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TEAM GRAVY
Two-Year Participant of the Lung Run
Connection to Lung Cancer:
Lost mom, Judy Kemper, to lung cancer
Team Gravy...In their Own Words…
In April 2006, our mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. She only had 5 short months with us before she passed away in September of that year. During this time, we felt a range of emotions, from hope to despair. I will never forget my mom's physician telling us that the prognosis was very poor as there had been no significant advancements in the treatment of lung cancer in 10 years. How was that possible? Upon further investigation, we became aware of the woeful lack of funding for this disease that takes so many lives. We were truly appalled by the realization that in a country such as ours, so wealthy and technologically advanced, that nobody seemed to care that this disease was essentially incurable. We found many events for other types of cancer, but had a difficult time finding one for lung cancer. We were thrilled to find the Lung Run so that we could come together to remember our mother and to hopefully help others that are battling this disease. Last year, my father, brother, sister and nephews made the trip from Ohio to join my husband, sister and me here in Chicago for the Lung Run. We wanted to pay tribute to my mom with an appropriate team name, and after much deliberation, we decided on "Team Gravy." Collectively, our favorite memory of mom was the chaos that ensued each Thanksgiving when she tried to perfect her homemade gravy. The year before she was diagnosed was one of our favorites-she accidentally poured the gravy through the strainer and down the drain. She was beside herself, but we finally got her to smile upon reflection that we were so lucky to be together, gravy or no gravy.
During those months, we all took turns taking her for her daily radiation treatments. The staff would always tell my mother, "you are so lucky to have such a wonderful family." But in fact the reverse was true: we were the lucky ones to have her in our lives. We have decided to make the Lung Run a part of our family tradition, as nothing would make mom happier than knowing we were together as a family to bring awareness to this devastating disease. The need for research cannot be overstated. Had my mother had even one more year, she would have seen her daughter get married and two of her grandsons at their first birthday parties. Had she lived two more years, she would have seen the birth of two more of her grandchildren. Time is precious, and anything that can be done to extend the lives of those with the disease must be done. The fact that so few patients survive over a year is incomprehensible, when so many other types of cancer have seen drastic increases in survival rates. There is no plausible reason for this, except that we need to get the word out about the need for increased funding for research. The Lung Run is a step in the right direction. We hope to see it grow every year!