As if I needed yet another reason to run for the kids of St. Jude, a remarkable young lady like Hillary comes along.
On the first Saturday in December I will join all the other St. Jude Heroes running the 26.2 mile course in Memphis. But, as great an accomplishment that will be for us, it pales in comparison to the race (both figurative and literal) that Hillary has run.
She recently became the first St. Jude patient to cover the distance of a marathon while receiving inpatient care at the hospital.
Hooked up to fluids and an IV pole, with a mask covering her face to protect her from infection, Hillary walked the hallways and corridors in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. When she turned the final corner, a crowd of onlookers broke into loud cheers and applause. With confetti flying around her, Hillary hugged her mother, then members of her care team.
Wow. What an inspiration. What a story.
