Running to help find a cure for daughter's cancer.
Reese Tatham hugs her "radiation buddy", the little stuffed dog the folks at SickKids gave her to hold during each radiation treatment for neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial solid cancer in childhood and the most common cancer in infancy.
Photo/COURTESY
In May 2009, Amber Hudson and Jon Tatham's lives were turned upside down when they received news no parent ever wants to hear.
The midtown Toronto couple's daughter Reese, then 17 months old, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer that typically affects the adrenal glands, the spine and the rest of sympathetic nervous system.
With a 12-centimetre tumour on her right adrenal gland and the cancer having metastasized in her bones and bone marrow, Reese began undergoing intense treatments.
Thanks to a close friend, however, the family is doing what they can to help the fight against the little-known form of cancer.
On Sunday, July 25, Hudson will take part in the second annual Run for Reese at the Beaches Jazz Tune-Up five-kilometre run, with Tatham and Reese cheering her on.
She will run to raise money for the James Fund, which funds neuroblastoma research out of The Hospital for Sick Children.
The Run for Reese was conceived by Hudson's closest friend, Tracy Russell, who raised more than $10,000 as the sole fundraiser during the first Run for Reese.
"When Reese was diagnosed, we were doing what we could for her and Tracy immediately said, 'What can be done to raise funds?'" Hudson said. "She raised $10,400 and change. It made me cry to see her do this."
For Russell, setting up a fundraising run was a no-brainer. Her brother had been trying to coax her into taking part in one of the many races around Toronto for a while, but she had always declined.
With a chance to do some good for a close friend, she finally decided the time was right to join.
"It was the only thing I could figure out as a way to help," she said. "I'm a mom, too, and it really tugs at your heart when you hear stories like that."
Russell is also trying to get a fundraising team together for the Good Life Marathon in October, and she and Hudson are working on creating an event of their own solely to raise money for neuroblastoma research.
That, they hope, will both raise money for the James Fund and raise awareness of neuroblastoma, which affects some 50 children across Canada each year.
"The more awareness there is about it, the more money we can get," Russell said. "There's amazing research being done through the James Fund, but they need money to get it done."
Now that Reese has finished the lion's share of her treatments - her final admission at SickKids came earlier this month - Hudson will be joining in the fundraising efforts by taking part in the Beaches run. While she never enjoyed running before, doing so in support of a worthwhile cause has changed her tune.
"I thought it was a chore in the past, but now I love it," she said. "It's a good way for me to get exercise, too. I've spent a lot of time sitting in hospital rooms."
Hudson has been preparing for the upcoming run by buying a jogging stroller and running along with Reese in the Lawrence Park area.
Her hard work - not to mention the work Russell has done - will make a difference in the fight against neuroblastoma.
"No kid should have to deal with cancer," Hudson said.
Hudson and Russell will run in the Beaches Jazz 5K Tune-Up at 10 a.m. on Sunday, July 25. To donate to the cause or to find out more about upcoming fundraising events, visit the family's blog at www.tathamclan.com