RUNNING HER WAY THROUGH CHEMO with

Cancer is a life-changing diagnosis. And for Kim Skarphol, who was diagnosed with breast cancer on January 2, 2020, her biggest worry was not being able to run.

“My hardest day was probably with the oncologist and finding out my chemo plan,” says Skarphol. “I wasn’t expecting it to be as aggressive as it was. She had to deliver the news that I probably won’t be able to do my running.”

Always running

Skarphol, 65, has pounded the pavement for most of her life. She says she couldn’t imagine not being able to do the activity that gives her the most joy, especially in the midst of both chemotherapy and a pandemic.

“I did the half mile in track in high school and then just ran all my life,” she explains. “Did a few marathons, qualified for Boston and ran Boston. I can’t put the mileage on as much anymore, but it’s still my passion. Mentally as well as physically.”

She continues, “I had this goofy idea of running through chemo — kind of like, come hell or high water, hold my beer and watch me do this.”

And she did — but not alone.

Running together

Skarphol has been a staple of the Fargo running community for years, and when she asked for even the slightest bit of support, she was greeted with more than she could’ve imagined.

She says, “I reached out to probably eight of my running buddies and said, ‘Hey, here’s my idea: I want to run to chemo. Here’s my schedule. If anyone can join me, that’d be great.’ And they said, ‘Oh, heck yeah, we’re in.'”

Each person Skarphol reached out to was there and ran with her for all four months of her chemotherapy — through rain or shine, snow or sleet, ice or wind.

“On March 9 I woke up and I knew there was a chance of ice and sleet,” she explains. “I looked out the window at 4:30 a.m. and there’s like half an inch of ice on the streets. I show up, and there’s eight people waiting.”

Despite it being 10 degrees with ice and 20-mile-an-hour wind that they had to run into, everyone was ready to run alongside her. And as Skarphol kept running, that support grew.

“There were 20 people on my last run. It was just so powerful,” she says.

Overwhelming support

Skarphol’s support went beyond the Fargo running community. She says her husband and two sons stepped up in a big way. One son even ran with her.

“I have a son in (Washington) D.C. and another here in Fargo,” she explains. “The diagnosis hit them really hard. My one in Fargo joined me on most of my runs. That was impressive because he doesn’t like to run, but he did it.”

She even had support from her oncologist, Anu Gabu, who ran with her to her first chemotherapy session.

“How can I ask for any more support than that?” says Skarphol.

Lifesaving screening

Skarphol says she was blessed with two things: the overwhelming support she received and finding the tumor while it was small.

“Thank goodness for mammograms,” she says. “They found it and called me that day — and caught it small. I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t have that mammogram. It was a triple negative, which is aggressive.”

Because she had so much support, Skarphol stresses the importance of reaching out to others, checking in with friends, and asking for help if you need it.

“There’s no reason to be alone at this time,” says Skarphol. “We all kind of feel like we’re stuck and alone, but there’s support everywhere, even on Facebook. Try to find at least one person who will just listen to you or maybe run with you. That’s really important.”

Call 701-234-2300 to schedule your mammogram today.