Karate group running for cancer victim during 22nd annual Walleye 5K Run

SPRING VALLEY — Saturday at the Walleye 5K run in Spring Valley, the Starved Rock Runners will get the season underway with many runners from around the area and beyond.

There will be one familiar face back running for the first time and a few of her friends are going to be joining the race.

Jessica Sergeant will be running her first race since leaving the sport she loves so much to deal with a rare type of bone cancer last June.

Sergeant used to be part of the Morse School of Isshinryu Karate (MSOI) and made more than a few great friends while she was there.

“Jessica really loves to run,” current MSOI student and friend Tracey Carriere said. “She left because she wanted to concentrate on running, but last June she was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer. Saturday Jessica will be back running for the first time since she was diagnosed and we have raised money for the American Cancer Society and about six of us from the MSOI are going to run with her.”

The MSOI group has raised more than $600 and are hoping that the money will help find cure for this and many other forms of cancer that many families have dealt with.

“I think at some point we have all dealt with a family and/or friend that has had cancer,” Carriere said. “We just want to show her how much we love her and how happy we are to see her back running.”

The road back to the 5K racing circuit was not an easy one for Sergeant as chemo was just part of the process on the road to recovery.

Sergeant was forced to quit running while undergoing surgery and treatment. When the time came, a major surgery was needed.

Doctors removed Sergeant’s jaw and replaced it with a bone out of her lower leg. Carriere says that she got a call in December that Sergeant had just completed her last chemo treatment and was going to start training for races again.

“Not only do we want to honor those we have lost, but celebrate those that have won their battle with cancer as well,” Carriere said. At the end of the race we will be presenting the contributions, along with Jessica to the American Cancer Society.”

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