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Leslie Hesse
 On November 7th, 2008, at age 56, my dad was going for his first colonscopy. To his (and our) surprise he was diagnosed with colon cancer. He had an immediate colon resection, only to find soon after that this unpleasant cancer had traveled outside the colon wall. He has battled surgeries, chemo, radiation and was only given 2 years. After radiation he was 6 months free of chemo, but on October 6th of 2010, he was told the cancer showed up on his abdomen and pelvic area. My dad is the youngest of 12 siblings, a husband, a father of 3 children, a grandfather of 7, a farmer, full time worker, and strong Lutheran. Nothing is going to stop him. In May 2010 I made the decision that I would start the journey to run for my dad. I want others to realize how important it is to get an annual colonoscopy. So if you see me running, I will be wearing a T-shirt supporting a fight against colon cancer, and ultimately supporting my dad. This man is not only my dad but a powerful man that has the strongest inspiration, power, drive, and patience. So today is the day I run in support of my dad. Two years ago he was told he wouldn’t even be here…but he is here and continues to fight. I run this race and all races in dedication to my dad that will be waiting for me at the finish line in open arms. I love you DAD!!!
Always and Sincerely,
Your daughter on a mission
Leslie Hesse
Cole Camp, MO
Erica Griffin
 My name is Erica Griffin and I am a 33-year old wife, mother, and a breast cancer survivor. On September 16, 2008, at the age of 30, I was diagnosed with invasive Stage 3 breast cancer. I have always ate a healthy diet, maintained a healthy weight, and have been a runner for the past 7 years, I also have no family history of breast cancer, or any other kind of cancer for that matter. So as you can imagine, my diagnosis completely blew us away. At the time, our kids were 13, 11, and 4 and together we borrowed a statement from my doctor at Siteman Cancer Center and we said that "Breast cancer would NOT scare us!" We were going to fight with all we had. Our favorite Bible verse is Mark 5:36, "Don't be afraid, just believe." So that's just what we did. My treatment plan included 4 surgeries, 4 1/2 months of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation, a full year of another targeted drug treatment, and a complete hysterectomy. To say that cancer completely took over our year would be an understatement, and we as a family strove for as much normalcy as we could. As I healed from surgeries and began to pick up with my running again, it became clear that running, to me, helped define "normalcy." I'll never forget the look on my kids' faces when they came downstairs one morning to find me lacing up my running shoes, getting ready to head out for a run. You could almost see them relax a little as they smiled and nodded. I did 4 miles that day, my first run back after taking a month off. Certainly less than what I was used to, considering I ran 30-40 miles/week before cancer invaded our lives, but I conquered that distance like it was a marathon, and I was SO PROUD!I continued running throughout chemo, radiation, and the full year of treatment; my doctors were so proud of me, and I think a little amazed! Five months after I completed treatment, we booked a family vacation to Disney World and I ran my second half marathon, the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon in Orlando, FL. We celebrated being free from treatments and enjoyed relaxing and being together. I ran my first full marathon this past October in Kansas City, and now the GO! St. Louis Marathon will be my second...but it will be first in my heart. I am looking forward to running through Central West End and right in front of Siteman Cancer Center, where I once watched the streets below from a recliner while hooked up to livesaving chemotherapy. I know I will feel an amazing sense of how truly far I have come when I run past the place that was my lifeline and be so thankful for my team of doctors that saved my life. I am so blessed. And I can't wait!
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