Casie Campbell is running the annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October in memory of her partner's father and her friend's son, both of whom lost their battles with leukemia.
Campbell never met either.
"I see the impact losing her father has had on my partner, Katie, and her family," Campbell said. The two had a non-legal wedding ceremony in October 2005, about 10 months after meeting, and had a civil union in July 2011.
"A few years ago, we spent a lot of time trying to expand our family. When we were looking for a donor, we had to take careful consideration about medical history—and it started a dialogue about her father and his illness, and not just what he went through, but what the entire family went through.
"I learned a lot more about the holidays and birthdays celebrated apart, or in the hospital. I learned about the preparation for bone-marrow transplants. I learned of conversations about right-to-die. I started paying closer attention to conversations about this man at family functions, and realized the tremendous hole this loss left in his family."
Jeffrey Steinmetz died at age 36, when Katie was 12.
"In 2010, I started a weight-loss journey and the [26.2-mile] marathon has always been something on my list of things I wanted to do," Campbell said. "I had started running, and had lost some weight, so I went to watch the marathon that year, and I noticed [so many runners wearing] purple [shirts], and also noticed that they were running and walking for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America through its Team In Training [endurance-training program]. I looked up Team In Training when I got home and decided, if I ever ran the Chicago Marathon, I would run with [that organization] and fundraise in honor of my father-in-law, in the hopes that maybe no one else would have to go through what my partner and her family went through."
Campbell also is running in honor of Randy, the son of a dear friend, Debbie. Randy lost his battle with leukemia last year shortly before his 5th birthday, and Debbie was the first person to donate to Campbell's fundraising in support of LLS.
Debbie told Campbell, "Because of the work that the LLS does, I know without a doubt that if Randy was here, and diagnosed today, he would have survived,"
Campbell was again, quickly, remotivated for the marathon. "I knew then that I would continue to champion the LLS and their efforts to create a world without cancer, one where no one has to lose their father, mother, son, husband, daughter, wife, uncle, aunt, sister, brother, or friend."
Katie is 36, Casie 40. They live together in Bourbonnais, about 60 miles south of Chicago. Katie grew up all over Illinois, including time in northwest suburban Barrington. Casie grew up in the Bourbonnais area. Katie is an X-ray/CT tech at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago; Casie has long worked in insurance.
Casie also ran the annual Chicago Half Marathon Sept. 8.
Katie is a loyal, loving, supporting, cheering partner—and she wears a home-made T-shirt that labels her as a "marathon wife."
"The full distance [26.2 miles] is daunting, and the training can be just as daunting once you start moving into the higher mileages," Casie said. "What I can drive in a car in around 30 minutes, I will spend the majority of the day walking [and] running [to complete], and I volunteer to do this, willingly.
"The half-marathon [13.1 miles] is a distance that I love. Plus, the training is not as intensive, meaning I can usually function fairly well after all training runs, and it's still enough of a challenge to feel like I have really accomplished something."
Casie ran last year's Chicago Marathon with Team In Training, too.
"I literally felt every single emotion possible during the course of the [2012 Chicago Marathon]," Casie said. "My lowest moment came in Chinatown. Everyone always talks about how awesome Chinatown is [for runners, but] I was starting to feel really down, not feeling good physically, and was beating myself up for not following my [pre-race] strategy. I even had to stop at the medical tent at mile 18 because I lost two toenails and it slowed me down even more, and I knew Chinatown was coming up.
"I had been told by just about everyone who had ever run the Chicago Marathon that the energy in Chinatown would lift me up and refresh my spirit, and I was in desperate need. I saw the gate into Chinatown and was so excited, and yet nothing [positive happened]. I looked and there were only a handful of people, and I kid you not, an older Asian man crossing the street with a cup of soup, and a box rolling through the street like a tumbleweed in an old Western.
"Then I heard one of the volunteers at the water table yell "YAY, WERE DONE!" as they start dumping [out] the water [in cups on the] tables. I was crushed, but then I look up and there is one of my TNT TEAMates, Marge. She looked at me, saw the look of despair on my face and ran up to me, hugged me, then pointed at me said 'Don't you dare [cry].'"
Marge then stressed to Casie the basics: keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Casie then came across another TEAMate, Lara, who told her to stop thinking about how much farther she had to go and, instead, pick landmarks as destinations.
That method worked until the last mile.
That's when Casie's coach, Marie, came to the rescue.
"At about mile 25 [on the course], my watch said I had traveled the full 26.2 miles [so] I literally stopped and refused to go any farther. I stated I was done, and cried because I felt like I had failed because I had not followed my strategy. Marie grabbed my arm and made me walk, pointing out all of the people around us still moving towards the finish line, asking me about each one. [Coach Marie] talked me off the ledge [of quitting]. She ultimately got me to the corner where I made that right turn and saw the Mile 26 marker at the top of that hill, then the next thing I knew I was making that turn to the finish line.
"As soon as I turned the corner, [with only .2 left to go,] I heard my name being screamed by family and friends, and then I crossed the finish line and felt like a champion and was embraced by one of our other coaches, Chris.
"I knew right then that I would be back to do it one more time."
This time, when she runs Chicago on Oct. 13, she's doing it for others.
"My wonderful and amazing partner is running in honor of my dad, but more importantly, to prevent other families from going through what I did," Katie said. "My dad was diagnosed with leukemia when I was 4 years old; my sister was 1. He died at age 36, and that's the age I am now, which is a little eerie I have to admit. He worked for American Airlines. He was usually a baggage loader, but when he was too weak, he drove a shuttle [bus] for employees. I have many great memories [of him], and will never forget one of our last conversations.
"We were in the kitchen and he had just told us that he was going back into the hospital. He went into remission multiple times in the 12 years he was sick. My sister's response was, 'Well, back to normal.' After she was excused [from the dinner table,] he looked at me and asked me how I would feel if he decided not to fight anymore, if he just took some pain medicine and died. I was 12 and said, 'Well, I would miss you, but at least you wouldn't be suffering anymore.'
"He looked at my mom and said, 'That was the most mature answer I could have hoped for.'
The lesbian lovers will, no doubt, be teary-eyed for every minute, every mile of Casie's run. Katie will, of course, be wearing her "marathon wife" shirt.
"She is, without a doubt, my loudest cheerleader," Casie said of Katie. "I feel blessed to have that kind of support; she believes in me, even when I have trouble believing in myself."
Casie and Katie are fundraising this year for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and hoping to raise $5,240.00, or $200 per mile. To donate, go to pages.teamintraining.org/il/chicago13/ccampbeete.
