Getting Ready to Run!

Heather Ridley-Fleeman

It's March - National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month - and we're getting ready for our annual race, the Heather Ridley-Fleeman Battle for Hope. It was named in memory of a young woman from Northwest Arkansas who lost her life to colon cancer nine years ago. Over the years, proceeds from this event have helped us support cancer patients in Northwest Arkansas with financial assistance, prescriptions, transportation, cancer screenings, and other services that benefit them as they go through treatment. More information about colorectal cancer can be found on our post from earlier this month.

This year in Arkansas, the American Cancer Society estimates that we will see 1,540 new cases of colon and rectal cancer, and 610 individuals will die from the disease.  

 
So, what can you do to help? Contrary to what the title of this post might lead you to believe, you don't actually have to run to support the event or the services of Hope Cancer Resources and cancer patients in our community. In addition to the 10k and 5k courses (certified by U.S. Track and Field), we have a 5k walk and 1-mile Family Fun Walk open for registration, as well as kids' races that are held on the track at the race starting location, the Old Tiger Stadium spot on the corner of Bella Vista Road and Tiger Boulevard.


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We understand if you'd rather stay in bed on Saturday morning and let someone else do the walking and running. You can still make a donation to the event through the secure donation link on the Hope Cancer Resources website here, or you can purchase a tribute sign in honor or memory of someone special on the race website here. The tribute signs will be placed along the race routes to help raise awareness of the very real impact that colon cancer has on people right here in Northwest Arkansas.

Example of a Battle for Hope Tribute Sign

Teams are always welcome, and will be competing for some great prizes for the Largest Team, Biggest Fundraising Team. Individuals who finish in the top 3 of their age brackets will receive gift certificates for Jose's Southwest Grill as well as a medal featuring this year's race logo. Registration deadline for teams is April 19th, and individual registration fees increase after that date, so get your folks together and get signed up!

In addition to the events, we will also be selling raffle tickets again this year, and you'll have the chance to win some awesome prizes. We already have Walton Arts Center tickets, bicycles, and gift certificates to local restaurants on the list, and more are being added every day. You can purchase tickets with your online registration, or on the day of the race.

For more information on the Battle for Hope, or to register or view pictures from prior years, please visit the event website at www.heathersraceforhope.com. You can also get the latest updates and news on the race Facebook page here! See you on May 4th!

2010 Heather Ridley Fleeman Battle for Hope

May 1st dawned about an hour after the first volunteers and staff arrived at Old Tiger Stadium, and when it started getting lighter in the East we were happy to see it was overcast, but there was no impending rain. In 2009 the Battle for Hope was held in a fairly heavy constant downpour of rain. In 2008, the morning temperatures were in 30s. Lucky for us, runners seem to enjoy adverse weather conditions - it's just tough on the volunteers and staff.

We are working on getting all the photos up on our Flickr account, but here are a few to give you an idea of what a great day it was. Special thanks goes out to all of our volunteers, our staff, and the sponsors who made this event so awesome. We raised over $40,000.00
this year that will go directly to assisting and educating cancer patients and the community of Northwest Arkansas. Thank you!!

As you can see by the change in the look of our blog, we've been experiencing a few changes here in our little corner of the world. Helping Oncology Patients Excel has merged with Northwest Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute and has now become Hope Cancer Resources. We will continue to offer all of the free programs that were previously managed by the individual agencies, including:

• Cancer Screenings
• Prevention Education
• Interpretation Services
• Emotional Support
• Financial Support
• Support Groups
• Clinical Trial Access
  
• Educational Materials & Speakers
• Transportation Services

The effect this merger will have on our patients, and on the general health and well-being of our friends and neighbors in NW Arkansas, is tremendous. As one agency, we will no longer compete for funding from local grant-making organizations. We will be able to blend our overlapping services and serve a growing number of cancer patients and their caregivers with increased and more focused resources. We are now located in a larger and more centrally-located building. Programs we have had on our "someday" list will now be able to be made a reality. Can you see why we're excited??

A new website is currently in the works, and should be live sometime around the first of the new year. Until then, keep in touch with what's going on here on our blog. It's the season to be thankful, and we at Hope Cancer Resources have a great deal of good things to remember as we contemplate where we are, and where we're headed... and we couldn't do all the good work we do without your help.

Thank YOU, Northwest Arkansas!!

2009 Heather Ridley-Fleeman Battle for HOPE

Another Battle for HOPE, another weekend of crazy spring weather! Last year our runners, walkers and volunteers braved freezing temperatures to show their support for HOPE and the need for education and awareness of colon cancer prevention methods, this year it was pouring rain.

After a last-minute flurry of registrations, Outdoor Cap won the prize for Largest Team with 41 participants, narrowly beating out Team Frito Flash with 38. As the largest team, Outdoor Cap will receive a cookout at their office compliments of Signature Bank of Bentonville.

Geraldine Mansch won the Top Fundraiser prize, and her Team Hodge Podge will celebrate raising the most money with free passes to bowl at Fast Lane Entertainment in Rogers.

Please take a look at all the generous sponsors for this year's event that made it all possible.

Even with the lousy economy and the nasty weather we raised just over $33,000.00 to be used locally to support HOPE's patient assistance programs. We offer financial and emotional assistance to people living or being treated for cancer in Northwest Arkansas. More information can be found at our website.

Thanks to all of our volunteers for doing such a GREAT job in the rain! And special thanks to our event steering committee - without them, this event would never happen:

Kris Addington

Trent Addington

Tiffany Baird

Missy Brewer

Tara Goates

Laurie Marshall

Shawn Mayfield

Mandy Silberstein

Rick Bostian

Kim Tisdale

Mark your calendars - next year's date is May 1, 2010!!

Colon Cancer - deadly, but preventable!

Most physicians will recommend you begin getting regular colonoscopy's when you're around 50 years old. But don't let that fool you into believing that you are not at risk for colon cancer before that age... just ask some of the people who have posed for the annual Colondar put together by The Colon Club. They all faced a colon cancer diagnosis before they turned 50.


Know the symptoms, don't be afraid to discuss your concerns with your doctor if you recognize them in your own body, and get screened!


Signs and symptoms of colon cancer include:

• A change in your bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation or a change in the consistency of your stool for more than a couple of weeks;


• Rectal bleeding or blood in your stool;


• Persistent abdominal discomfort, such as cramps, gas or pain;


• Abdominal pain with a bowel movement;


• A feeling that your bowel doesn't empty completely;


• Weakness or fatigue;


• Unexplained weight loss.

Join us on May 2nd to help raise awareness of the need for early detection of this nasty disease. We'll be running and walking, getting free massages from Blue Cliff College, eating snacks from Frito Lay and Little Debbie, and listening to some great music provided by Clear Channel. All events will be held at or around the old Tiger Stadium site in Bentonville, and more information can be found at the event website.

5th Annual Heather Ridley-Fleeman Battle for HOPE

This week may have a prediction of rain, but we are gearing up for a break in the weather on Saturday so that we can share a morning of cancer education, activity, and awards with you in Bentonville!

What: Heather Ridley Fleeman Battle for HOPE

When: Saturday May 2 - 8:00 a.m.

Where: old Tiger Stadium site in Bentonville (corner of Bella Vista Dr. and Tiger Blvd.)

Why: Raising awareness for the need for early detection and prevention of colon cancer - the 2nd deadliest cancer in the United States.

The Battle for HOPE is so packed with activities for everyone in the family it will be impossible not to have a great time. The main events are a 10k and 5k run, but we also have a 5k walk, a 1-mile Family Fun Walk, several Kids' Races, and a 50-yard dash presented by Fresh Express.

In addition to the runs and walks, there will be massage therapists on site to soothe your muscles, snacks to replenish your body, and some bouncy, air-filled things for kids to jump around on.

You can register online at http://www.heathersraceforhope.com/ or in person at Fleet Feet Sports in Fayetteville through Thursday - then we'll be at the old Tiger Stadium site in Bentonville at 6:30 a.m. on the morning of the race to register all you last-minute folks.

This event benefits HOPE, Inc. to provide financial and emotional assistance and access to clinical trials to cancer patients living or being treated in NW Arkansas. All money raised stays here in our communities, and helps our friends, neighbors and loved ones who are battling cancer. For more info on HOPE, check out our website! http://www.hopenwa.org/