Scott Smith gave up running when his then-five-year-old daughter Brenn was diagnosed with leukemia and he and his family moved to Vancouver for seven months while she received treatments and chemotherapy.
"Surprised is one way of putting it, you never expect that," said Smith about the May 2010 diagnosis. "All of her issues that she had ongoing six months prior to being diagnosed could be very explainable as growing pains, being in kindergarten and being out with other kids [where germs are easily transferred].
"We only knew a couple of days before that there was something [really] wrong," he added. "When we found out it was leukemia, well, we didn't really know what leukemia was - we knew that it was cancer, but other than that we didn't know anything about it. It was absolutely shocking, heart-wrenching."
Smith returns to Vancouver next month where he'll compete at the BMO Vancouver Marathon, May 5, as a duel marathoner and fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House in Vancouver, where the family lived during Brenn's illness, through its Run for Hope program.
"We've been looking for ways to give back to Ronald McDonald House for a while now," said Smith. "Last year was Ronald McDonald's first year in raising money through Run for Hope at the Vancouver Marathon. We weren't ready last year so this was the year for sure."
Ronald McDonald House is a place where out-of-town families can stay when a member is going through illness and find support from other families in similar circumstances.
Brenn completed her chemotherapy treatments in August 2012, but won't be cancer-free until she's 12 years old and will need regular blood tests until she's 18.
"We're still in the scared part for a relapse, hopefully in a year we'll be better," said mom Christine.
With Brenn on the road to recovery, Smith decided it was time to return to the road himself.
"I've always been a runner, it's always been part of who I am," said Smith.
Before his daughter's illness, Smith had completed several half marathons and two at 42 kilometres, the BMO Vancouver and Victoria Times Colonist marathons.
"Once we finished off with the cancer life, kind of, we all started to process what had happened in the last two and a half years and I started to get back into running," said the 35-year-old. "It really does mentally help you. It just helps me think about it and deal with it on my own and then I can talk about it. Running for me is kind of a release.
"It's been hard to get over not wanting to leave my family to do that for myself for the last few years," he added.
When he ran in the past, Smith stuck to a strict schedule, always trying to reduce his time. Christine said her husband has changed.
"Even your training is totally different," she said. "We were married when he was doing his other marathons and half marathons and Scott was very regimented. He was very controlled and competitive. Now he hasn't worn a watch once. He'll map out his route on the computer, just so I know where he's going in case a bear jumps out at him."
Smith concurred with his wife that his motivation is different now.
"I've really stripped down my running," said Smith. "I still am very competitive but right now I'm more focused on raising money then the actual race. Yeah I'm going to complete the distance, whatever, but I have stopped doing the whole, 'I'm going to run a four minute, 30 second kilometre right now.'
"I run more by feel now then I ever have and it's great, it's kind of enlightening," he added. "I got rid of all that external crap and now it's just about the running and thinking."
Even though Brenn is technically still sick she has followed her dad's lead and joined the relay team at Cedars Christian school. She says she'd like to run a marathon alongside her dad one day.
"I think she's incredibly strong and somebody who can inspire a lot of people," said Smith. "She doesn't let anything affect her. She gets embarrassed by stuff sometimes but it doesn't affect her for more than a couple of minutes. She's so grown up. She's a really remarkable girl."
When the family returns to Vancouver for checkups for Brenn they return to Ronald McDonald House where Brenn has taken it upon herself to comfort other kids and families that are going through the same things that she did.
"Watching her help other kids now is pretty spectacular," said Smith.
The Smith family has a fundraiser, The Four Walls Funktion, planned for tonight, 8:30 p.m. to close, at Nancy O's, with a DJ and drink and food specials all night. The $5 cover charge and the proceeds from the specials will go to support Ronald McDonald House. Smith is attempting to raise $1,000 for Run for Hope.
"Ronald McDonald House has been a huge support for us and we're now in a place where we'd like to help support other families who are going through similar problems," said Smith.
