Life is Precious

Life is precious. Unless one has experienced hardship, this phrase has little meaning and is nothing more than a cliché. A phrase that is uttered to help comfort those in pain but delivered without empathy. However, it only takes one traumatic event to bring clarity and priority to the forefront.

“Life is good… until it's not”

                   L.R. Knost

Everyone gets caught up in everyday life, and I am no different. I have a loving wife, three daughters, two dogs, and two cats. Our family can financially support our suburban lifestyle, and we have a strong inner circle that loves and supports us. I feel fortunate to have lived such a blessed life.  It wasn’t until May  2024 that my best friend Paul broke the news that he had colon cancer. My relatively carefree world became hyper-focused on how precious life is.  On October 12, 2025, I will be running the Chicago Marathon, proudly representing the cancer research program at Advocate Cancer Research Center in support of my best buddy Paul.

Paul is my “brother from another mother” as we always joke. It’s uncanny how similar we are. He is a strong, vibrant person and like me, was caught up in everyday life. I can’t say he was living carefree, but he and his family were in a good place. During a routine yearly checkup with his family doctor, he was blindsided by bad news. I can only imagine the shock and disbelief upon hearing the doctor say, “You Have Cancer”. Time must have stopped in those initial moments, but after the brutal reality set in, so did the resolve. His specific cancer program included radiation to shrink a mass, chemotherapy to kill rogue cells that tend to roam, surgery to remove the cancer, and second surgery to put all his parts and pieces back together as nature intended. My simplified, bullet-point description sounds like maintenance instructions scribed into a vehicle owner's manual (that analogy was for you Paul) unfortunately, nothing is ever that easy. Paul has grappled with severe adverse symptoms but has powered through and continues to astound everyone daily.

Watching Paul’s battle has profoundly impacted my views of my health and well-being. If Paul had skipped his routine checkup, who knows what the outcome would have been – unthinkable. Preventative pre-cancer screenings like colonoscopies are often skipped because, well? They are unpleasant. I will always be grateful to Advocate Health Care for finding his cancer early enough to treat.

Running has always been a good way for me to maintain positive mental and physical well-being. I participated in countless races including 5ks, 10ks, half-marathons, and even the Chicago Marathon in 2007. However, in the last 5-10 years, family responsibilities have been prioritized over my individual running goals. As John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” My recently renewed focus on health and well-being has led me to begin training for the 2025 Chicago Marathon.

In dedication to Paul, I decided to join one of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon charities. With your help, I’m hoping to raise $3,000 for cancer research programs at the Advocate Cancer Research Center by the end of August 2025. Donations will go toward finding new ways to treat cancer, support pre-cancer screening, and improve outcomes for patients just like Paul. Thank you for supporting me, my family, my buddy Paul, and everyone affected by cancer.

Scott