Beth Whitworth

(Written by Beth)  Hi! I am Beth Whitworth (but I still refer to myself at times by my maiden name Barry – old habits are hard to break!). I am a Family Nurse Practitioner and former dietitian who loves the outdoors, coffee, and listening to live music on the front row. I am a Madison native, but moved away for years of school and work, then found myself coming back to the place I thought I would never return. It was almost two years ago that I moved back to Alabama to be near my now husband, Matt.

I am someone who thrives off the freedom to move whenever my heart desires and to plan for the next big adventure.  So, the thought of living back in my hometown permanently was something that I am still getting used to. But, with the help of new and old friends, I was introduced to the world of running. I am pretty sure if it was not for the next training run with friends or the thrill of the next race to keep me entertained, I may have driven myself and my husband mad! Last year, I went from having never run more than 6 miles, to running a full marathon, and then this year a 50K trail run. Other than my wedding day, I felt the happiest I have ever felt after crossing the 50K finish line!

To have the opportunity to run with such a great group of women and to use my abilities as a runner to support such a life changing cause is an incredible blessing. This is going to be one adventure I will never forget!

Carrie Wilson

My name is Carrie Wilson and I began running in the fall of 2008 a few weeks before my first 5K. I set my sights on a half marathon, then a full marathon while simultaneously training for a century (100 mile) bike ride. I thought why not swim a little and do a sprint triathlon! I enrolled in Fleet Feet's Tri 101 training group, had a blast and learned a lot. Most importantly, I began a fun, new lifestyle and met some awesome friends who I continue to train and race with! I am a member of Huntsville Track Club and the Vice President of Team Rocket Tri-Club. When I heard the Dixie Daredevils were looking for a few more runners for Hood To Coast 2012, I jumped at the chance! I look forward to the entire experience- fundraising, training, traveling, and racing with this amazing group of ladies!

Along with running and triathlon, I enjoy hiking, backpacking, camping, kayaking, traveling, yoga, sushi, coffee, cross-country skiing, the color green, awesome family, good friends and good times! I am completely obsessed with Glacier National Park, and the entire state of Montana! I was lucky enough to live in Whitefish and West Glacier, MT for a year and a half in 2005-2006. I spent 5 of those months living in a campground in West Glacier! Yes, in a tent- a three man backpacking one! It was one of the BEST experiences of my life. My first solo backpacking trip ever was 5 nights in Glacier's Grizzly country. Those trips are common practice for me now during my annual summer vacations to Glacier.

I am the Program Coordinator for the Both Parents Program at Family Services Center, which by definition makes me the Event Director for the Summer Sizzler Super Metric Century Bike Ride. This year's Summer Sizzler will be held on Saturday, August 6, 2011. Mark your calendars, tell your friends. Be there! My goals for 2011 are to raise money for American Cancer Society, improve my marathon time, complete my 3rd Ironman 70.3 race, run my first 50k, and travel to Glacier... again! I am also looking forward to meeting my niece who is due in late June! 2012 brings more training and fundraising with the Dixie Daredevils, as well as a full Ironman (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run) and the Hood to Coast Relay, of course!

Sarah Coleman is Running for Grandpa Stoney

(Written by Sarah Coleman)  I’m running for my Grandpa Stoney.  He was a strong, proud man and cancer took that away from him.  He taught me to never give up.  I hope that everyone out there battling cancer is lucky enough to have someone in their lives who taught them to keep fighting.

Howell R. Stone Jr. (aka Stoney) lived his life as an independent, kind, and self-sufficient man.  He came from rough beginnings.  As the only child of a fifteen year old mother in the 1920's, he spent some of his childhood in an orphanage and other times living with relatives.  He excelled in academics and sports, including football.  He joined the Army-Air Corps (USAF) to fight in World War II.  He was stationed in Europe and participated in many dangerous missions as a bombardier.  It wasn’t until a couple of months before he passed away that he ever spoke about his time in the war, though he mourned the loss of his friends who did not return home.  

Stoney was married to Rose Mary Herrick for 30 years and they had 4 children.  Stoney was a very hard worker and worked many hours at his different jobs.  He was always there for his family.  He took care of his mother in her later years and even helped take care of his ex sister-in-law when she became ill.  His hobby and pride was wood working, at which he was incredibly talented.  Stoney always worked on maintaining his health, his daily exercise was tailored after the Canadian Air Force Fitness Program.  In later years he walked many miles a day as a mail carrier for the USPS.  There were many cold and blizzard-like days that he delivered mail in Northern Colorado.  He took pride in everything he did.  He was known for neatness, his handwriting was practiced, he ironed his clothes, he kept his yard attractive and grew roses that bloomed continuously. 

He enjoyed the simple things in life.  He liked to cook soups and stews.  He enjoyed taking rides and fishing in the Colorado Mountains.  He was a quiet man and the fish liked that about him.  He always tried to excel at whatever he was doing.  There were two enemies that Stoney had to fight later in his life.  The first was a devastating stroke that prevented him from walking, talking, eating and living independently.  He was in rehabilitation for 2 years after the stroke and worked harder than any other patient.  He was easily frustrated when he couldn't find the word he wanted to say or even write his name.  He recovered enough after the stroke to return to his home. 

The second enemy was pancreatic cancer.  Pancreatic cancer has a low cure rate and it also claims its victims quickly.  Grandpa Stoney only lived six weeks after being diagnosed with cancer and passed away in the care of loved ones in a hospice facility.  Life wasn't easy for Stoney but he never gave up.  He knew it was his time to go; he didn't want to be a burden to his family.  That was Stoney, taking care of others.  He will always be missed by his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. 

Elizabeth Tierney

(Written by Sarah Tierney...)I joined this effort to honor the memory of my grandmother, Elizabeth Tierney. It’s difficult to describe the impact she had on my life in such a short space. She was always a role model for the type of woman I hope to be, and she was also a very good friend. Whenever anything
new or exciting happened to me, I couldn’t wait to call Grandma and tell her all about it because I always knew how genuinely proud and happy she would be for me. Our family visits to Pennsylvania where she lived are among my very favorite childhood memories. She loved to tell stories, share memories, laugh, and dote on her children and grandchildren. She had such a huge heart and was always so full of life and joy. Her family and friends loved her very much.


She passed away in 2005 after a diagnosis of leukemia the year before. Her passing left a huge hole in our family, but I am so grateful for all of the time I had with her and for the memories that I’ll carry forever.

Sarah Tierney

My name is Sarah Tierney. I’m 26 years old and work as a Contract Specialist in Huntsville.  I’ve lived in this area most of my life. I was extremely active growing up through my involvement in multiple sports, but unfortunately I became pretty lazy in college. After graduating from UAH in 2007, I decided to get back in shape by running. It was difficult for me to find motivation on my own though, likely the result of my background in team sports. And so after running off and on for a couple years, I signed up for Fleet Feet’s 13.1 Program in 2009 and successfully completed my first half marathon in 2 hours and 4 minutes. The following year I completed Fleet Feet’s Tri 101 Program and again completed the 13.1 Program. This year I plan to start tackling some longer distances including the marathon and 50k.

I’m excited for this opportunity to run for a cause that is close to my heart. As is the sad truth with most everyone, I’ve known many people- coworkers, friends, and family members- who have been affected by cancer. I’ll be running this race in honor of my grandmother, Elizabeth Tierney, a very special woman that I miss very much.

Heather is Running for Poppi

(Written by Heather Armstrong)

Cancer is what we call the C-word in my family. My dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 Mantle Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma about 4 years ago and it threw us all for a loop, to say the least. It was caught by his family doctor simply by him having an elevated white cell count. We were told he probably wouldn't survive but we were blessed with the best doctors at CCI that refused to treat him like any other patient. They realized he was healthier than his age and agreed to try a more aggressive type of chemotherapy on him. It was very hard on his body and we all took turns taking care of him during the treatment, including sitting by his bed as he received new blood and in the hospital as he was dangerously close to dying.

Then, the most unexpected thing happened, after the last hospitalization that nearly cost him his life, the oncologist said we were stopping treatment and would see where we were with the cancer. Everyone we knew prayed and prayed and hoped for the best. We were either going to lose him or hope for a miracle.

Then we got the test results back...it was gone, completely gone. Not one cancerous cell was in his body and it has remained that way to this day.

He was never supposed to be around to see his first and only granddaughter; he is her Poppi and she thinks he hung the moon. I am his only daughter and a Daddy's girl forever and can't express how happy I am he lived to be a grandfather.

He is an aerospace engineer here in Huntsville for the Department of Defense, married to my mother now for 43 years, has 3 children, one grandchild and is a very talented artist. Look over some of his work, it's amazing. His website is: http://www.tfmartin.com/index.html

Dixie Daredevils run for cancer | Events | Madison News

Look at this:

Dixie Daredevils run for cancer | Events | Madison News

We made the NEWS!!!

Jenny--In Her Own Words

Casey Baird is running for her friend, Jenny.  Here's Jenny's story, in her own words:

In November of 2004, I went to the doctor for ongoing hoarseness in my voice. The doctor put me on some medicine for allergies. The medicine did not seem to help. Later, I went back to the doctor and said the medicine was not helping. The doctor then ran a camera down my throat where he found nodules on my vocal cords.

The doctor reassured me, and told me that it was definitely not cancer and I had nothing to worry about.

He put me on acid reflux medicine because he thought that was what was causing the problem. I informed him that I had never had a problem with acid reflux. He told me that some people do not even know that they have acid reflux because it occurs during sleep and erodes the esophagus causing these nodules to appear. I took his word for it; after all, I knew nothing about the medical field. The doctor wanted me to complete three months of this acid reflux medicine before he did anything further.

I was a school teacher and basketball coach at the time; therefore, this ongoing hoarseness was very difficult with my career. I began to get very frustrated because I felt that I could not complete my job to my fullest potential with this hoarseness. My students and players had a lot of trouble hearing me. I was also getting married May 28, 2005 and then the first week of June going to Cancun for our honeymoon.

The doctor decided to remove the nodules but wanted to wait to do it until we returned from our honeymoon. After returning, I went in to the hospital have the procedure done as an outpatient. It only took about 40 minutes but I was still very nervous because I had never had surgery before.
After the surgery was complete, the doctor told me everything went fine and he wanted me to be on voice rest for a week and come back in for a check-up to see how things were healing. That was a pretty hard week of no talking.

When I went back for my check-up, I went by myself. With my husband and I both being new college graduates and not being with our jobs that long, I didn’t want him to take another day off of work to go back to the doctor with me. We already had to take time off for our wedding, honeymoon, and all the other doctor appointments. After all, I thought the appointment was no big deal. I thought the doctor was just going to tell me that I could begin to talk and everything was fine.

I walked into his office and he looked at me and said, “Well I wasn’t expecting to have to tell you this today.” Right then, I knew something was wrong. The doctor proceeded to tell me that the nodules were cancerous. After that, to be honest, everything that was said was a blur.

All I remember was leaving the office, going to my car, crying, and then calling my sister. My sister was the closest to where I was and I knew that I shouldn’t be driving far with the state of mind I was in. After discovering she was home, I drove to her house. I got to the door where she greeted me, I started crying, and she knew something was wrong. She started crying and said “what is wrong?” I told her, we hugged, and she took me to where my husband was working so I could break the news to him. When we arrived and told him, he left work, and came back to my sister’s house. He then called my doctor and got some answers that I was unable to give him. He also asked for me to be referred to another doctor.

I was referred to a doctor at the Arthur James Cancer Hospital in Columbus. I met with him, and we discussed my options. I then had my first laser surgery there in July and my second surgery in October. The doctor did not want to do both surgeries at the same time because of the way the vocal cords are shaped. Scar tissue would have formed, which would not leave room for the vocal cords to vibrate and I would never talk again. He decided that it would be best to do the right side first, since it was the worse side, then the left after the right had some time to heal.

My first surgery was very rough on me and on my whole family. It took about 4 hours to complete. Then the surgery in October was a little better; it took about 3 hours. I had to go back frequently for the first 3 months for checkups.

They did not have a lot of research in the type of cancer I had. The doctor said the type of cancer I had was dominantly found in males who were 60 years of age and older and had smoked and drank most of their lives. I was only 23, and didn’t smoke or drink. However, the research they did have in my age group showed that if the cancer came back, it came back early and aggressive.

I have been cancer free since then and I am so lucky. I am only going back to the doctor for check-ups every year now. Our family has been through a lot in the short time that we have been married. I was unable to talk for 7 months after all my surgeries, which meant I could not go back to my teaching and coaching. We did not even know if I would ever be able to talk again at that point. We all looked at it like it was a small price to pay, I was alive and doing pretty well.

During all that, I found out I was pregnant and had my son August 2, 2006. He is amazing and we are so blessed. I also began to go back to college when he was about 9 months old for nursing. I figured that I may as well go back while I was still young. I tried to go back to teaching as my voice began to come back, however, it was too hard on my voice. I used an amplification system but by the end of the day, my voice was pretty much gone. It was tough.

I never had any interest in the health field before all of this began. However, after all of this, it sparked me to want to become a nurse. It was difficult with having a baby and also difficult financially. I still had student loans for my first degree that I was unable to use but I went back and got some more student loans to go back to school again.

I finished with my associate’s RN and started working in the hospital in May 2010. I did some of my clinical experience on the Oncology Unit and loved it. I hope to be back to that floor again someday in my nursing career. Right now, I am on a medical/surgical floor and I love it. I love the place I work as well as the people. I am also about to have another baby*.

I feel like my life has been thrown in so many different directions. I never pictured this is where my life would be at this point, but couldn’t be happier. We have had so many struggles on the way but I could not have made it through everything without my family and friends, especially my husband. He has been so supportive throughout everything. I put so many burdens on him with everything. I hope that we can now begin to get out lives back on track.

I am also thankful for my doctors and medical staff at the Arthur James Cancer Hospital in Columbus. They were wonderful and I owe so much to them. I was so fortunate with the care I received there. I did not have to receive any chemo or radiation, which was wonderful. I am so blessed in so many ways. I am a much stronger person after all that has happened.

**Just a few days ago Jenny gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Naeveh Faith.