Amanda Tuttle has never run 13.1 consecutive miles before, but she is willing to try it in honor of a 9-year-old boy with leukemia she has never had the pleasure to meet.
The recent Cape Elizabeth High School graduate said her goal, which she set earlier this year, is to raise $3,800 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by running in the Nike Women’s half-marathon in San Francisco in October. Seventy-five percent of the funds raised go towards research and patient groups.
Elijah Norbert, the 9-year-old Portland boy diagnosed with leukemia four years ago, is the nephew of Tuttle’s boss, Chris Norbert. Amanda has worked at the Spurwink Country Kitchen for the past three summers and said she became aware of Elijah through the pamphlets and donation jars Norbert keeps on his counter. When she heard about what the boy is going through recently, she said her “heart bled.”
“When I heard his own mother couldn’t give him a hug I just said, ‘Oh, my God.'”
Amanda and Norbert have chosen the evening of July 25 as a night to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at the Spurwink Country Kitchen. Norbert said he will donate 50 percent of proceeds from that night to Amanda’s run in the half-marathon. Amanda will be there that night, only she can’t decide if she will be hosting the event or actually working.
“If I was waiting tables I could give 100 percent of my tips,” Amanda said.
Amanda has never met Eli because his immune system is so weak at the moment that any contact with people could be dangerous. But she has heard from family members that he has “such a good attitude and determination.”
Eli was diagnosed with leukemia about four years ago, Norbert said, but a year and a half ago a bone marrow transplant became necessary. Eli’s 12-year-old sister donated her bone marrow, but the operation was ultimately unsuccessful when Eli’s body rejected it. Norbert said “the cancer came back much worse after that.”
Eli has been in chemotherapy all winter long and gone through all the experimental treatments that the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital could muster.
Chris Norbert said Eli had taken all the chemotherapy he could take and doctors suggested the family take a vacation. Eli’s parents packed him and his 12-year-old sister into a car and made it only two days before having to bring Eli to an emergency room. Eli is still in the hospital suffering from pneumonia.
Norbert said the goal right now is to get Elijah healthy enough so he can travel to the Fred Hutchinson Clinic in Seattle, Wash., which he said is at the forefront of treating childhood leukemia.
Amanda said her mother was very sick for a while, so she knows what it is like to live with someone who is sick. “I know if I had a family member who had leukemia, I’d be so grateful for someone’s dedication,” she said.
Amanda said undertaking something like this puts a lot of things in perspective. “I can be pretty pessimistic,” she said. “But, I have life pretty good.”
The fact that Amanda can attempt to run a half-marathon has not always been a given. Amanda has suffered from back pain her whole life and fractured her spine three years ago. She went through intensive physical therapy and was told by doctors that “running really isn’t going to be your thing.”
“Some days I don’t want to go running,” Amanda said, “but the effort I have to make to run pales in comparison to what this boy has to deal with every day.”
As part of her goal to raise the $3,800 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Amanda has sent out about 80 letters to friends and families asking for donations. Amanda said she has been amazed at the level of support people have shown. Last week alone she received about $600. In addition to the donations via mail and the benefit night Monday, July 25, Amanda has also put out a donation jar at the Spurwink Country Kitchen and is planning events such as bake sales, which friends will help her out with.
Norbert said he and his family are very grateful. “Amanda has gone one step beyond, she’s actually doing something,” Norbert said. “She’s part of the solution. … For such a young girl she is showing a maturity far beyond her age.”
During high school Amanda was involved with the Operation Smile Club, which raises money for the national, non-profit organization Operation Smile, which helps disadvantaged children with facial deformities such as cleft lips, cleft palates, tumors, facial clefts, and burns.
She was also a member of the volunteer club and the National Honor Society, which led her to mentor a second-grader at Pond Cove Elementary School.
Amanda is currently training with other people in the Portland area who will be running in one of several of the various races that benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society that are held throughout the year. She is going to Florida to attend the University of Tampa in August and will begin training with people there for a few months before the race.
She said she is excited about the race, especially since she has spoken with people who have participated in these type of events. One woman told her it was the most rewarding experience of her life.
“It’s going to be such a rush,” Amanda said.
To support Amanda Tuttle in her 13.1-mile run to raise as much money as she can in honor of 9-year-old Elijah Norbert you can attend the benefit night at the Spurwink Country Kitchen on July 25 or send a tax-deductible donation to Amanda. Make all checks payable to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and send the check to Amanda Tuttle, 2 Pleasant Avenue, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107.
Elijah’s family also has a fund to help with the costs associated with Elijah’s recovery. Contributions can be made to The Elijah S. Norbert Fund, c/o Maria Marchetti, 425 Philbrook Avenue, South Portland, ME 04106.
Amanda Tuttle trains for a half marathon in October in honor of nine-year-old Elijah Norbert
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