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Cancer is a laughing matter at St Jude

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You know how hospitals smell?? That weird mixture of antiseptic, air spray and circulated air that hits you full force when you step through those sliding doors? I braced myself as we pushed through the doors…and I couldn’t have been more wrong.
St Jude Hallway MuralsMurals contain children of all ethnicities and genders, showing them healthy, without hair, with eye patches and other things with which they can identify.

Inside the bright red rotating doors you’re greeted with huge windows, light, fresh {no sterilized feeling to be found or sniffed}, smiling faces and vibrant joyful artwork. In fact, I’d dare you to find a place in the hospital where the people aren’t genuinely kind souls and the walls aren’t adorned in something uplifting.

“Laughter is poison to fear.” – George R. Martin

I have so much I’m dying to share with you about this trip. I’d talk your ears off for an hour if we were having a little coffee date, but I’ll try to boil it down to some of the most intriguing things I learned and experienced in our jam packed 2 day tour.

Hold on to your horses, it’s about to be a wild ride of information. {Below from the Brad Paisley room in the Target House – a long term apartment housing option provided for free to families staying 1-3 years}. See what I did there…hold on…horse saddle…funny..right?Brad Paisley Room at Target HouseWHERE A FREE LUNCH IS REALLY FREE
We’ve all heard the commercials saying no family is ever charged, but I had no concept of the magnitude to which St. Jude goes for the patient and their families!

  • Paying for travel
  • Providing housing for up to 3 years in many cases
  • All medical expenses from treatment to rehabilitation at St Jude
  • All onsite food and gift cards for the local Kroger’s
  • Shuttles not just to the hospital, but other places in Memphis
  • Enrolling siblings in local Memphis schools
  • An on-site school for patients
  • Daily activities for patients and siblings
  • Hair cuts for mom and dad because who has time to think about that otherwise
  • Yoga classes

How is it even possible to do all of this? Amazing sponsors, companies who give back through sales and yes each of us who average just a $30 donation each year make it possible for the hospital to save lives every day… on a $1.9 million dollar a day budget.

PUTTING THE SHINE ON A DIAMOND
What consistently blew my mind throughout this trip was the added touch, that extra little oomph which makes anything special extraordinary.

Picking out the highlights is like declaring your favorite child {me in my parent’s case}, but I tried:

  • Little red wagons to pull kids around the hospital who may not feel like sitting up in a wheelchair after treatment or simply make it more fun
  • An onsite garden to provide the highest possible nutrition from food {and cost savings!}
  • Kindergarten and high school graduation ceremonies
  • PROM!! That’s right partners like Lancôme come in an do make up for the girls, others donate dresses, tuxedo’s and limo’s giving them the FULL experience
  • Massively awesome Halloween with trick-or-treating throughout the hospital!
  • Memory building activities — some are private so I won’t share details, but truly these families are creating GOOD memories along with the rough stuff to have no matter the final result

StJudeEventsWHAT IS ST JUDE

  • It’s not an ER, they don’t even have one
  • It’s not just a children’s hospital
  • It is a research hospital specializing in tough cases and looking for cures
  • It is open to all children regardless of age, gender or race — one of the first to ever have that mission
  • It is a not for profit – any cure they find is immediately shared with hospitals everywhere
  • Children are admitted here after a physician referral and if they have on of the diseases currently being researched at the hospital
  • It is  about more than the treatment plan, it’s about the whole child {school, housing, food, fun}

One of the many things that surprised me were the housing options. Since many kids could be in treatment for 1-3 years they don’t just live in the hospital, it’s a little more like having a job. They come in during the day for treatment, school, appointments, lunch and then in the evening go home as a family. Each of the housing facilities are set up like apartments or hotels giving them access to all kinds of common areas, toys, etc…but most importantly just time to relax together, not in a hospital.

LAUGHTER
“I swore I’d never walk through those doors. It would just be too emotional for me.”

“Why are all these people so happy?!”

“Don’t they know they are bald?! Have cancer?!”

This is how one mom started her story…shortly there after she said the words I heard all week “these people are family” and the upbeat attitude throughout this hospital is what makes it possible to get through something so very difficult.

Family also means they break down together, they cry together, they celebrate together, they fight about options and everyone CARES deeply about the whole child, not just treating their illness. When I say St. Jude laughs at cancer it’s not to mitigate the seriousness of the disease, but instead to show that they embrace life and do everything they can to make each day wonderful regardless of the circumstances.

St. Jude treats the tough cases.

The cases that don’t yet have a recognized cure. The cases that are so small most pharmaceutical companies aren’t event attempting drugs because there is no profit. Which means among all the laughter there are certainly many days of tears.

Thanks to the fearless doctors and 182 research labs on campus, St Jude has helped to increase the worldwide survivor rate for childhood cancer to 80%.

Please consider sharing this story and helping people to understand what St. Jude really does for these families. Click to tweet>>  What do little red wagons, prom dresses and cancer have in common? Find out >> http://ctt.ec/PJ0eU+ via @runtothefinish

Thanks for letting me Think Out Loud once again this week. I’ve got so much more I want to share about yoga and nutrition and what St Jude does that you can expect a follow up!! In the meantime, checkout these 3 Mother’s Day gifts that give back to St. Jude.

Did you know all of these things about St Jude?

Interested in a healthy recipe or yoga tips from them?

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Posted by amanda Categories: Healthy lifestyle, Memphis

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Amanda Brooks is a Certified Running Coach, Certified Personal Trainer and long time distance runner with a passion for every facet of running, which leads her to do more reading, research and running than necessary. Find all the tips, tricks and tools you need from this running coach for your best injury free running. Read More…

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Amanda Brooks : Run Coach
SHARE THE ONE that resonates most with you. 🏃‍♀️🏃🏾🏃🏽‍♂️
 
It’s true, I’ll never stop talking about the warm up 😂. But right now the idea that running is HOPEFUL really strikes a chord.💜
 
We show up mile after mile always looking to what’s ahead and what’s possible.
 
Which one hits home for you?
.
.
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#runningmotivation #runninginspiration #medalmonday #fitnessmemes #runningmemes #runningquotes #runnerslife #runnerlife
AVOID HITTING THE WALL (save this and review befor AVOID HITTING THE WALL (save this and review before races) -AKA  Bonking. UK friends giggle at that, but it’s a term just like fartlek.
.
It’s that painful moment when your mind tells your legs to stop and it feels like there’s nothing you can do to turn the tides. It leaves emotional scars!🥵
 
WHAT TO DO!
1️⃣Train differently - seems obvious, but consistent training that follows a plan which progressively and smartly builds your miles and strength and speed...ya it works.
 
2️⃣Fuel, fuel, fuel - force yourself to eat before races and long runs even if not hungry.
.
Starting fueling sooner than you think you need to and keep doing it. During races your body is running on more carbs and needs that steady flow of energy. 
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🧠 Your brain functions on CARBS, stop depriving it or it will tell you to stop running. If food while running is an issue for you, checkout something like @genucan.
 
3️⃣Pacing - Stop going out too fast because you’re excited, it absolutely catches up to you. Ideal is even pacing start to finish.
 
4️⃣Pay attention to your brain. @fitzgerald.matt in How Bad Do You Want it does a great job of showing how the brain can limit performance if you don’t know what’s happening up there.
 
5️⃣Recover better - Stop over training and give your body tools to help it destress from all the work...the best one is SLEEP. I also love @resiliencecbd to help with nerves prior to a race and quality sleep during training.
 
❓❓Helpful?? Have more race day questions?? Or an epic story of hitting the wall?? I wanna know.❓❓
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Thanks to @moxie82co for capturing this weird moment, it worked great for this post.
HIT THOSE HIPS!!! I’ve given you a couple hip mo HIT THOSE HIPS!!! I’ve given you a couple hip mobility workouts, now we add strength!
//
🥳For the next 30 days in the Virtual Run Club we’ll be going hard on all the pre-hab work for hips, glutes and abs. Because running isn’t just about the miles.
//
That’s one of the reasons I’ve been consistently doing @insidetracker bloodwork since 2015.
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It’s helped me identify low Vitamin D causing fatigue or catch my wayyy high cortisol to embrace easy runs as key part of the process.
📌 (Save this post because the last screen has a 25% off discount code and you can get free access to the 30 Day March Challenge.)
👉LINK IN BIO FOR BOTH
✅✅✅✅
3 CORE MOVES
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You can use these as a progression or do all three, they’ll target the hips, glutes and core in different ways with each variation.
 
Aim for 15 reps prior to a run or do multiple rounds as part of a workout!
 
1️⃣Side Plank Kneeling Hip Raise - Really focus on your core engaging to raise up and keeping your elbow under your shoulder.
 
2️⃣Side Plank Kneeling Leg Raise - Again core should be tight to keep hips lifted, not sagging towards the ground. Then focus on your hip and glute to raise the top leg.
 
3️⃣Straight Leg Side Plank Leg Raise - Engage the core to keep hips high and press the bottom foot in to the ground to really engage your glutes. Slow and steady to remain stable while raising and lowering top leg.
❓❓❓❓
Talk to me!!!
Who’s in for 10 min a day in March?
Who’s gotten blood work to improve their health?
Who’s excited it’s almost spring?
👉👉Me to all 3! And more info in stories!
 
 
 
#runtothefinish #insidetrackerpartner
RUN DAYS ARE THE BEST DAYS😊 I had training tips RUN DAYS ARE THE BEST DAYS😊 I had training tips planned to share today, but really just wanted to say I hope you get in some miles today and they make you smile.
 
Let go of the pace.
Let go of the distance.
Let go of HR for a day.
Just run.
We GET to.
 
Where in the world are you running today?
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I’ll be embracing one warm day before snow here in Boulder, CO.
EMOJI POLL: Round or no? ⏰ give me whole numbers EMOJI POLL: Round or no?
⏰ give me whole numbers
👍wherever I stop, it stops
🙃I don’t use no stinking watch
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THAT’S A LIE 😂. I can’t do it. I need the round number and when I get that close to a whole number...I need it!
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Website written, managed and maintained by Amanda Brooks, a certified running coach and personal trainer. Any advice should be taken as general information and not a personalized plan. All opinions, tips and reviews are based upon her personal life experience and the experiences of those she has coached. View our full privacy and review policy.

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