Eleanor Mooney is a Sophomore at the University of South Carolina. In the summer of 2017 she will be traveling with a group of college-aged students on a 49 day, 4000+ mile run from San Francisco, CA to Baltimore, MD. 

What is your connection to the cancer community?

Everyone has a connection to cancer, whether big or small. I am fortunate to belong to the category that holds more indirect connections to the cancer community. Throughout my childhood, I have had a number of family friends who have battled against cancer, and have witnessed both the continual support that is necessary to successfully fight this disease, as well as the devastating effects when the fight is lost. More specifically, these family friends consist of my best friends Kate and Ellie’s aunt, who just recently lost her battle against cancer, two good friends’ parents (both mother and father) as well as a number of my parent’s friends.   

Why are you traveling over 4000 miles this summer with the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults?

I want to be exhausted. I want to wake up before the sun rises and run what most consider an insane amount of miles, not once, not twice, but every day for 49 days straight, using my own two legs to run across the States. I want to challenge myself and, in doing so, I want to understand how the manners in which I am challenged are so different, so minuscule in comparison to those who battle cancer. I want this to be a catalyst movement, one that does not end after the 49 days, but one that will lead me to continue to choose options that challenge myself, so that I can better understand and support others. I want to be so physically, mentally, and emotionally drained that I can barely put one leg in front of the other, even though I will continue to do so because I know that I am fighting for a cause that is so much bigger than my discomfort: cancer.

And, throughout this run, I want to meet and connect with people and learn about how we all unite through cancer. I want to make other people feel that we are a community, all here for one another to battle this disease; no one has to fight it alone. I want to learn and to teach others that even a stranger on the street can become a friend, unified through cancer, there to support one another against this disease, dedicated to fighting it together, until one day a cure is discovered.

2017 marks the 16th year of the 4K for Cancer sending young adults on journeys across the country in an effort to inspire hope and unite communities in the fight against cancer. The 4K for Cancer is a program of The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCF). Interested in joining the fight? Apply to be a rider or runner at www.4kforcancer.org! 

Challenge:

Over 70,000 young adults are diagnosed with cancer every year. Young adults (ages 15-39) face a variety of unique challenges with a cancer diagnosis including fertility preservation, social isolation, lack of insurance, delayed diagnosis, and more. 

Solution:

The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults changes lives by creating a community of support for young adults, and their loved ones, impacted by cancer. With your support, the Ulman Cancer Fund is able to provide free support services and resources for the young adult cancer community including:

Cancer to 5K - a 12-week training program designed to introduce or reintroduce cancer survivors to physical activity.

Patient Navigation - a free program (onsite at cancer centers and remotely through our office) that ensures no young adult ever faces cancer alone. We provide one-on-one support & resources to young adults and their families to help them manage the cancer experience and long-term cancer survival.

Scholarships - a financial assistance program to help young adults continue their education after being affected by cancer through their own diagnosis or the diagnosis of a loved one.

UCF House - This year UCF broke ground on a “home away from home” to provide free housing for young adult cancer patients, and their caregivers, in East Baltimore. 

Your donation will help make these programs and our mission possible!