Cheryl Duvall first heard of “Team Fight” when she joined the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCF) board of directors. Team Fight is a UCF program that helps people raise funds as they train for endurance events including triathlons and foot races.
She never dreamed she’d find herself on Team Fight one day. “I had never, ever participated in a running event — not even a 5K,” she said.
The support of her friends and colleagues changed all that. At the time, Duvall was also serving on the board of the Howard County Tourism Council. In 2009, the UCF, Howard County Tourism and Blossoms of Hope, a Howard County Tourism program that aims to raise cancer awareness, joined together to co-sponsor the first Howard LifeFEST, a multi-race event that attracted athletes from every eligible age group.
With encouragement from Anne Johnson — who at that point was the board president of the Tourism Council — and Vicki Goodman, executive director of Blossoms of Hope, Duvall decided to enter the LifeFEST half-marathon.
“Thankfully I had an 11-month notice,” Duvall said. She not only finished — she also raised $4,500 as the largest fundraiser of the event.
From there, she has launched an intense training effort to complete another individual half-marathon and a Team Fight relay finish in which she took 15 minutes off her personal best time for a half marathon. In the process, she has raised thousands of dollars to help people fight cancer.
Duvall dedicates her runs to her husband, John Duvall, who was her high school sweetheart. He died from Ewing sarcoma in 1995, when he was 38 years old. At that time, their two sons were 16 months and 5 years old. Now both young men are college students.
This year, Duvall has rejoined Team Fight, and she will participate in two 2012 events: the Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon in March in Washington, D.C., and the Iron Girl Columbia Triathlon in August.
‘Deeply Touched’
Anne Johnson, who has known Duvall for more than a decade, speaks about her friend’s experience with pride in her voice. “I give Cheryl so much credit,” said Johnson, who is an accomplished triathlete herself.
“It has been wonderful to watch. Cheryl was so deeply touched by this from losing her husband.”
Johnson’s 15-year-old daughter, Caroline, was the swimmer on Duvall’s Team Fight relay team.
“It was fun and neat to have all those other people around you, raising money for cancer awareness, too,” said Caroline Johnson.
Local Passion, National Growth
Team Fight and the UCF have rapidly grown in popularity and visibility over the past few years.
When Team Fight started four years ago, it was a programatic effort to raise awareness for the UCF and the needs of young adults affected by cancer, said UCF Assistant Director Brian Satola.
“Little did we know that we would strike such a passionate and philanthropic nerve in the community,” he said.
“This grassroots effort has enabled many people to get involved and truly enhance the lives of young adults and their loved ones affected by cancer.”
Team Fight has become a community of people of all athletic abilities, he added, and local passion has fueled what is now becoming a national wave of support.
“I could not be any prouder, and I’m extremely humbled by the support Team Fight has received across the country,” he said. “The bulk of our numbers come from the Howard County and Baltimore area, but are quickly filtering out across the nation.”
UCF Merges With 4K for Cancer
The UCF announced in November 2011 that it was merging with “4K for Cancer,” a nonprofit that began when a group of undergraduate students at The Johns Hopkins University combined their desire to fight cancer with a goal to cycle 4,000 miles across the country. Each year since then, 4K for Cancer has coordinated a team of college students to cycle across the country while raising money and awareness.
Steven Hersey, UCF’s interim 4K for Cancer program coordinator, said that the two organizations share similar histories and goals, and that the merger has been almost seamless.
Hersey, who participated in a 4K for Cancer ride himself, described it as a “life-changing experience.”
Now, the popular bike ride promises to bring even more visibility to the UCF, he said. “The 4K for Cancer is able to spread awareness to thousands of people at more than 200 host communities every summer.”
Hersey estimated that, this summer, 4K for Cancer riders will raise a minimum of $405,000.
Meanwhile, Duvall said she is proud of UCF and plans to keep contributing since she knows firsthand how important its support is for young people with cancer and their loved ones.
“John died in 1995, and the UCF wasn’t founded by Doug Ulman and Diana Ulman until 1997,” reflected Duvall. “John and I could have really benefited from the UCF. So I truly understand the UCF’s purpose and mission.”
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My Uncle John would have been very proud!