TOGETHER 5K

OUR INSPIRATION.  Jamiyah Ephriam is the Honored Hero for the Leukemia & Lymphoma's 2020 Students of the Year Campaign in our community.  Jamiyah is 16 years old and in the 11th grade at Grovetown High School. On November 6, 2018, Jamiyah was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and just 9 days later began chemotherapy treatments.  She has been “officially” in remission since her last radiation treatment on March 12, 2019.  Today, Jamiyah is making plans for her future.  After high school, Jamiyah plans on attending college so that one day she can be an Oncology Nurse providing care for others diagnosed with cancer.

Grace is 15 years old, in the 10th grade at North Augusta High School, and is the organizer of the TOGETHER 5K.  Grace and Jamiyah met through the 2020 Students of the Year Campaign and quickly made a connection.  They recently hung out at a neighborhood park one afternoon getting to know each other.  There, Jamiyah shared with Grace her journey from diagnosis to remission, her life before cancer, and her life today.  Jamiyah loves her friends and hanging out with them. It was difficult for her to tell her friends and classmates that she had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a blood cancer.  There were a lot of tears at first but soon she learned to suck it up and deal with her treatments head on.  There were tears again when she began losing her long, beautiful hair.  But as Jamiyah soon learned, she is a true fighter, and she wasn't going to let cancer win.  As the days, weeks, and months went on Jamiyah said she learned not to complain.  With her Support Squad by her side, she soon realized that God had this and that He's in control of everything.  Jamiyah says she wouldn't want anyone to get cancer; it's not a good experience. But she feels that because she was able to live and tell her story, she wants to help others live and tell their stories.  Grace and Jamiyah admitted they both have so much to be grateful for and have so much life ahead of them. These two teen girls became friends that day in the park.  One girl from North Augusta, South Carolina and the other from Grovetown, Georgia.  It's a meeting that most likely would never have happened were it not for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Students of the Year Campaign. Now, both girls are trying to pursue each day making a difference in the lives of others.  

Let's not wait.  Let's make a difference today.  Register for the TOGETHER 5K, purchase a t-shirt, make a donation.  All proceeds will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for the 2020 Students of the Year Campaign.  Then bring a photo of someone YOU would like to HONOR.  We'll have an Honored Hero Table where you can meet Jamiyah and place a copy of a favorite photo of your HERO while you participate in the events.  Also bring your friends to walk or run TOGETHER with you!  Remember, no one should battle cancer alone.  Everyone needs a Support Squad who will journey TOGETHER with them through diagnosis, treatment and recovery.  On February 29th, bring out Your Support Squad, Honor Your Hero, and let's BEAT CANCER, TOGETHER!