Michelle Runs the NY Marathon in honor of Lara and raises $5,675.00 to support those who continue to fight the battle against the terrible disease - cancer. 

On the evening of April 13, 2005, I didn’t fully understand or realize that my life was about to change forever.  As I laid in bed with my two-year old niece, Tierney, snuggled up to me, all I could hear in the darkness of the house was the sound of her little breaths.  As I held her close, the tears continued to fall down my cheeks as I prayed to God harder than I have prayed in years.  Over and over, I just repeated, “Please God, not Lara, not a wife, not the mother of two small children, not my sister.  Please God, do not give her cancer.  Please please.”  As feelings of hopelessness and fear overcame me, I felt like a child lost in the dark.  At that moment, there was nothing I could do, nothing except pray and wait for the answer.  

The next morning, a day forever engraved in my memory, my family’s worst fears became a reality.  It was cancer, it was a tumor the size of a bowling ball inside Lara’s trunk, moving her heart, and crushing her lung.  Her cancer is synovial cell sarcoma which only 1% of all cancer patients have.  It was a heart breaking moment, and one of the most terrifying experiences I have ever faced. 

This was the beginning, the start of a year and a half long battle we are still fighting today.  This battle has challenged us to face hardships that overwhelm the mind and body with unbelievable emotion.  The challenges, from the day Lara lost her hair to her recent 13- hour surgery have all included agony and sadness.  However, through each experience and challenge we become braver, stronger, we continue to believe and have faith. 

Despite all the tribulations, the fears, the life changing events, I have learned a valuable lesson about life and have discovered a new found hero that you don’t see on a sports field, in a history book, on the cover of a magazine. This hero is described by her doctors as having “Grit and determination.” I have known this hero my whole life and now, more than ever, I see the qualities of courage, strength, love, motivation, willingness to fight and a heart that touches all.  She has a smile that lights up the room whenever anybody encounters her, especially the nurses and doctors at MD Anderson, to them she is truly an amazement.

After Lara survived a 13-hour surgery with one lung, I realized, it was time for me to find courage within myself to find a way to do more for cancer. That helpless feeling when someone you love has cancer never goes away.  You never feel like you are doing enough because you can’t heal them and you can’t take away the pain that lives within - the pain of having a life that is not normal. 

I can’t cure cancer, I can’t take away the pain, I can’t save a life the way a doctor does, but I can run and I can raise money, money that supports THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER.   

This cause has become dear to my heart and as I challenge myself to be more like Lara, who is a determined fighter,  “LIVE STRONG” as they saying goes. Everyday, I watch Lara “LIVE STRONG.” This is for all people, cancer or not.  Take the time to live your life, be STRONG and remember to BELIEVE in life, yourself, your family, faith, miracles, love and dreams.

With Love, Michelle Phelps