A remarkable heart for others
10-year-old competes in Mini-Marathon to raise money for cancer-stricken friend
After she finished the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon on May 5, 10-year-old Abby Allen enjoys a moment to smile with Michelle Combs. Abby ran the 13.1-mile race to raise funds to help pay for uninsured, alternative cancer treatments for Combs, a mother of two. (Submitted photo) Click for a larger version.
By John Shaughnessy
It’s a story about the beautiful way that people from different generations and families sometimes touch each other’s lives.
It’s also a story about the bond between parents and children—and how they often learn from each other, lean on each other and inspire each other.
At the heart of the story is Abby Allen, a fifth-grade student at St. Charles Borromeo School in Bloomington.
On the morning of May 5, the 10-year-old girl waited among 35,000 people to start the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis—the event where she hoped to complete her special, nearly yearlong plan to show her love and support for a family friend fighting for her life against cancer.
Ever since she came up with the idea last summer, Abby wanted to run in the 13.1-mile race to raise funds to help pay for the uninsured, alternative cancer treatments for Michelle Combs, a wife and mother of two girls near Abby’s age.
“I’ve known her for a long, long time,” Abby said. “She’s just one of those people you want to help. She’s always happy. Even when things go wrong, she’s there for you. I thought about if this had happened to my parents or me. I just want her to be safe.”
Finally, the wait was over for Abby. It was time for her to run.
A remarkable heart for others
As Abby started the race, she ran with two of her biggest fans by her side. One was her father, Jeff Allen. The other was Father Thomas Kovatch, the pastor of her parish.
While both men had run marathons in the past, they had also sustained injuries leading up to this year’s Mini-Marathon. In any other year, they likely would have withdrawn from the race, but they both wanted to be there for Abby.
Indeed, Abby’s father was her inspiration for attempting to run the Mini-Marathon for Michelle. She got the idea last summer when Jeff talked about competing in the Ironman triathalon competition in Cozemul, Mexico, in November of 2011 as a fundraiser for the Combs family.
Jeff raised about $2,500 in donations as he swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles and ran 26.2 miles in the race. Abby wanted to push herself, too, even though she suffers from asthma and doesn’t have a passion for running.
What she does have is a remarkable heart for others. When she turned 4, she had her first birthday party and asked her guests to bring gifts that could be donated to a charitable organization—from coats for families to donations for an animal shelter. She has cut her long hair twice, donating it to Locks of Love, an organization that provides wigs for children who have lost their hair because of medical conditions.
“I just think we always have to remember there are always others out there who are less fortunate,” said Kerri Allen, Abby’s mother. “Our goal in life is to serve others and get to heaven. That’s why we are here.”
Still, a mother’s concern for her child is always there. As the time passed, and the heat and humidity continued to rise during the race, Kerri began to worry about Abby.
Taking it to a higher level
Out on the course, Abby, her father and Father Kovatch stayed together during the first half of the Mini-Marathon.
The fact that Father Kovatch wanted to run the race with Abby—especially with his injuries—shows the kind of pastor that he has been to the school children at St. Charles, say Abby’s parents.
“He’s given Abby so much support,” Kerri said. “He has talked to her about it after Mass. For him to come up here means a lot. But that’s the way he is for the kids at St. Charles. He’s always there for them.”
Father Kovatch has the same admiration for Abby.
“The kids at St. Charles warm my heart every day,” he says. “They do a lot of good things, and they want to give of themselves. Abby took it to another level. She was doing something rather difficult for a 10-year-old.”
At the seven-mile mark, Father Kovatch’s calves tightened up so much that he could no longer run. He encouraged Abby and Jeff to continue without him, telling them he would try to finish the race by walking.
Abby and Jeff strode ahead, relying on the training they had done together for months, slowly building Abby’s endurance up to 10-mile runs. Sometimes colds and her asthma affected her training, but she continued to push herself, always thinking of Michelle.
She had that motivation again as she started to struggle at the 10-mile mark of the Mini-Marathon. She knew that Michelle had first been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, that the cancer had been in remission for six years and that the disease had returned with a vengeance in 2011, spreading to Michelle’s lungs, lymph nodes and skull.
“If I ever felt like my muscles were tightening up or I’d get thirsty, I’d just think of her and how she’s fighting for her life,” Abby said.
The final stretch and the long embrace
By the time Abby and her dad reached the 11-mile mark of the race, the rising heat and humidity were taking their toll on many participants. Some needed medical treatment, and others quit.
Abby noticed people grabbing their legs in pain. She kept listening to her dad’s encouragement. She kept telling herself to slow down her pace, to ignore the soreness, to focus on finishing.
Less than 200 yards from the finish line, Abby’s mother waited along the side of the course, her motherly concern growing as she heard the occasional siren of an ambulance.
Then of all the runners heading in her direction, Kerri saw Abby in her bright yellow running shorts and her hot pink shirt. Kerri began shouting, “Abby! Abby!”
Instinctively, Abby turned toward the voice of her mom, saw her in the crowd and ran toward her.
As the touching mother-and-daughter scene continued to unfold, Kerri wrapped her arms around her little girl and told her how proud she was of her.
For a moment, Abby considered just staying with her mom, savoring the comfort of her embrace after finishing the first 13 miles of the Mini-Marathon. But there was still one-tenth of a mile left in the race. Kerri told Abby to keep running.
The key to happiness
Abby and her dad finished the race together in a time of two hours and 44 minutes. The proud father hugged his daughter, and they soon headed back to meet Kerri and other supporters at nearby Military Park.
One of the people who met Abby was Michelle. Four days before the Mini-Marathon, she learned that her tumors had shrunk by 50 percent in the past few months. Now, Abby’s successful finish of the race made for an even better week for Michelle. As soon as she saw Abby, she swept her up in her arms. Their embrace was long and joyful.
“I just wanted to be here today to support Abby,” Michelle said. “She’s doing so much for me. I wanted to be here for her. She’s an amazing little girl. Don’t let her age fool you.”
Abby’s efforts raised about $5,000 in donations for Michelle’s treatments.
“Abby has discovered the source of happiness at a young age,” said Father Kovatch, who finished the race. “We are created in the image of God, and we find joy and happiness when we act like God. God doesn’t need anything so he’s a being who gives of himself for others’ benefit. Abby did what she did purely out of a desire to help someone else.”
Standing in the shade of a large tree after the race, Abby relived how it felt to reach the finish line.
“I felt relieved, I was very proud of myself and then I felt sore,” she said with a huge smile.
Only her heart was bigger. †
