5k

Yesterday we were so grateful to everyone who came to the 5k at Lone Peak High School. They hoped for 300, and 350 showed up. It was a great turn out! Jared was very touched by the turn out! I sat, studied, and watched as everyone gathered to ran the 5k for Jared. It’s amazing that each of us is so different, and yet in so many ways the same. I didn’t know most of the people there, but they knew about my son. Teachers, students, friends, and family, all gathered to support Jared. Some knew him well, while others just knew his story; but all were there to give Jared support. Jared wanted to take part.

His close friends and family started the race with him, but some finally passed him up. I’m sure Jared wanted to run as fast as they were. It’s like that every day for Jared. He lays in bed now most of the day, where he watches his friends and family go to work and school.

Kristina & Jared

Kristina & Jared

I cannot imagine how difficult it is for Jared not to be able to keep up, to be too weak and tired to do any more. We all would have been fine if he had stayed at the finish line, and just watched. We were all so impressed that he tried and finished. Before he got sick this would have been easy for him, but now his life challenges have changed. What was once easy is now difficult. However Jared’s inner strength is now much stronger. You know the inner strength that helps you to survive lives most difficult challenges. The challenges that bring us to our knees yelling uncle.

Winners

With Jared’s new inner strength he now passes us all up. As Jared fights this cancer with all of this might he does so with the strength of a super hero. He has become my super hero; he has become many of our super heroes. It’s like Jared is now running a cancer 5k, and he is winning. So as I watched I realized there were many that finished the 5k before Jared, but he won the inner battle. Jared run to be next to all those people that were supporting him. 

 The first one to finish the 5k yesterday was a survivor of ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia), the same Leukemia as Jared has.

Jared will again see the day when he can walk and not be weary, and run and not be faint. However yesterday in my eyes, in many of our eyes, Jared won the bigger race. He won the race that takes a much greater strength than most of us have. He won the 5k that took place in the chambers of his soul.

When Jared pasted the finish line we all cheered, we all cheered with tears in our eyes.

We cried because he ran with his loved ones, and finished when it was so hard! We cried for his great courage. We cried because he’s still here, fighting! He’s running the cancer 5k and winning! Our message to Jared is, “Go Jared Go! Don’t give up, finish the cancer 5k a winner. I am grateful to be his mother!