POSTED BY NORA LEA ROGERS REEFE FROM THE WEBSITE FOUNDED BY JIMMY'S DAUGHTER
Jimmy's Minutemen (and Women)
I founded Jimmy's Minutemen for the Race For Hope because it's one small way I can make a difference in the fight against brain cancer and brain tumors, medical conditions that have stolen so much from my family. Brain cancer took the life of my father, Jimmy Wayne Rogers. Unfortunately the transgressions of this disease didn't stop there. Benign brain tumors have also plagued my aunt and sister-in-law, forcing both of them to face dangerous and life-altering surgeries.
My father was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2003. The following six years of his life were dominated by surgery, chemotherapy, and various radiation treatments. These were supposed to be his golden years. He had just retired and had plans to go fishing and camping with my mother, to head out the door and find peace in his beloved outdoors with a rod and reel whenever his heart desired. He even converted an old school bus into an RV just for this purpose, but he barely got to use it. Instead, those fishing trips he had long dreamed of were replaced by a nightmarish series of cancer treatments.
My mother was also just beginning her retirement years when Dad was diagnosed, and in many ways I run to fight back for her as well. She stood unwavering at my father's side through countless doctor's appointments and hospital stays. She was his constant through every treatment and every indignity he suffered at the hands of the disease. My father's personality changed markedly after his surgery in 2003, and she was forced to watch the man she had been married to for four decades slowly fade before her eyes.
I also run for my 5-year-old son, Jimmy, and his 17-month-old brother, Jackson. More than anything I wish my boys could know their grandfather, as he was before cancer struck. If only they could know first-hand how amazing he was. I imagine Dad teaching the boys how to fish, maybe even with the same tiny "Snoopy" fishing pole he used to teach me. If the boys had the opportunity to know their Grandfather they would know a man who worked hard every day of his life so his family would want for nothing, a man who had a passion for sports and enjoying nature, and a man with a steadfast faith in God. Essentially, he was the perfect role model. I was only 3 months pregnant with Jimmy when my father passed away on September 27th, 2009.
The team name, "Jimmy's Minutemen", is a reference to my father's 21 years of service in the Air Force. Dad was the ultimate jack-of-all-trades. He was a carpenter, a plumber, an electrician, and a mechanic. He spent his years in the USAF working on missiles. He first worked on the "Hound Dog" missile system, which was launched from aircraft. Later he would lead a group of airmen who worked on the intercontinental "Minuteman". These missiles dot the Montana countryside, interminably interred in remote silos. Obviously, the name "Minuteman" is a referrence to the legendary Minutemen of the Revolutionary War. These were the militiamen who were trained to respond to a threat at a "minute's notice". When I was a kid, I loved to hear my dad talk about these incredible machines. He seemed to have a passion for things that flew, and he had such an engaging way of explaining to me how they worked. Some of you are familiar with my keen interest in aircraft and space exploration, so now you know how that particular personality trait was formed.
So on Sunday, May 3rd, Jimmy's Minutemen (and women) are going to respond to the threat posed by brain cancer and brain tumors. We're going to attack this 5K run for the second time as a team, and it will be a success if we can muster even an ounce of the resilience and courage I have seen in my family members who have been affected by these afflictions. On Sunday we'll run for a tiny bit of restitution for Jimmy and Dee Rogers, Phyllis Kokoruda, and Trina Korst Rogers. My sincere hope is that someday soon, with the help of events like Race for Hope, we'll reach the finish line victorious over brain cancer and brain tumors.
