Konley Thomas

Dr. Morris, Konley & Gonther at St. Judes

Yesterday, the world lost another beautiful soul to cancer. My sister Jody works at Pray-Woodman Elementary School in Maize, KS. She met a young student there named Konley Thomas. Unfortunately, Konley Thomas was diagnosed in 1999 with an anapestic ependymoma which is a brain tumor. The last eight years of Konley’s life have been filled with radiation treatments, check-ups, and trips to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN. At Konley’s last check-up in May 2008 the doctors discovered that Konley’s tumor had returned. This time it was inside the brainstem and on the right cerebellum. Things did not look promising.

According to my sister, the people at St. Jude’s were wonderful and did everything they could to try and reverse the prognosis. As you know, cancer is a tough disease to fight. In keeping up with Konley on the Caring Bridge website, I got the feeling that he stayed positive and really tried to fight his disease. Sadly, Konley lost his fight yesterday January 23, 2009. He was 10 years old.

It is unfathomable to understand why G-d decided to take Konley from us at such a young age. But, I believe that knowing that our days on Earth are numbered makes life that much more precious. It makes us value the time we have to spend with loved ones. It is also why when we lose someone so young it hurts even more. Rabbi Joshua Liebman wrote, “I often feel that death is not the enemy of life, but its friend, for it’s the knowledge that our years are limited makes them so precious.”

I believe that our soul leaves us and goes back to G-d where it is nurtured and saved until our family’s souls can join once again and be happy. I also believe that we obtain immortality through deeds of value performed in our lifetime. I know that even a life cut short like Konley’s has a profound impact on so many people outside of his family. He will be long remembered for how valiantly he fought this disease and his positive attitude throughout all of the treatments. While he will be sorely missed, his life will continue to influence those who knew him and be an inspiration to all.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital “is unlike any other pediatric treatment and research facility. Discoveries made here have completely changed how the world treats children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.” They did everything they could for Konley and continue to help other children like him. And most importantly, all patients accepted for treatment at St. Jude are treated without regard to the family's ability to pay.

As you know, I am running the Boston Marathon to support Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in hopes that through their research they will find cures for cancers like Konley’s. If you want to donate to Dana-Farber for my run that would be wonderful. But, I do encourage you to look at St. Jude as well. Perhaps researchers at one of these fine institutions will finally bring us to that day when there is no cancer left in this world.

I will have Konley’s name on my singlet as I run from Hopkinton to Boston along with the names of my family and friends I lost to this disease. I am sad that I never got to actually meet him. But, I feel like I know him after reading his story and his parent’s journal on the CaringBridge.org website. I know Konley is in a better place now and his pain free and happy.

Here are my training totals for this week. It was a big mileage week this week.:

Jan. 18 – 12.00 miles (1:50:17, 9:11 pace)
Jan. 19 – 6.00 miles (1:01:56, 10:19 pace) -- Snow
Jan. 20 – 3.00 miles (22:51, 7:37 pace) – Speed work
Jan. 22 – 7.10 miles (1:04:05, 9:02 pace) – Tempo Run
Jan. 23 – 6.20 miles (56:04, 9:01 pace)
Jan. 24 – 10.00 miles (1:33:11, 9:19 pace)

Total Miles: 44.30 miles
2009 YTD Miles: 133.05 miles