Confined to an iron lung at age 4 in 1953, Nancy Hutchings was a polio victim who – after partial paralysis in one arm and leg – had to be taught how to walk again. Then in 1999, a car accident resulted in a traumatic brain injury that would render her permanently disabled. A year later she suffered a heart attack. Eighteen months after that, she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Needless to say, Nancy had a tough path to walk: so walk is what she did.
To rebuild her confidence and self esteem, she decided to walk a half marathon with the Leukemia & Lymphoma society’s Team in Training. Since her first walk, she has continued to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma society – her niece, Jesse, had battled with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma – and has completed half marathons in san Francisco, Anchorage, Alaska, and Columbus, Ohio. Currently she is training and fundraising to compete in Columbus’ Cap City half marathon in May for her husband, John, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2007.
“My goal,” she says, “is to continue walking half marathons for the Leukemia & Lymphoma society each year until they find a cure or my doctors tell me to stop. Doing these distance events for the benefit of others provides me with a sense of purpose.” Her next stride is “to raise enough funds to provide a grant for a researcher at the James Cancer Hospital.”
To find out how you can help support Nancy, visit: lls.org/hm_lls ▪