“I am participating in honor of my dad,” said Alicia Wood, a high school teacher at Oak Leaf High School in Clay County who has asked her friends, fellow teachers and students to join her in support of Haven Hospice unreimbursed programs and services at the fifth annual Run for Haven on March 15 in Gainesville.
The Run for Haven will feature a 5K and 10K run/walk through the Town of Tioga with a St. Patrick’s Day theme. Alicia will celebrate her 32nd birthday on St. Patrick’s Day and has asked her friends on Facebook to either donate to Haven or join her for the run/walk in lieu of birthday presents.
Alicia became passionate about hospice services and how they benefit patients, family members and the community after her personal experience caring for her father, Craig Van Horn, who was diagnosed with esophageal cancer soon after she started college in 2000.
“Being only 18 and realizing your father won’t be there for much longer was the hardest thing in my life so far,” Alicia said.
When her father first returned home from the hospital, Alicia’s mother, Rita, took care of him.
“She cleaned his bandages and feeding tube. I remember one day being at my dad’s bedside and he had no idea I was there in the room,” Alicia said. “It broke my heart to see my dad this way.”
When curative treatments were no longer an option, Alicia’s family turned to hospice services for help.
“My dad was placed in hospice, where we knew he would be cared for and kept as comfortable as possible before he made his journey to Heaven,” said Alicia. “Hospice was there to fully support us. They had people to help with the grieving process and were there for whatever we would need. I’m so thankful for hospice because for the last part of my dad’s life, we didn’t have to worry about his meds or cleaning his bandages and feeding tube, but instead we got to spend time with the man who soon would become an angel.”
Run for Haven participants can honor their special family members and friends by creating a memory board with pictures or favorite sayings. Alicia has signed up to create a memory board in honor of her father, which will be placed at the finish line of the event. Alicia is also currently training to participate in several runs throughout 2014 for worthy causes that are close to her heart.
The registration fee for the Run for Haven 5K and 10K includes not only the chip-timed run, but also a pre-run warm-up, live music, food, drinks, a T-shirt and a commemorative medal for the 700 registered runners as well as access to expo booths and the awards ceremony. Participants can also wear a St. Patty’s Day costume to be eligible for prizes during the costume event.
“Saying goodbye is never easy,” Alicia said, “but having people there to help, such as hospice, makes saying goodbye a more meaningful time.”