The Why’s of the Fight Against Blood Cancer; Devon Dow and her Fundraiser Against Leukemia & Lymphoma
By now, the vast majority of our blog readers should be aware of this Saturday’s impending fundraiser at CFDC to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Devon has put in a lot of effort to make this a successful event, but she’s offered to explain just why:
We have had many milestones at CrossFit DC. Some were as big as finding our own space or someone getting their first muscle-up, while others were as small as getting our garage door…delivered….
Saturday, June 1st is yet another milestone for CrossFit DC. We are going to come together for the first time as a community, on 14th Street, to support a cause: The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). The workout is still a secret, but we promise it will not be 7 minutes of burpees!
Many people are unaware that approximately every 4 minutes someone in the United States is diagnosed with Blood Cancer, or that Leukemia is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in children ages 0-19. Statistics can shock you, but it all comes down to the delivery of a simple 6-letter word, C-A-N-C-E-R. It is the most feared word in the English language. It is a word that affects each and every one of us, whether it’s through a personal battle, or a fight that a family member or a friend has taken on.
Many of you have heard over the last few weeks that this is my fundraiser, so I am sure some might be wondering why? How did I get involved?
Blood Cancer has been the source to a lot of “whys” in my life: “why them, why now, why so fast.” The biggest “why” came to me when my childhood friend, Maddie, was diagnosed with Leukemia. Maddie was that type of person whose smile lit up the room, who carried with her a contagious laughter, and was a person who would never judge you no matter what you looked like, did or said. We all graduated from high school and went our separate ways; it wasn’t until a few years later when I got that phone call that stops you in your tracks. Maddie had been diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of 24.
I still remember the feeling: a sudden thud to my heart where everything felt heavy. She was given little time to live, but being Maddie, she went on to fight the battle, one which she ultimately lost.
Throughout her fight she kept a public blog, which let you know everything, from how she was feeling to what NOT to watch on TV to her secret crush on one of the doctors.
Through her blog she taught life lessons just by being her. She taught me that it is important to smile and find joy even when there doesn’t seem to be anything to smile about. She taught me to focus on the important things in life and how to be strong when facing tough situations. There isn’t a month that goes by where I don’t think about Maddie, her laugh, her smile and her big heart. So you ask me why? My answer is simple. I fight for Maddie who can no longer fight.
I am sure if you stopped and asked everyone in our gym or around our community that they would have a similar story about someone they know/knew with a similar battle. Thanks to communities like CrossFit DC and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, however, there are many more stories where the Maddies of the world are still here, still alive, to tell their story in their own voice.
Thank you for taking the time to read “my story,” and sweating for a cause! Please bring friends or tell them about what we are doing on Saturday. We are well on our way to hitting our $2,000 goal
If you haven’t already, please donate to the cause: https://fundly.com/crossfit-for-blood-cancer
Thank you!
Devon
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