Recently, a team from Love Your Melon took on the challenge of the CureSearch Ultimate Hike in support of our partner, CureSearch for Children’s Cancer. The Ultimate Hike is CureSearch’s program that gives participants the opportunity to hike 20-30 miles in one day in order to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer research.
As our team set out to join in on this journey, we weren’t sure what to expect. Upon arrival, we heard story after story of amazing individuals who were hiking in honor of a loved one who was affected by pediatric cancer. It was extremely motivating to listen to these stories and keep them in mind as our inspiration for the long hike ahead of us.
Our hike was 25.5 miles long on the Superior Hiking Trail in northern Minnesota. We woke up long before the crack of dawn and began trudging single-file through soggy, muddy paths with only our headlamps as our guides for each step. As the morning went on, the skies remained overcast, providing a somber setting as we marched on.
We found ourselves thinking of the children we have interacted with on our Love Your Melon hospital visits, and how our small amount of discomfort on a long hike is nothing compared to the enormous difficulty of pediatric cancer treatment.
Late in the afternoon, the sun finally broke through the otherwise cloudy, gray skies. It was near the end of the hike, and the glimmer of sunlight was a perfect reminder of the hope that exists in the fight against pediatric cancer. Childhood cancer is a gray, dreary subject, and is a long, weary journey for many families, but the sun reminded us there is a ray of hope for better treatments and cures. That hope is our reason for hiking, and for continuing to fight pediatric cancer through the work we do every day.
CureSearch’s goal is to end childhood cancer by driving targeted and innovative research with measurable results in an accelerated time frame. Through the Ultimate Hike and many other programs, they are able to work toward this goal! Thank you for your support, which makes our partnership with CureSearch possible.
Learn more about our partnership with CureSearch here.
