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Troutman woman pushes herself toward 15 years cancer free
Photo by Regan Hill
Daisy Zonneville trains for the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training marathon near Birkdale Village in Huntersville.
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Published: September 21, 2009
Daisy Zonneville did a final stretch before joining the crowd jogging out of the Birkdale Cinemas parking lot.
Her fellow runners on the North Charlotte Team in Training were chatting about the morning's run and the upcoming fundraisers for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
The moment Zonneville's feet hit the brick walkway in front of Birkdale Cinemas on Saturday, her pace picked up. For the next 10 miles she would alternate between two minutes of jogging and one minute of walking.
The sound of chatter was replaced by the patter of runners' feet and deep breathing which filtered through the empty streets of the development before dawn.
The course on both sides of Sam Furr Road pushes Zonneville's body beyond the limits she once set for herself, especially after undergoing chemotherapy twice to rid her body of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
"Where is Jeffrey?" she asked her friend Lauren Hayward as they passed Cold Stone Creamery.
"Jeffret?" she called behind her. "A lot of his mail is addressed to Jeffret."
Almost everyone has a marathon for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society that they are training for. Zonneville, her fiance Jeffrey Roy, and Hayward are training for the Kiawah Island Marathon on Dec. 12.
The race marks the 15th anniversary of her final chemotherapy treatment when she was 16. She was first diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma when she was 12.
"Since December is my anniversary, I wanted to do something cool, something big," said Zonneville, who lives in Troutman.
Her future husband and friend wanted to be by her side throughout the entire process.
Hayward said she thought Zonneville was crazy for wanting to run a 26-mile marathon at first. The more she thought about it in the following days, the more it made sense.
"Organizations like this give help to people in her situation," she said.
Since 1949, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has invested more than $680 million in blood cancer research and providing education and patient services.
Throughout the run, Zonneville falls into sync with other runners or walkers and strikes up conversations. Other times, it will be just her and the road.
During the Tuesday and Saturday team runs, Roy and Hayward run ahead of Zonneville. But Roy believes they will finish the Kiawah marathon right beside each other.
The runners are encouraged to do some form of training six days a week. Zonneville said she usually goes mountain biking on Mondays.
"You want to stay active throughout the week," Roy said. "I actually look forward to Saturdays."
It hasn't been easy for Zonneville.
Like many runners, she has learned what her body can take and how to pace herself.
She would never have described herself as the athletic type before. She tried out for sports in school, but didn't make it.
In addition, the chemotherapy took its toll on her lungs.
When she runs, sometimes it feels like her lungs are closing up.
On the other hand, there is a moment during the run when her body loosens up and she feels like she was born to run.
"You just don't give up because of one-minute occurrences," she said.
Zonneville has experienced the work the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society does firsthand. She said the organization helped her family when she was going through her treatments.
"They step in and help," she said. "They are that extra hand."
By the end of the run, Zonneville said she gets emotional crossing back over the brick walkway.
Just before 10 a.m., Zonneville and her fellow runners congregate at Cafe Mia.
"Today, actually, was a good run," Zonneville told Hayward. "Ten miles felt good today."
Daisy Zonneville's Team in Training group will hold a pancake breakfast at O'Charley Restaurant in Mooresville from 8 to 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Sabi Asian Bistro is holding a Team in Training Day on Monday at its location on Griffith Street in Davidson. The restaurant will donate 10 percent of each check to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
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