We did it for mom

I'm going to say it... I hate to run, walk, or exercise.... Period!   Gasp...I know!!!  I get a lot of "walking" in daily as I scurry around during my momma duties.  I always get over 10,000 steps on my Fitbit.  It's not like I sit on my rear all day.  I don't.  Lazy people send me into orbit.  I'm busy... Just not an "exercise" person. With that being said, on Saturday I participated in a neighborhood 5k to raise funds for pool furniture.  My body still hates me for that 3.1 mile run/walk stunt I pulled.  If that weren't enough torture to the ole physique, Sunday I did it again.  

Sunday, Ford and I headed to Memphis for the annual Pancreatic Cancer 5k run/walk.  I'm a sissy.  I did the one mile walk.  It was more of a hobble since my shins were still angry at me from the day before.  I did this one with a smile.  

Did you know:

• An estimated 53,070 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the U.S., and over 41,780 will die from the disease. 


• Pancreatic cancer is one of the few cancers for which survival has not improved substantially over nearly 40 years. 


• Pancreatic cancer is the 3rd leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States.


• Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers. 94% of pancreatic cancer patients will die within five years of diagnosis – only 8% will survive more than five years. 74% of patients die within the first year of diagnosis.


• The average life expectancy after diagnosis with metastatic disease is just three to six months.


• Few risk factors for developing pancreatic cancer are defined. Family history of the disease, smoking, age, and diabetes are risk factors.


• Pancreatic cancer may cause only vague symptoms that could indicate many different conditions within the abdomen or gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms include pain (usually abdominal or back pain), weight loss, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), loss of appetite, nausea, changes in stool, and diabetes.


• Treatment options for pancreatic cancer are limited. Surgical removal of the tumor is possible in less than 20% of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Chemotherapy or chemotherapy together with radiation is typically offered to patients whose tumors cannot be removed surgically. 


• Pancreatic cancer is a leading cause of cancer death largely because there are no detection tools to diagnose the disease in its early stages when surgical removal of the tumor is still possible.

It's a nasty nasty disease y'all.  By the time doctors can determine that an individual has pancreatic cancer it's so far developed that you're toast.  That's why I'm taking the special blood test every year that detects it before symptoms arise.

Dad, Ken, his three kids, my friend, Jessica, two of Ken's friends- Jeana and Jordan, and Ford and me attended the race in honor of mom.

Ken won second in his age group and 12th overall.  Jordan won first place overall.  And Jeana won first place in her age group.  They did it for mom!!!!

There's no doubt y'all can't tell I thought the absolute world of my mom.  Ohhh I did.  She was a rare jewel.  Slow to anger and full of love.  She is missed badly and will forever be remembered and loved.

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