Team 5 Alive: The Decision to Fight

David Nesbit during treatment.

Team 5 Alive is on its way to raising $250,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) through a full year of fundraising with Team In Training (TNT).  David Nesbit, the team's honored hero and inspiration, thinks back to his days in treatment and how it motivates him now.

"Six years ago, August 2010; I was enjoying the summer like everyone else.  I wasn't thinking much about my leukemia because the wait-and-watch period which I was in simply was not that bad.  My body was doing a good job of keeping my levels in check naturally.  Every month since I was diagnosed in 2009 became a little easier mentally.  Maybe, I get to do that wait and watch thing for years, I would tell myself.  I started to talk about it more freely, my confidence was building, and I didn't feel like a sick person.  That summer, I was training with TNT for my second event, had gotten healthier, shed some pounds...life was OK.  Then, in August, my cancer turned aggressive. 

In a matter of days I was having excruciating neck pains, little bumps were popping up under my skin, extreme fatigue, and night sweats.  I got scared, again.  That same pitted deep in the gut feeling of mortality was poking its ugly head up again in my mind.  Now it seemed real.  

People die from leukemia, what if it takes me?  
What if chemo ravages my body and I can't be present for my family or I can't work? 
What if I lose my hair?" (I was really worried about that!). 

After a couple of days of processing these kinds of questions, I remember asking myself, 'David, what are YOU going to do about it?' And just like that, I decided to fight.

It was very much like a boxing match.  Chemo was coming.  And every round of chemo was a round in the ring.  I could go on the defensive and take the blows and just try to get through. Or, I could fight back.  I chose to fight back.  Everything that chemo and leukemia would want to do with my body, I would do the opposite.  If I felt nauseous, I would still go to work. If I felt tired, I would spend more time with my girlfriend (who is now my wife, Kelly Nesbit!) and family, and push through.  Many times immediately after chemo treatment, I would go running.   I was going to show leukemia and chemo who was boss of this body.  Me.   

That part of my journey reminds me constantly of our amazing Team 5 Alive.  They push through, they don't stop.  Summer is a tough time to train and fundraise.  The heat and humidity right now is simply awful to run in.  There are vacations, kids off school, etc.  There are so many things that can distract.  But somehow, every week we see the Team fundraising total going up.  And every Saturday morning I see Facebook and Instagram flooded with selfies and team pictures of our Team out training in the heat.  They don't stop.  They don't give up.  Team 5 Alive is relentless.  I have a TNT shirt that has the word 'relentless' in big red letters on the front. It reminds me of our Team. That is my favorite word to describe our Team 5 Alive: Relentless.

Oh, and I never lost my hair.  Go Team!" 

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Kelly and David Nesbit are the co-team captain of Team Five Alive.  The Nesbits and their teammates will be posting monly as they work to raise $250,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in honor of  David's fight.  

Team Five Alive: An Introduction

2016 is a big year for Kelly and David Nesbit.  It marks five years since David was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).  To commemorate and celebrate how far his health and they have come in those five years, the Nesbits are launching Team Five Alive with the goal of raising more than $100,000 in David's honor through Team In Training.  Why $100,000?  That amount ensures that the Nesbits will be able to name an LLS research grant in David's name and direct the funds towards blood cancer research.  

Below Kelly introduces their family and talks about what it is like to launch a year long fundraising blitz. 

"So many of the stories we hear about those affected by blood cancers bring us to tears. I am happy to say this one will give you hope! A reason to celebrate!  You see, 5 years ago OUR HONORED HERO, DAVID NESBIT walked into a chemo room for the first time, 6 months later he walked out and has never returned! We ALL have high hopes he will NEVER go back!

This is his story.

David Nesbit, a father of six beautiful children, was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) in 2009. David’s chemo treatment plan was for 6 months – 3 days on, 27 off. Watching him go through his first round appeared was the hardest. So many unknowns were facing him, his entire family and anyone who loved him! How would he feel? Would he lose his hair? Which by the way he had Team in Training Teammates that said they would shave their heads if he did! Would he need to be away from work for long periods of time? But the biggest question was, WAS he going to be OK?   

His kids had thoughts of fear, fear that he was going to die. Fear that their world was ending. They refused to imagine a world without him as they simply had not had enough time together. (His youngest child was only 7 years old). They were angry and sad and afraid…

David quickly got grasp of how his body responded – actually we joked how it was quite similar to morning sickness – one month of chemo for each child. LOL! He experienced nausea – he had food cravings (mostly salt!) His sleep pattern was off.  But, he always kept a positive attitude! There were days he even wanted to go for a run after chemo to show his body who was boss! He NEVER showed doubt! The last day of chemo was the only time he seemed to be impatient during the whole process. All he wanted was be DONE! And he wanted to be done NOW!

August 2011 David’s chemotherapy treatment ended. Every 6 months we hope and pray the Dr. will give him another positive report. While today there currently is not a cure for his blood cancer, the prognosis has much improved for those diagnosed with CLL. Amazingly though, because of research and the development of treatment in recent years, David’s oncologist believes that he may NEVER have to go through intravenous chemo treatment again.  His treatment has allowed him to be with us. Since his last treatment, he got married, watched 3 daughters get married and two grandbabies have been born. He has witnessed high school graduations, sent kids off to college and has celebrated several birthdays, anniversaries and holidays – ALL because of the amazing support through LLS.

Talk about a celebration!?

As excited we all are for David and those that have found his same success when battling blood cancers – we, Team 5 Alive, have made a commitment to march on (or run, or bike, or swim) until there is a CURE!

This year, in celebration of David we have committed to completing endurance events all over the country and raise $100,000 for cancer research and patient aid.  As a member of Team 5 Alive we will fundraise by hosting charity events, working golf tournaments, cheering at marathons and any way that we think of that will help us to meet our goal of $100,000. We will do this while training in the cold and in the heat and encourage our friends and loved ones to do the same!

Stay tuned as we share the adventures of Team 5 Alive! We hope to see you all out there cheering us on as we cross this BIG FINISH LINE!"

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Kelly Nesbit is the co-team captain of Team Five Alive and will be posting monthly about their goal to raise $100,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in honor of  David's fight.