“Make the Magic”: To Be a Kid Again

Monday, April 13th, 2015

Saturday night I had the amazing opportunity to attend a fundraising event called “Make the Magic” for Camp Kesem, one of Illini 4000’s major beneficiaries (i.e. who we donate to). I had never been to a fundraising gala event like this and was excited to have the opportunity to dress up and wear my high heels, all for a good cause of course. When I went to the event though, I knew it wasn’t about the dress I chose to wear, the heals I put on, my makeup or my hair. It was about the “forgotten” population that is impacted by cancer: the children of parents who have a cancer diagnosis. There are support groups for patients and for spouses, but what about the kids? Through the stories of counselors and parents, I learned that kids who are in this situation have to grow up fast. They have to grow up faster than their peers. Maybe they ask questions like, “Is Mom/Dad going to die?” I can’t imagine going through the experience at a young age.

Camp Kesem is a national organization in which college students fundraise and organize camps for local/regional kids who have a parent or parents who have  or have had cancer. The organization began in 2000 at Stanford University and have since grown substantially to have several collegiate-lead camping experiences.

During the night, we heard from some pretty remarkable people, including Ashley Young (Illini 4000’s Team Development Director), Luna (a Camp Kesem Counselor) and Mrs. Emmerd (a camper parent & cancer survivor- yay!). Ashley spoke about Illini 4000’s commitment to Camp Kesem through our annual donation that comes from our fundraising. She also mentioned that Camp Kesem Illinois and Illini 4000 were founded just a year apart, so the organizations have been pretty close (it was fate). Luna spoke about her experience going from a shy, lost student on the huge campus of U of I to finding a group that genuinely cared about her and her success. She also spoke about some of the relationships she has formed with campers and the unspeakable bond that forms as a result of an awesome week of everyone (counselors included) being a kid again.

Then Mrs. Emmerd spoke. She has 4 children whose ages at the time of her cancer diagnosis were 2-10 (about? I did not write it down…). One of the first things she mentioned was that, “cancer is expensive”. True fact. According to NPR, cancer patients are 2.68x more likely to declare bankruptcy. Even in remission, though, health care costs go up as your insurance rate has undoubtedly increased. Vacations were just not something that the family could prioritize high on their list of expenses. When Mrs. Emmerd came across a flyer for a free camp for kids whose parents had cancer, she was intrigued by the idea. She hesitantly dropped off 2 of her 4 kids at Camp Kesem Illinois the first year the camp started, where they joined 6 other kids and 24 counselors. When she picked up her kids at the end of camp, which happened to be the hottest week of the year and the kids slept outside, it was all smiles. There were no complaints of the heat or having to use an outhouse, but instead happiness that hadn’t necessarily been present as much at home. All four of her kids have gone/are going to Camp Kesem Illinois and it has been just an amazing experience that has had a huge impact on the family. You should have seen them all. The felt so strongly about the experience they had at camp, that it had helped them develop as a kid to have people not look at you funny because your parent is sick.

But let me tell you, this is a small, but growing organization. Typically Camp Kesem Illinois has about 60 campers during 1 week and this year, they will be having 2 weeks of camp to accommodate about 120 campers. Sometimes it is hard to give money to an organization when you don’t exactly know where the money goes to. With Illini 4000, the money we raise goes to several organizations (see the FAQ’s for a breakdown). Going to this event just made me so excited to raise as much money for I4K as possible because of the direct impact that money that is donated to has on the lives of even the “forgotten” cancer-impacted populations. Let me tell you, kids are no longer forgotten because of organizations like this. So, with that, back to another week closer to reaching our team fundraising goal of $150,000! We are OVER halfway there.

Teamwork: The Catalyst for any Journey

Wednesday, March 18th, 2015

As you may or may not know, I have a pretty strong background in chemistry (as a Chemical Engineering student), so please do bear with my analogy. If you are not well versed in chemistry for whatever reason, a catalyst is something that is used in a reaction to lower the activation energy. Imagine you have to push a rock over a hill. The catalyst actually decreases the size of that hill. It’s pretty magical. Having a catalyst does not necessarily mean that it won’t be hard to get that hypothetical rock over the hill, but it sure is easier.

I have found that throughout many of my journeys or challenges, my catalyst of choice would be to have a team. I grew up playing various sports and participating on teams for competitions, but I think when I came to college, I began to view the concept of a team much differently. Instead of a group that puts their best players on the field, shows their strength to achieve a specific goal of winning, I see a team as a group of people who have a similar goal, but don’t necessarily have the same goal. A team is a group of people that can be real around each other. They can pick each other up when one is struggling through encouragement and support (and sometimes food) and they don’t pass judgement on each other, because everyone defines success differently and that is OK.

From the portraits I have had the honor of reading, it is amazing to hear about the teamwork that went into caring for a single patient. From hospital staff, technicians and nurses to family members, childhood friends and people who were only acquaintances before the diagnosis. Around these people, a patient can be strong and happy, or they can be discouraged or weakened. No matter what the patient is feeling, though, they can rely on their teammates to be there.

Hearing a friend was diagnosed is such a surreal experience. This happened to me my senior year of high school when I learned that my friend would not be attending classes, but chemotherapy instead. This was incredibly hard for me to understand, and at such a young age! I undoubtedly cried and was very upset, but my friend just hugged me and lifted me up, even though I wasn’t the one with the diagnosis. I was a very small part of the huge team she had cheering her on, but having so much support made the journey more bearable (she is coming up on her 5 year remission soon!).

Illini 4000 has been such a great experience so far in terms of getting 29 new best friends :) In addition to that, though, I have learned how to work in a team. We have a lot of group training that we do together, which is interesting when some people started out transitioning for Ironman/triathlon training and others hadn’t visited the gym in…a long time. I fell somewhere in between on that spectrum which was cool, because I had people who would push me to get better and I was able to push others to receive their maximum potential. Now, our success will be measured in the miles we ride, the money we raise and the portraits we collect and not necessarily the speed at which we complete the ride (though we will stay on schedule *knock on wood*).

I cannot imagine doing Illini 4000 without the amazing team. I have trained in the past by myself and I can reach my goals, but without the catalyst of teamwork, it definitely takes a lot more. Above that, though, I cannot imagine fighting cancer without a team. I know that it has been done before, but it is so encouraging to see the strong support groups around an individual. I think the overall message that I would like to convey in this not very concise blog post, is that no matter what kind of a journey you find yourself in, having people around you who you can build up and who can build you up is incredible. Allow others to push you to your limits. And offer sincere encouragement to others. Pushing rocks up hills isn’t easy, but sure is easier with a smaller hill (or more people pushing the rock).

Dreams Becoming Reality

Sunday, March 8th, 2015

When I walked onto campus to start my last year of college, I became increasingly aware of how my life will be very different in one short year. At first, a shift from full time student to full time job seems like it will only be amazing. No homework, having an income, and a new city full of new experiences. However, it also struck me that once I start working, summer break will be a thing of the past. My mind started buzzing with all of the things I should do to make this last summer count: backpack through Europe, spend some time at the pool, join a summer intramural team, etc. All of them sounded like they’d be fun, but then I remembered hearing about Illini 4000. I began dreaming of being a part of such an amazing group of people who work hard year round to pull off this huge philanthropic endeavor.

After five months of meetings, training, fundraising, and bonding, it all still feels surreal at times. Now that it is warm enough to ride my bike outside, my dream is finally feeling like reality. I’m sure it won’t be fully tangible until we start our journey in New York, but I get more excited every day for what is to come.

Inspiration

Monday, March 2nd, 2015

So today I am writing this because the board has breathing down our necks, telling us to make blog posts because apparently people not only read them, but they actually enjoy them! I know, it sounds as weird to me as it does to you. However, in all seriousness I was encouraged, moved, and inspired today by this story about this chick named Kayla Montgomery from North Carolina. I’ve never met her, never talked to her, but I watched this E60 report on her today and the strength and determination she displays is quite impressive.

Now that I’ve got you hooked, you’re probably wondering, “What the heck did she do?”. Kayla is one of the fastest female 5k runners in North Carolina. As a runner, this already has me impressed. I am honestly a fairly average 5k runner on the competitive circuit and would probably be considered a good 5k runner by any average joe. The 5k is long, it is hard, its all about determination and will. But back to Kayla. I forgot to mention one thing earlier, Kayla has MS (multiple sclerosis) and it effects her lower body. Her body attacks it’s own nerves, and her symptoms flare when her body temperature raises above it’s normal levels. Like when she’s running. What does this mean for Kayla? She loses all feeling in her legs when she runs. ALL FEELING. We’re talking like they could have been cut off for all she knows. Her legs power through on sheer muscle memory and her will. When she crosses the finish line, her coach has to catch her because she can’t control her legs enough to stand up in place. She then has to ice her legs to get her body temp down and get the feeling to return to legs. Running with the pain of “the burn” sucks, but man I can’t even begin to think about what it is like to feel absolutely nothing. To not know if the feeling is going to return to her legs. To me, she is brave to continue running with the condition that she has. In the interview of her, she says she does it because she wants to enjoy what she has, while she has it.

Watching her story makes part of me want to drop the classes I’m in and pick up the easiest ones I can find so that I can just train every day as hard as I can to really become good at the 800. It makes me want to run, to race, to put everything out there on a track. At there very same time, I know that the reason that I am here at UIUC is that same drive to push myself. It’s the reason I chose to take these more challenging chemistry classes over the easier lower level ones. It’s the reason that I want to someday go to med school and become a doctor. It’s the reason that I am going to be biking across a freaking continent this summer. I have to challenge myself to see what I can achieve because I don’t want to look back later in life just to see what I COULD have been. I want to look a back and be amazed by what I BECAME, what I did and what I  accomplished. The only thing that I am guaranteed in this life is death. I have no clue how long my heath will continue to be the way that it is, I just know that I need to take advantage of it while it lasts. This summer I will be pushing my physical limits, seeing the true face of this country, talking to people whose lives have been changed  in ways that I cannot even imagine. Hopefully I will come out a more wise person, a stronger person, and ready to continue to push myself.

Kayla’s Story

Alas, we meet again

Tuesday, February 10th, 2015

So, for those of you who have kept up to date with the I4k blog over the last few years, my name might look familiar, owing to the fact that I did the ride in 2013.

Well, as luck and various turns of fate would have it, I’m back in 2015, here this time to serve as the ride leader for this fantastic installment of the Illini 4000 after serving on the board of directors for the intervening year of 2014 and this year as well.

As riders, we’re encouraged to keep the public (and particularly all the parents, grandparents, and other interested family members) up to date on what it is we’re doing with the blog posts on this website, which is something I admittedly did fairly infrequently my first time as a rider, so it’s something I’m going to attempt to do better this time around. And what better time to start than 3:40 in the morning when I should be sleeping or doing any number of more school related tasks, right? (So I guess bear with me if it’s not the most well constructed piece of writing)

If you would have asked me any time prior to, oh, say, November, if I planned on doing something like this again, I would have chuckled heartily, and offered some sort of remark along the lines of  “well, while I certainly had a great experience the first time,  I just don’t know if it’s something I could do again, ya know?” But, as we selected this years team and needed someone to serve as sherpa, it eventually fell to me, and it is a responsibility I’ve come to embrace. Of course, as a late round draft pick so to speak, it’s created some logistical problems to solve and that’s what I’ve been dealing with the last week or so. Should I get a new bike, or use the same one I used before, itself purchased used before me from another former I4k-er? What’s the best way to get the van back from California? Will I have enough money to buy ice cream over the summer (more important of a question than you could possibly imagine)? You know, day to day stuff. Peripheral, organizational stuff you just need to get sorted out when dealing with this kind of thing.

But as I was consulting the schedule and figuring out ways to drive back from San Francisco and return our rental van earlier today, I saw Sean’s blog post on the sidebar and proceeded to read it (which you should do now if you haven’t already). It made me stop and prioritize a bit. The organizational stuff, the bikes, that’s all well and good and needs to be sorted out, but it’s not really the point. It’s just the means to the end, and the ends in our case is to do whatever we can to help those with cancer triumph over the disease. To show those who are in that fight that there are people actively trying to research and fund different ways to help them. To show them, perhaps most importantly, that there’s a motley group of (soon to be) sun tanned, sweaty, but enthusiastic college students who care.

Last week my mom’s uncle passed away after a long battle with cancer, and his funeral was this weekend. With school, I4k things, and other obligations, I couldn’t make it up to the services, but as I sit here at 4 am, read Sean’s post, think about Uncle Rich, and plan for the coming summer, it’s necessary to take a moment to just think about what it is we do, and who we do it for. I had a list in my head the first time I did the ride of all the people I knew who had gone up against cancer, whether themselves or through a loved one. And as I gear up to do the ride again, that list (that entirely too long of a list), is still in my head. The problem is, it keeps getting longer.

So I guess you could say our work is cut out for us in a number of different ways, just as it is for all those who participate in ways to combat the disease. But as we prepare for another summer of doing our part in the effort, there’s always the hope that maybe one day the fight will be won, and we won’t have to anymore.

The Game has Changed

Monday, January 5th, 2015

So this is my first blog post here on the I4K website. I want to apologize now because this isn’t going to be a happy one but it is important, to me at least. Going into the Illini 4000, I hadn’t really been affected by cancer like most people had. I hadn’t lost any direct relatives yet but I knew that there were some relatives that I didn’t know all that well that were going through it. I really was in it for the journey and the adventure of a lifetime as well as helping the fantastic cause this organization has undertaken. However, everything in this world happens for a reason.

On December 30th, my grandfather went to urgent care because he was feeling ill and was diagnosed with pneumonia. Two days later, he was too week to even get to the bathroom without help and the ambulance took him to the hospital. On January 1st, 2015, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Happy New Year’s. However, there was a bright side. A couple days later and after more tests, doctors estimated that his chance of survival with chemotherapy was 70%. It would probably be a long battle and tough to watch but he was going to survive. There were some complications though. The leukemia had caused his platelet count drastically drop and he had an overabundance of white blood cells. So many white blood cells that they were starting to build up in his arteries. On top of all of this, his respiratory system was still giving him fits. Therefore, before they could even start chemo, they had to get his body to a state that could handle it. By Saturday, the 3rd, he was starting to look a lot better and there were plans to start his chemo today. Between the hours of 3am and 5am this morning, he suffered a massive stroke that prevented the nurse from waking him up. A combination of a stroke the previous year and the complications with his blood due to the leukemia are thought to be the cause of this stroke. Sadly, his platelet count was so low that doctors couldn’t go in and drain the excess blood from his brain without causing him to bleed out. By 11:30 am this morning, my grandfather had passed away in his sleep.

Part of me thinks that this may have been a much better way for him to go than for him to suffer through months of chemotherapy while his family watched his body and health slowly deteriorate. Then again, maybe a few more months of life would have been better than him going this quickly. The hardest part for everyone right now is just how quickly he went. I mean, right before Christmas he visited our house and seem to be as healthy as a ox. And then over the course of 5 days he went from diagnosed with leukemia to gone. Now instead of riding just for the adventure and just for the thrill of it, I ride in his loving memory.

-Sean

It’s a Brand New Ride Year

Sunday, August 30th, 2015

Hello all. The 2015 Illini 4000 ride went spectacularly with a fundraising total of $112,269! But, it’s now time to look ahead to the next Bike America Team and the adventures they will have. If you’re interested in the fight against cancer and can think of no better way to join the fight than to bike across the country, then here’s some news you probably don’t want to miss. The 2016 Application is live! And, there are info sessions where potential riders or those generally interested in the organization can come to learn more about the Illini 4000 and all the things we have planned for the next year.  All Informational meetings will take place at 608 S Wright St, Urbana, IL 61801 (The English Building EB).

Thurs, 9/3 at 8pm-259 EB

Fri, 9/11 at 6pm-259 EB

Tues, 9/15 at 7pm-259 EB

We hope to see you there! But, if you’d like to see local Illini 4000 members a little earlier, we’ll be handing out cookies at Anniversary Plaza, Monday, August 31st to celebrate Illini 4000’s 10th Birthday from 11am to 1pm. Join us.

2016 Bike America Team Application Extended

Sunday, September 20th, 2015

Hello All,

The 2016 Bike America Team Application deadline has been extended to Wednesday, September 23rd! Don’t miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime. And, as always, feel free to get in touch with us at contactus@illini4000.org if you happen to have any questions.

My First Donation

Tuesday, October 27th, 2015

Hey everyone, I just wanted to give a special “thank you” to my Aunt Roberta for helping me get started with donations. She was the first donor! Woot! Woot! Thank you, I know you will be with me in spirit throughout the ride and I will share your love with everyone I meet during the ride. Spread the connection!

I love you Aunt Roberta :)

Fundraising Fun!

Tuesday, November 10th, 2015

I had such a fun time selling cookies outside of Canopy Club during the Young the Giant concert last week for Illini 4000! I am incredibly grateful to the wonderful staff at Canopy Club that helped us so much, especially Mo who directed people our way as they were leaving the concert and gave us a multitude of helpful hints! Thank you so much to Sarah for letting us see some of the concert on Wednesday and giving us tickets for Thursday, it was such an incredible experience! I am so grateful that we had a successful fundraiser and I got to know a few of my team members better. I was absolutely gushing with happiness when I saw some of the other Illini 4000 riders and Board of Directors after the concert as well as some of my fellow ASB boardies. It was one of the best feelings in the world. Thank you so so much to everyone who donated to us, it meant so much to us all. :)