Kickin’ It With Kellan Grant: An Inspiring Walk for a Cure

Kickin’ It With Kellan Grant: An Inspiring Walk for a Cure

Every time a CHS student steps foot into the school office, they are immediately greeted with a friendly ‘hello.” Often times this greeting is accompanied with a welcoming smile. Sometimes, this smile is able to brighten a terrible day. It has had that kind of effect on me various times before. However, many students do not know the wonderful lady behind that smile. So, here is a little bit about CHS’s very own receptionist, Arcie Hadfield, specifically about her most recent accomplishment
of placing fifth out of 5,000 in the AVON Walk For Breast Cancer. I hope that maybe by the end of this column, you may be inspired to live your life to the fullest, because I definitely have.

In December 2012, Hadfield was diagnosed with stage three, nearly stage four, breast cancer, something that has affected her and the way she has lived her life ever since. Initially, she was filled with fear, and a lot of questions. She was not sure if she was going to make it or if her life was even worth fighting for at that point. However, after a short amount of time, Hadfield decided that it was time to appreciate the things that she had, and to not take anything for granted.

“You just never know when it is going to be your turn,” Hadfield said. “I try to live everyday to the fullest.”

This past April, Hadfield saw a commercial advertising the AVON 39 Walk for Breast Cancer, taking place on Sept. 10 through 11 in Santa Barbara. She had doubts whether or not her body would be strong enough to finish the walk, but she decide to try it out anyway. Since then and up until the walk, Hadfield trained to make sure that she would perform at her best. She started out small with just three miles every training session, but eventually worked her way up to 15 miles. By the weekend of the walk, Hadfield was ready to do her best and raise as much money as possible for breast cancer research.

It just so happens that on the weekend of the walk, the CHS Water Polo team was also in Santa Barbara for a tournament of their own. In between games on Sept. 10, they waited for Hadfield at a designated cheering spot and were able to cheer her
on during the walk. The team was wearing the pink breast cancer awareness shirts that are being sold this month to raise money that will be donated to breast cancer awareness research.

“[After seeing the Water Polo Team there] I wanted to cry, and I wanted to hug and kiss everybody,” Hadfield said. “[It was motivating] to see someone that I knew go through the struggle of finding me.”

By the end of the race, Hadfield accomplished something that she never thought she could achieve. She finished fifth out of 5,000 people, and had raised $3,484.40 to donate to research for a cure.

Hadfield has been an inspiration to me for as long as I have known her, and I hope that, maybe, after reading this, she has become an inspiration to you as well.