'Perspective Is Everything': Lung Cancer Survivor Among Sunday's Run The Rocks Participants
MORRISON, Colo. (CBS4) - Run the Rocks raised $108,825.23 for the American Lung Association in Colorado Sunday morning.
The money from the annual 10K, 5K and family fun run at Red Rocks Amphitheatre goes to improve the quality of the air we breathe. CBS4 This Morning's Alan Gionet, Ashton Altieri and Justin Adams as well as Dominic Garcia and Jamie Leary participated in the annual event.
Among those also participating was lung cancer survivor Jamie Rippy. The mother of two from Castle Rock who has never smoked a day in her life was diagnosed with the cancer last year at the age of 32.
"Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer, it's not just a smoker's disease," said Jamie.
She originally thought the nagging stomach pain she was experiencing was from having two babies via cesarean section.
"I had been talking about it for almost a year and finally my husband was like, 'Just go into the doctor.'"
That doctor's visit would lead to several scans, ultimately revealing cancer at the base of her left lung.
"I just ran over and I held her as tight as I could and all was saying to her was, 'It's going to be fine, it's going to be fine,' but I didn't know," said Jamie's husband Steve.
Their two children were just 1 and 2 years old at the time.
"All those thoughts go through your mind of, are they going to have a mom? Am I going to miss all of those milestones?" She said.
"The one thing that gave me a lot of hope was just her spirit, because cancer wasn't taking her down."
Jamie went through two surgeries to remove the lower left lobe of her lung and so far, there have been no further signs of cancer.
"If she had waited six months, she had waited a year to get a scan on her stomach, by that time it could have spread and it could have been something that's considered terminal."
Through it all, the Rippys learned they were not alone.
"Our neighbors and friends and family were just amazing," Jamie said. "Like the meals every single day showing up on the doorstep. We were actually sad when that ended; we have some very good cooks in the neighborhood."
Jamie and Steven said they also learned that with life, perspective is everything.
"If anything that's kind of a blessing that's come from this is, we really do take in any of the good and the negatives, they don't matter that much," said Steven.
"You just think, gosh, life is short, just take a chance, do the things that you want to do and don't wait to do them," said Jamie.
PHOTO GALLERY: Run The Rocks