Cancer Survivor and Runner With Special Needs Completes Half Marathon in Team Effort

Runner's World ^ | January 13, 2019 | Taylor Dutch

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

When Anastasia Pursel crossed the finish line of the Bakersfield Half Marathon, she did it with a team by her side.

As she ran through the straightaway the morning of November 18, her friends Bryan Matthews and James Miller held each of her hands. While the crowd cheered enthusiastically, Matthews carried a hand-painted sign with the message, “Victory Is Mine.”

Only 8 years old, Pursel is already a fighter. At 17 months, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer that starts in the bone marrow. After six months in the hospital and another six months in isolation, she went into remission, and there is currently no evidence of the disease in her body.

The victory was hers at the Bakersfield finish line, just as it has been for her entire life. And running has played a big part for more than half of it.

When she was in preschool, her teacher Bethel Matthews (Bryan’s wife), encouraged Pursel’s mother Belinda to start running with her in the mornings. Soon, the whole family became immersed in the local running scene. Belinda started competing in 5K races, and began encouraging her three children to run alongside her during training runs around the neighborhood.

Just a few years after she learned how to walk, Anastasia was running. Now, it’s her favorite activity—the mornings she’s set to pound the pavement, she jumps out of bed eager to begin her day.

“I feel big when I run,” she told Runner’s World.

“I felt like it was important to expose her to some kind of physical activity that was fun, because Down syndrome kids are prone to be overweight and I didn’t want that for her,” her mother said. “I wanted her to grow up with a healthy mindset . . .

[philman_36]

I know this is a "feel good" story, but seriously?
This is not the same thing as a blind man running and finishing
the race on his own with only the help of a lead person.
The blind man runs the whole course.

Just as they finished, the trio started the race running and holding hands together. For the middle portion of the 13.1-mile course, Miller and Matthews pushed her in a running stroller until Anastasia wanted to get out and run with her fellow competitors into the finish line.

KUDOS to the little girl for trying, but seriously?
The family is setting this child up for failure later in life. We have enough problems with normal "participation trophy kids" now, much less ones afflicted with down syndrome.

JMO
Aside - If you push back I'm gonna push back too. You may not like my opinion but it is mine and I'll speak it.
You might consider not replying to me at all if you don't like my opinion as I will defend it vigorously.

[leaning conservative]

Really nice story. She’s darling! Thanks & have a wonderful weekend FRiend.

[trisham]

Cute kid. Nice story. :)

[TBP]

Inspiring. Good for her.