Seth Rinehart is a graduate student at Ohio Christian University. In the summer of 2017 he will be traveling with a group of college-aged students on a 49 day, 4000+ mile run from San Francisco, CA to New York, NY to raise funds and awareness for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. 

What is your connection to the cancer community?

It seems like everyone today knows someone close to them who is either fighting cancer or fought cancer. Something so horrible that no one should have to deal with, is now a mainstream phrase that makes you drop your head in sadness, not surprise.

I've seen my dear friend Val grow up without a mother. I've witnessed my good friend Maria grow up without a father. I've watched classmates like Carrie have to leave elementary school to fight cancer. I've been around to see person after person get a cancer diagnosis recently at our church.

But the toughest loss was Miss Dottie. My mother lost her best friend. I lost the woman who helped mold me into the human I'm trying hard to become. We lost her to brain cancer. But she's still changing lives. Everyday I try to be half the human she was, with even a fraction of the faith she had when facing the bitter truth of her disease. This disgusting disease has taken too much from too many. And frankly, I'm tired of it.

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

Last year I had the absolute pleasure of being a small part of Team Baltimore. While it was one of the most memorable times of my life, it was also one of the most difficult times too. 

Most of life, I have dealt with severe anxiety which manifested into chronic panic attacks a few years ago. Since then I have been working very hard to learn how to control them, or at least keep them at a minimal level. Things were going good up until the run.

The week we were set to start running, my grandfather passed away. It did something to me internally. For over half of the trip, my body went into this feeling of 'survival' mode. I woke up sick constantly and proceeded to spend the first half of the day just trying to calm my body down to act somewhat normal. The good days were great, but the bad days were pretty rough. Something eventually clicked and things got better as time went on. But it was extremely difficult to bury your hero and then fly 4,000 miles to meet a room of strangers (who would eventually turn into best friends) all in the span of a day.

Yet still, the entire trip, and since then, I've watched kids be pumped full of poison to try to get rid of cancer. We met people our age being blasted with radiation in hopes of taking the cancer with it. We met person after person who had just been emotionally and physically broken by this disease. We met people who had lost body parts, organs, loved ones, and so many other parts of their identity. Our problems are so insignificant and small compared to that. Yet, they were the ones who smiled and told stories of how grateful they were for the days they had to live. They lived with a purpose, knowing that fear and anger wouldn't solve anything. That fact has been poking at me for months now. We have legs to run, lungs to breathe, and a heart to beat. Don't take that for granted. 

My heart has been craving to go back. Not to fix the past. But to show a future. I need to show that just because you feel broken, doesn't mean you need to stay broken (Thanks for that quote Selena Gomez ;)). This journey is about every family member, friend, and human being who is fighting just to breathe. All those kids who literally can't get out of bed in the morning, because they don't have the strength right now. They deserve to know that we're doing everything physically possible to make sure that cancer doesn't win. This is the best way I know how to show that appreciation for life that they've shown.

I'm running because I can.

I'm running because I am thankful.

I'm running because it's the right thing to do.

Living life fully, scared or not.

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!