Moms to run in marathon to help girl with leukemia

Acorn Staff Writer


Two Lupin Hill Elementary School moms plan to run in the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon on June 3 to raise money for Emily Buelow, a student who’s fighting leukemia.


Dee Dee Marks, a Calabasas neighbor of the Buelows, and Lori Fernand, another Lupin Hill mom, plan to run the grueling race next month, along with a friend from Camarillo, Julie Wolf. It’s the third race for Wolf, but the first for Marks and Fernand. It is called the Rock and Roll Marathon because rock bands will play music along the route.


"Julie asked me Super Bowl Sunday to run (the marathon) with her. Just a few weeks later after that, we heard how poorly Emily is doing, and we decided to run the race in her honor and raise money for her," said Marks, adding that they plan to wear Emily’s favorite color, robin’s egg blue.


Emily’s now doing a little better, after having a stem cell transplant in January. She’s now back at home after an 80-day stay in the hospital.


Marks said that knowing she’s running for Emily will give her inspiration to keep going, even when the going gets tough.


"When we’re running up hills, hitting walls, exhausted, I think (my discomfort) is not the pain that poor kid’s going through. If she can go through that, then I can go through this," said Marks. "There was a time when we first started training, we almost thought she wouldn’t be here with us now. I’m glad she’s doing better," she added.


"When you hear of Emily’s endurance, the challenge of running a marathon pales in comparison. It makes me proud to be a member of a community in which people not only believe they can make a difference, they act on their beliefs. So many people from children to adults are rooting and working for Emily’s success … It’s wonderful to see how well she has been doing," said Fernand.


Another local resident, Agoura Hills teenager Jennifer Calabrese, will run the marathon in Emily’s honor, but she’s part of an official team sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The Calabasas moms are running the race on their own, and can accept donations at the Lupin Hill PFC, with a memo: Emily Marathon, attention Dee Dee or Lori.


Emily’s family is appreciative of all the support and efforts.


"I think that it’s fantastic. It’s so overwhelming, the wonderful love that has been shown for this little girl … there’s hardly any word … it’s certainly appreciated, that’s for sure. It’s just phenomenal … It’s bringing out the beautiful spirit in everybody. I think it’s great," said Mary Ellen Hivner, Emily’s grandmother, who lives with the family and helps with her care.





Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *