You’ve seen her in the hallway: walkie-talkie in hand, smile on her face, and tennis shoes on her feet.

You’ve seen her at the track: whistle in her mouth, words of encouragement on her lips, and track shoes on her feet.

Brenda Shawgo, Normal West safety monitor and assistant girls track coach, is a familiar face to most Normal West students and staff.

And although we know her as someone who helps keep the hallways safe and her athletes in shape, what you might not have known is that she also has a very important hobby.

Shawgo is a runner.

But she’s not just any runner…she’s a St. Jude runner.

St. Jude Children’s Hospital is a pediatric treatment center focused on curing cancer and other diseases.

St. Jude receives large donations toward treatments, housing, food, or travel.

One of the landmarks of this hospital is that it is know to help children feel a sense of comfort and security while receiving the support that they need.

In addition to providing top-notch treatment, the hospital also eases families from the financial struggle of medical bills, as the organization pays for anything insurance doesn’t cover through donations.

Not only does St. Jude provide free hospital stays for children, but it also arranges families with free housing and services so they can be as close to their child as possible.

It is for all of these reasons that many people across the nation line up to help raise funding for this tremendous cause.

One of those people that line up each year is Brenda Shawgo.

“Not only do they treat the patient, but they’re doing all this research. The best [scientists] in the world work there; these scientists are finding cures, and they’re not saving it in a jar just for St. Jude Hospital. They give those recipes to all the hospitals in the world and say, ‘ if this certain cure worked for this certain genetic [disease], we’re going to share it with you, we’re going to save everybody we can,’” Shawgo explained.

According to Shawgo, St. Jude scientists have been working consistently on a new project called the “Geno Project,” which means that they can slightly tweak each child’s genetics and give them different treatments according to these genetics.

This is a remarkable discovery that can help children with various illnesses.

Shawgo has been a runner for a long time, but she has not always run in the local St. Jude race.

“I knew about [the St. Jude Run], and I just never really thought about it until a little boy in my neighborhood was diagnosed with cancer and they sent him to St. Jude… His mother knew I was a runner, and she approached me one day and said, ‘Why don’t you do the run for St. Jude?’ And so that’s how I got started, kind of in his honor. His name is Kyle; He’s a success story,” Shawgo stated.

Shawgo wants students and others to know that she isn’t just a safety monitor walking the walls of Normal West.

Instead, she wishes to be known as a runner who races for the lives of young, sick children.

“I don’t think a lot of students here know what I really do…other than walk around the halls and be a safety monitor. I think if they really knew what a difference I’m trying to make in people’s lives, that maybe they would change their perception about me a little bit,” Shawgo expressed.

What it takes to run the race

While the run itself lasts four days, preparation begins months earlier, as participants meet monthly.

Shawgo, in particular, runs from Memphis to Peoria.

This year, Shawgo and crew will begin their travels on July 28 and will return on Aug. 1.

As a runner, Shawgo expresses that the race is not just a run: “it’s a fundraising mission, so I train for it, but yet, it’s much more than just going out and putting on running shoes and training for it.

“People don’t realize we run for four days straight-all-day-and-night…” Shawgo shared.

The St. Jude campus is much bigger than the hospital, so another memorable part of the experience is

getting to explore the success of their previous runs.

“We get to see where our money went from last year. The doctors come and talk to us; researchers come and talk to us. It’s more [like] ‘hey, you’re making a difference,’ [and] they actually tell us like how many lives were saved and how their research is going. [They explain] what new machines they can purchase and how their campus is constantly growing,” Shawgo added.

Shawgo shares her emotions by explaining the emotional ride that they face while running.

“…It’s very emotional, all the staff and the patients that are able to come out and cheer us on… I get emotional because there are little kids involved, and they don’t always make it,’ Shawgo stated.

However, through her emotions, Shawgo knows the race’s worth and battles for the children of St. Jude.

“For me to get some blisters on my feet and to battle the heat and the lack of sleep is nothing compared to what [the kids] go through,” Shawgo stated.

“It’s an emotional journey. Between every segment, we pray for different patients that are currently in treatment. We pray for those we’ve lost. The really cool thing about it is [how] it’s become a full circle now [and] that we have survivors that are now runners,” Shawgo shared.

Shawgo shares that the race’s biggest goal is to raise more money every year.

Last year, the Memphis to Peoria run raised 1,557,000, and the combined runs raised $6,508,376.

More than a race

This year is St. Jude’s 45th anniversary, and Mike McCoy, Founder of the St. Jude Run, still makes an effort to run with them each year.

“He still runs with us. So he’s been doing this for 45 years. And the reason it even started in the beginning was [because] he and one of his running buddies were approached by the mayor of Peoria…” Shawgo shared.

Just like McCoy’s situation that keeps bringing him back, the St. Jude Run comes with many memories that stem from motivation for all of the runners.

In fact, each runner has a different reason for their participation, which is what makes the run so special.

“…We’re with ten different people that are running for ten different reasons. And some of the parents that have lost children run with us, because they want to get back too. And so we hear success stories; we hear heartache; I mean, It’s just a lot,” Shawgo expressed.

And when they reach the finish line, each of the runners can look back and see how great of an impact that they are having.

The Normal West connection

While Shawgo is the only staff member at West who does the full run that she knows of, West stillexpresses its support for Shawgo and the St. Jude run.

“I think if you look at [how cancer affects] either themselves or like someone they know, having that connection and support and people, like Shawgo, that are willing to raise money and then run. That’s amazing to be able to do that for the cause, which affects a lot of people,” Angie Codron, Normal West’s principal, explained.

Not only is Shawgo supporting kids all over America, but also West students.

Prince Ingram, a West student, is a former patient of St. Jude for a non-cancer-related diagnosis.

Despite the hardships of his health, he continues to be joyful.

“Prince has had a lot of medical challenges during his lifetime. These challenges have impacted his schooling, due to missed time for hospital stays and recovery; however, Prince is friendly, eager to learn new skills, and try new things,” Heather Lueschen, West’s special education teacher, explained.

Ingram enjoys art, and Lueschen describes him as outgoing, funny, endearing. He’s someone who makes friends easily.

“If you were to meet Prince and not know his medical background, you would meet an easy-going freshman who is enjoying high school,” Lueschen stated.

How you can help

The St. Jude run is a run that increases the awareness to St. Jude and its research.

It’s also a run that brings people together to support a great cause because they love running.

And Shawgo is not just a safety monitor or an assistant track coach; she is a runner with a plan to save children’s lives.

But even more than a runner, Shawgo saves lives.

“So to say, I’m just a runner, no, you’re not a runner, you’re making a difference. You’re someone who makes a difference in a child’s life because we are saving lives…” Shawgo added.

All who help fundraise and who have been directly or indirectly impacted by St. Jude’s incredible work want to see more local participants to be part of the St. Jude run.

Anyone over the age of 16 is eligible to run with parent/guardian permission.

You can also participate without parent/guardian permission at the age of 18.

Our community can also help The St. Jude run by donating to them.

If you’d like to help Coach Shawgo raise money for this tremendous cause, please visit the following link: http://fundraising.stjude.org/goto/Bshawgo