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Posted by rob on January 26, 2006 under Uncategorized | 
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TAYLOR RIDGE, Ill. – The tears Brandi Osborn shed as she neared the finish line of the 26.2-mile Walt Disney Marathon on Jan. 8 weren’t from physical exertion.
They were a symbol of the joy the Taylor Ridge, Ill., resident felt as her months of hope and hard work turned to triumph.
Osborn was unsure she could complete the challenge of walking the trek as she prepared to be part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training.
The team gathers pledges to participate in the annual walk and donates that money to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Osborn said the strong spirit of encouragement coming from the crowd as she was finishing filled her with emotion.
Among the calls of hundreds of well-wishers Osborn, 53, recalls a strong voice that rose above the sea of cheers.
“One man said, ‘Hey Brandi from Illinois, I’m a soldier from Kankakee, (Ill.) I just got back from Iraq and I haven’t been home yet,’” Osborn said.
“I told him, ‘Well, you’re a hero,’ and he said, ‘Not today. Today, you’re a hero.’”
Osborn’s seven hour and 14 minute journey began in October 2004, after her brother, Randy Osborn, her aunt, Jane Mitchell, and an uncle to her daughter Tracey Burke, Jim Whitehall, all died of cancer within two weeks of each other.
Osborn and Burke, 36, were saddened, but they wanted to direct their grief in a positive direction. That’s when the mother and daughter decided to help other people who are still fighting their battle with cancer by joining the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a national, voluntary health agency, helped finance the development of a new drug called Gleevec which can normalize white blood cells in cancer patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia. The society also helps people undergoing treatment for leukemia and lymphoma pay for expenses related to their medical care.
Osborn and Burke of Edgington, Ill., worked out together through the fall of 2005 between their work hours. Osborn is employed at the Edgington Hardware Store and Burke works at Heinz in Muscatine. But health problems prevented Burke from making the walk.
Osborn said she received encouragement and helpful information from professional runner and coach, Adam White of Peoria, who donated his expertise as Osborn’s trainer for the event.
The walk was the final part of the challenge.
Prospective walkers must collect $3,400 in pledges to participate and those don’t collect enough, give what they do have to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Larry McDowell, owner of Dooley’s Sports Bar in Andalusia, Ill., helped Osborn stage a fund-raiser there in October which helped put her over the top.
In all, she raised $4,000 for the society.
When she returned from Florida, McDowell and his wife presented Osborn with a custom-made trophy he ordered for her.
“He hugged me and told me how proud he and his wife Carol were,” said Osborn.
Team in Training members walk for a patient honoree, which is someone who has battled leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma or Hodgkin’s disease.
Osborn represented Edgington resident Marvin Keller, who was diagnosed with lymphoma.
The experience also provided Osborn with the opportunity to begin another important relationship. Media coverage of Osborn’s ambition to be in the marathon reached New Mexico and Osborn’s step-sister, Jean Shepard, whom Osborn had never met.
“When my real dad died, my stepfather, Dick Osborn, adopted me,” said Osborn. Dick Osborn, who died in 1988, had children from a previous marriage that Brandi hadn’t met, including Jean Shepard. “We got in touch because she read the article on the Internet, and it has meant so much to me over these past months,” said Osborn.
Osborn said she doesn’t know if she’ll do another marathon next year, but she does plan to take to the track again. And she said she’d be happy to have others join her.
Contact Cynthia Beaudette at: 563-263-2331 Ext. 323 or cynthia.beaudette@muscatinejournal.com
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