fashion sense (or lack thereof) here’s what she and I both believe:

-There are children right now having chemotherapy. They would love to have hair – whether teased or in a ponytail.

-Little girls will lose their battle with cancer today and never be able to go to the nail salon to paint their nails a pretty pink.

-Children are wearing hospital gowns tonight, dreaming of the day they can put on their regular clothes (fashionable or not) and walk out the door.

Fashion seems like a small price to pay when you take a look at the reasons why we run. And, because of that, I know my inner Jersey Girl approves.