St. Jude
Heroes

Team Carson Elizabeth is doing more than just running! We are helping the children in the fight for their lives at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital win their own battle. Life can change in a blink of an eye, but no one ever thinks it will happen to them. But every single day a family's life is changed forever by the news that their child has cancer. The day my family's life changed was March 7, 2014. The day before our youngest daughter Carson's 8th birthday. The day we should have been getting ready for the birthday celebrations to come, and the spring break trip to the grandparents. But the party never started, and we never left on our trip. Carson had been having trouble with knee pain; which the Dr had explained as either a basketball or hip-hop injury; all just a normal part of being an active, growing, 7-year-old young girl. After the X-ray and then a whirlwind MRI we heard the word osteosarcoma for the first time in our lives. In a fog of unbelief, we heard that osteosarcoma was a very rare bone tumor and St Jude was already expecting us. 

What?! They must be wrong, they had to be wrong...our daughter was fine, we couldn't pronounce, much less spell what they were trying to explain to us. Our beautiful little girl could not possibly have cancer. But she did. And suddenly, our whole world stopped in an instance; and to be honest, it has never started turning quite the same again.Carson battled for 16 short months at St Jude with more strength, determination and spunk than any other person I know or will ever know. On June 26, 2016 Carson Elizabeth flew to heaven to forever have many sparkly tea parties with Jesus.Carson left behind a mother and father that cannot let a day go by without missing her and wishing we could hold her in our arms again or touch her beautiful curly blonde hair. A sister and a brother that miss her teasing and constant giggles. Or the forever memory etched in all our minds of "I love you, I love you more, I love you the mostest!" 

Carson is the reason we will forever support St Jude and the wonderful people that work there. No child or family should ever have to endure what Carson did or what we still endure every single day for the rest of our lives. With your support we believe that childhood cancer can end, and we believe St Jude is the place to make that happen. Carson taught us so many things before she left this earthly world. One of the greatest of these was that she knew that every single penny counted when it came to giving to St Jude. She made sure that her piggy bank money would go to St Jude after she died, because that small change would make a difference in some child's life battling cancer. 

So please join our fight in honor of Carson's memory. Whether it's $10 or $10,000 we promise you that some child will be blessed by it. May Carson's legacy forever live on. Over the past 7 years, the Team Carson Elizabeth marathon team has raised over $700,000. This year, we have set a goal of $100,000 and believe we can get there with your help. Thank you for honoring Carson and helping us ensure that her fighting spirit will forever live on.We pray for each of you just as many of you pray for us. 

Thank you,Michael 

"Run with the faith of a child so that one day ALL children may cross The Finish Line!" 

 -Paula Head