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What we do when confronted with horrific news defines who we are and what we will be from that moment forward. Consequently, what would you do if an oncologist tells you that you have leukemia and a five-to-seven year life expectancy? To make things worse, he tells you to give up your passion (running marathons) for fear of shortening your life expectancy. This is what happened to Dr. Fields in January 2008. Yet, he refused to let leukemia deprive him of his passion. What he did next, made his diagnosis only life changing instead of life shattering. In February 2009, he set a goal to complete a marathon in every state and DC by the end of December 2012 -- 51 marathons in 47 months. Along the way, he hoped to qualify again for the Boston Marathon. Join Dr. Fields as he attempts to reach his goal in spite of leukemia, cancer related fatigue, chemotherapy, and chemotherapy induced myelodysplasia (failure of the bone marrow to produce sufficient red and white blood cells). Interwoven are stories of his travels, loves, losses, and humorous childhood memories.
About the author
Phillip Arthur Fields received his BS degree from the University of Florida (1969) and his PhD in biochemistry from Texas A&M University (1976). He has been teaching human anatomy and human embryology to medical students at the University of South Alabama, College of Medicine in Mobile, Alabama since 1980. His desire is for his students to become successful doctors, and to have fun and enjoy the journey getting there. Since 2009, he has completed over 125 marathons with leukemia, including one in every state and every Canadian Province. He has written this book with the hope that those diagnosed with cancer will never give up on living, and will find and hang on to their passion to the very end. He will donate all profits from this book to charitable organizations including pediatric oncology.
