Seriously, is this the best speech ever from a 13 year old?

Ashton is our Honored Teammate for this season, and he gave a speech at  the TNT kickoff event. His words were so good, they're worth sharing again...

I’m 13 years old today but I was only 2 when the doctors told my mom and dad that I had leukemia.  I’ve been told that I hold the record for the highest white blood cell count the hospital has ever seen, which means the cancer was all over my body and the doctors didn’t think I would make it past the first week. 

But my mom and dad knew I would and we never lost hope.

Once I got past that first rough week, my treatment lasted over 2 years, so I was almost 5 when I finished treatment.

Even though I was little, I still remember some of it – like not being able to be around other kids or go to the grocery store or go to birthday parties – because I didn’t have an immune system anymore while the chemo fought the leukemia.  One of the hardest things for me was not being allowed to go swimming.

I don’t remember losing my hair, but I remember it growing back.  I remember the central IV line coming out of my chest where they put the chemo in and drew my blood out.

As a matter of fact, we were here at this hotel the night before the Marine Core Marathon almost 9 years ago now – supporting friends who were going to be doing the marathon for Team in Training the next day when my central line broke and I started bleeding out right at the dinner table in the restaurant! 

My parents freaked out and my mom didn’t have my emergency line clasp with her (that she was supposed to take with her everywhere we went just in case my line broke, which we were told was uncommon but yet – it happened…and NOT at a very good time). 

So we jumped in the car – with some TNT people we had just met – while my mom was holding me and my line as tight as she could so I wouldn’t lose anymore blood and we rushed to the hospital.

Luckily, everything turned out okay but everytime we pass this hotel, it always reminds me of that.

But you don’t have to worry about that happening this morning!  J Only a scar remains on my chest from where the line used to be – my moms says it’s a gentle reminder of what I’ve been through and how lucky I am to be here.

I remember the chemo party that my mom and dad had after I finished one of the rounds of my chemo.

There was a candle on the cake for every week that I had to have a shot of the chemotherapy into my legs.  Those were horrible, painful shots and they lasted 19 weeks, so there were 19 candles altogether.  I got to blow all the candles out and hoped that I never needed those again.  Thankfully, I haven’t.

I remember a lot of good things, too, like playing at the hospital with other kids who were there and doing arts and crafts in the clinic playroom while I got my chemo.  I also remember getting lots of hats in the mail from friends and strangers who wanted to do something to make me feel better.

Another good thing is that I get to be an honored teammate for the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society.  The first time, I was too sick to be at the kickoff or go to any of the weekend trainings.  But now I have been doing it for 9 years and it’s fun to meet people that I never would have met if I hadn’t gotten sick.  And it’s neat to see how hard everyone works to train and raise money for cancer research.  

My mom and dad said that if there wasn’t a Leukemia-Lymphoma Society, then I wouldn’t be here today.  It’s because of your hard work and commitment that kids and adults have a better chance at surviving blood-related cancers.

My mom and dad were so grateful to the Society that they decided to do some events with Team in Training, too.  My mom did a half marathon to celebrate me being off treatment for one year and my dad has done four 100-mile century bike rides.  Four of those 5 times, I was there to give them hugs at the finish line and those are some really cool memories for our family – and a way to feel that we conquered the cancer and it didn’t win.

There’s still a long way to go to find a cure and that’s why doing Team in Training is important.  Some of the kids I played with in the hospital and at the clinic weren’t as lucky as me and it makes me sad.  And some of my friends are still fighting, and really, I just wish they would find treatment that didn’t have to last so long. 

With your help, they can, which means other kids can do the things they want to do instead of spending so much time not feeling good.

So, thank you for taking the first step to help people with cancer.  Someday we will all celebrate a cure!

It's hard cycling through the snow

First practice, 13.2 (chilly but sunny) miles around Hains point.  Met a lot of new teammates, and refueled afterward at the golf course snack bar.  Olympics on TV, hard to beat that for athletic inspiration.  Everything felt pretty good on the bike except for my toes, which got very cold very quickly despite wool biking socks.  Next week I'll wear the neoprene over-shoe booties that look silly, but keep my feet warm!

Go Team.