Sarah Bannon is a 28-year-old life long Houstonian. She is a genetic counselor at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, specializing in gastrointestinal cancers (colon and pancreas) and blood cancer (leukemias and myelofibrosis). On the side, she's also a professional singer you can find singing at places such as St. Paul's United Methodist Church, local choirs, recitals and Opera in the Heights.
Sarah is training with our Memorial Park group for the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. It is not her first half marathon, but this one is taking on special meaning. Here's her story...
"I ran my first half marathon last year on accident. I was never supposed to actually get picked in the lottery! And it was the biggest personal challenge I have ever tackled. It was about a month later that my father was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in February 2014, which turned my entire world upside down.
Being by his side through the long wait for a diagnosis, the fear and the uncertainty of those weeks he was in the protected environment, and the deep pride and love I feel as he goes into his last cycle of consolidation therapy next week have brought us so close together. I knew that I wanted to keep running after my first half and it was a complete no-brainer that I would do my next one with Team In Training. Every single step is for my dad- his bravery, his sense of humor, and in gratitude for the time we've had together and all the time that is to come. I am so excited to be running, not just for my dad, but for my patients and their families. Leukemia used to just be my job, but now it's part of my life."
No comments:
Post a Comment