Five, fighting: Handful of siblings train for marathon; raise money for leukemia, lymphoma

Chelsie (Fuller) Bird, of American Fork, Utah, was diagnosed with lymphoma at the age of 19. After successful chemotherapy and radiation treatments lasting about a year, the 24 year old has been cancer free for five years.

Recognizing that the cancer was hardest on Bird, eldest sister Sunny (Fuller) Dorow, noted this was also a difficult time for those in this close-knit family who felt there was little they could do to help the youngest sister they call “Gubby.”

“To be a bystander, and watch as cancer takes hold of an individual you love and cherish is heart wrenching,” the family wrote in a letter looking for support. “When other college freshmen were studying, making new friends and exploring a brand new world, our sister was discussing treatment plans and scheduling chemotherapy. She had to move back home to our parent’s house, she lost her hair, she lost her appetite, she lost control of the life she was so eager to get out and experience. How do you comfort a sibling with a life threatening disease? It was extremely hard to keep the faith and not lose hope.”

“It’s not fun to sit and watch people suffer,” Dorow said, noting all the family could do was support her and be there when Bird needed an ear. That, and inject a little humor into the situation to try and keep spirits high.

So, Dorow, 33, told The Journal, when Bird signed up in May for a marathon training program to celebrate the five-year mark of her cancer, the rest of the siblings followed suit shortly after.

“I was proud of her, but not proud enough to run,” joked Dorow, who lives in Williams, Minn., near where the siblings were raised in Roosevelt. But her tune changed a few weeks later when brother Reid Fuller, Salt Lake City, suggested that the other four siblings — including sisters April (Fuller) Barnes, Richmond, Ky.; and Desiree (Fuller) Quayle, Knoxville, Tenn. — join Bird’s “Team in Training” group and run the Dublin marathon as a family. They each committed on June 1 to the training, marathon and fundraising.

“We can totally support her in this,” Dorow said was the mentality that spurred the sisters and brother to join the cause. That thought was also joined with, “What am I doing? This is crazy,” she joked.

Team in Training (TNT) is a program through the LLS that works with participants to train for marathons, half marathons, triathlons and bicycle races. The society and its TNT members provide each other with information and support as they train for the competitions. Although several siblings had been involved in track teams in high school and run on occasion, none were running at that level.

The program includes running four days a week, including a longer run on Saturdays. Weekly runs are increasing in length and speed for the team as they get closer to the October race. They cross train one day a week and have two days of rest.

“It’s not super fun but it feels good when you’re done,” Dorow said. The siblings ran 11 miles last Saturday. She said they feel they are improving with each additional run.

All of the siblings are signed up for Bird’s TNT team in Utah. But being stationed across the country, the three non-Utah residents don’t often get to run with the other TNT members and rely on themselves, families and each other to stay motivated and continue with the program.

TNT participants raise money for the LLS by participating in events around the country and around the world. For more information on the TNT program visit www.teamintraining.org.

Each of the siblings are to raise $4,800 for the charity. They have started raising money by sending out letters, selling online advertisements on their group website, accepting donations online and other projects.

They also hope to provide inspiration to those undergoing treatments, both through hearing how Bird was able to conquer the disease and how the family has bonded to train for something they never imagined they would do.

Sharing stories

The family members are all blogging on their website, www.fiveintraining.com. The siblings are recording their time spent training, and visitors can learn more about Bird’s story, read a brief introduction from each of the siblings and comment on their posts.

Those who wish to contribute to their cause can do so via a secure payment system on that site. Individuals and businesses can also sign up to sponsor the team and take online advertising on the site.

Each of the siblings has a nickname on the website for their posts related to their birth order. Dorow, being the first born, is “Runner #1,” for example.

After two months of running and blogging, the team members are writing about both the challenges and triumphs that come with such a strenuous training program.

Dorow, who called her siblings her “best friends on the planet,” said that the shared experience has brought the already close family even closer. It may have been a span of several days in the past between checking in via email or phone calls. Not so anymore.

“We’re anxious to hear how the running’s going, share stories,” she said.

Many of these stories include running injuries, including a case of poison ivy, shin splints and their fair share of blisters and aching muscles.

“Exercise — I hate it, I love it. It’s nice to have some motivation in my life. BRING ON THE MILES,” Dorow posted this week after listing the pros and cons of the program.

Barnes recently blogged about being chased by a man in Knoxville while running with Quayle. The sisters had different paces and split during the last half-mile of their 11-mile run last Saturday. Barnes wrote that as she was walking the last part of her route a man started chasing her down a well-traveled highway, yelling in a language she did not understand. She said that four passersby eventually assisted her in stopping the man and calling the police.

Barnes finished her story with some words of advice: “And to all those runners out there, maybe my mom’s idea of having mace with you at all times really isn’t such a bad idea.”

Dorow joked that running in rural northern Minnesota, she sees more wildlife than anything else on her runs.

It has been a battle and a learning experience for the team, as is evident from the blog posts the siblings share. But they also talk about the successes, feeling good about meeting goals and getting in shape.

“It’s something everyone wants to do,” Dorow said of being more active. She called the experience rewarding.

“She didn’t have an option,” Dorow said, speaking of Bird’s battle with cancer. “She had to keep going or die.”

It is that thinking that is keeping the siblings motivated as they raise money for a cure for the cancers and race to help inspire those with the diseases.

“Cancer touches so many people, it’s worth it,” Dorow said.