By helping to connect and mobilize those who make up the village that is the cancer family across America, 4Another enriches the quality of life and life experiences for all those engaged in battling the disease. 4Another helps to bring networks together and build communities to create a movement.
4Another envisions an ever-expanding global village of connected supporters who together shine a l
ight on the dark subject of pediatric cancer:
WE CAN ALL:
RUN 4ANOTHER
RIDE 4ANOTHER
WALK 4ANOTHER
DANCE 4ANOTHER
EAT 4ANOTHER
WORK 4ANOTHER
DO 4ANOTHER
We can all take our part in the global community devoted to being there 4Another, spreading awareness, raising funds and expanding the reach of this light to support all pediatric cancer heroes and their families.
My name is John McKay. I am 46 years old and a lifelong traveler, teacher and learner. I have been teaching my entire life whether in the classroom or not, and I did spend almost a decade in schools working with almost every grade from kindergarten to seniors in high school. An event in my life a couple of years ago made me step back and take account of what is important and what I should be spending time on. It opened my eyes to the way I was sleepwalking through life, pretending to be happy and not reaching out and connecting with many people. In 2012: I lost my mom to brain cancer. The battle that she fought for 18 months was long and hard and changed me and my family forever. I still don't think we have recovered from her death and I know now that things will never be the same for us. Mom was the glue that held the rest of us together. During her last months of treatments, I was told time and time again by so many of her friends that she was the "best person they knew". She truly was an exceptional person and my biased opinion is not in the way of an objective view on this matter. The last 18 months of Mom's life were full of doctor appointments, trips to the hospital, radiation treatments, endless types of chemo, and a brain surgery to remove the bulk of the tumor that was evident inside her head. By the end of her days I found myself longing for her to find some peace. She gave it all she had, but in the end the cancer in her head was too much for her to defeat. I often wondered and worried that we were not doing the right things for her when she was sick as I am sure that many families do while helping a loved one through treatment. She had ideas about the direction that her treatments should take in the beginning, but month after month of radiation and chemotherapy after brain surgery took its toll on her cognitive abilities. In the end we were left to make all the decisions about what to do next because she was not able to. The choices were not usually too promising and the side effects were often not worth the benefits. While she was in treatment and dying my Mom never complained or wondered why she was the one who was sick. She had a lot to live for and she had every reason to be sad and bitter because of her situation. I will forever be in awe of her grace and strength and ability to stay positive in the face of adversity. She taught me how to be the person I am today. She taught me how to stay positive and persevere in the face of adversity. She taught me what is important in life. She opened my eyes to the fact that giving is the only way to make the world a better place. Doing for others is the only real way to find happiness and live from within. My Mom was a constant giver and always thought of others. I believe that this is the way that all of us should be living our lives every day. In 2013: I ran across the USA to raise awareness and funding for cancer research with the Miles2Give team. The team was made up of three strangers who came together in the months and days before the tour began and bonded on the road to complete this journey. The tour was a positive movement and I felt at ease and calm whether on the road giving miles, visiting with a family we were staying with along the way, talking with a child in a hospital bed in between treatments, or sleeping on the side of the highway in our 240 square foot RV that we called home for 5 and a half months. Some of the highlights from the road included:
-San Francisco, CA to Ocean City, MD
-Three men ---157 days --- 3,187 miles ---- 270 cancer heroes
-Visited hospitals, care facilities, clinics, and research institutes
-Met with patients, caregivers, providers and the village that is the cancer family
-Featured in 70+ media segments nationwide, including television, radio, print, and internet
-$103,000.00 raised for research grants through the Sarcoma Foundation of America
In 2014: With the help of a team of unbelievable, caring, selfless individuals, we have founded a new non-profit: 4ANOTHER. The goal of our organization is to raise funding and awareness for childhood cancer research. We will be running across the United States in 2015 in order to create some excitement for this cause, and we hope to be able to do similar tours many years into the future until this horrible disease is no longer something that children have to die from. This task will take on many different incarnations along the way and we hope to help unite the childhood cancer community along the way. By gaining the attention of our elected officials in Washington, DC we hope that funding can be re-appropriated towards this forgotten segment of the population when it comes to federal dollars and private donations. Along the way we hope to visit as many families that are battling cancer that we can. We will stop by hospitals and treatment centers whenever possible to drop off gifts and bring positive vibes to HEROES battling this dreaded disease. We plan on having fundraisers and events often to continue to get the word out that it is not okay for things to just continue on the way they have been for any longer. We want to bring this message to people who are not familiar with the facts surrounding childhood cancer and the treatments that are available to families faced with fighting it. We will blog about our experiences daily to keep folks informed on our activities and encourage runners and non-runners alike to find us on the road and give some miles for the cause. We want the experience onboard the RV to be one that people will not forget. We are reaching out to companies in all industries to take part in this journey with us and plan on having sponsorships and private donations fund the operating expenses for the tour so that EVERY PENNY raised through donations can go towards the cause and not the costs.
