Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Day 23: Theresa Hulsing

July 8th, 2013

Today we ran from Nashville, TN to Knoxville, TN.
My running partners were Sarah and Bethy. To start off the day we had to drive a little bit to get to roads we could run on outside of Nashville. Our van had a permanent driver so the rotation was different than normal because the running groups never had to drive. Having a driving helps us finish our miles faster. I was glad for that because it was getting very hot. The humidity in this area of the country is difficult for some of the team because they aren’t used to it. Luckily, at home I trained in very similar conditions.

After running we bought ourselves some food before driving the rest of the way to our host – The Episcopal Church.

Bethy, Myself and Sarah
There were 3 women that cooked us dinner. Everything made from scratch – stew, pasta salad and bread, cupcakes and angel food cake with fruit for dessert! YUMMY!

Total Miles: 213

Today was dedicated to Aunt Theresa. It’s her birthday today!
My Aunt Theresa was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer when she was 23 years old. Ovarian cancer is rare among women younger than 40, so this was a surprise to everyone. We don’t have any history of ovarian cancer in our family – why would such a young member have such a terrible disease?
Theresa was then living in Roanoke, VA. The moment we heard the news, mom and I drove down to VA. I’ll never forget getting to the hospital and going upstairs to see Theresa. She had to have a full hysterectomy in order to remove as much of the cancer as possible. Mom, Theresa and some of her sisters talked about options. It turned out that in order to be closest to some family and still receive good medical care, it was best for Theresa to move in with my family and go to the UK Markey Cancer Center in Lexington, KY.
Theresa lived with us for 2 years while she went through treatment.


As a teenager, it was hard to see someone in so much pain. She would have good days and bad days. I still remember when we shaved her hair off; my dad shaved his too. And we went wig shopping soon after. It’s hard to look back and remember things having been a third party. Mom would go to doctors’ appointments with Theresa like she was her own child. Theresa was basically an older sister to us four kids.
Since Theresa moved out, she has lived in a couple places but has found her way back to Roanoke, VA. She is healthy and in remission.


I love you Aunt Theresa. Even though I didn’t quite understand what you were going through years ago, I now know more. I am impressed by your strive to fight and win and I'm proud of you!

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