Beaver Falls leukemia survivor running for a cause in half-marathon

April 26--Training for the half-marathon is a physical challenge. Unless, of course, you're Renee Minnemeyer-Climo, referred to as the "miracle child."

"There are days I don't want to get on the treadmill or go out and run. But it's a cakewalk to run 13.1 miles versus going through the excruciating treatments I've gone through," said Minnemeyer-Climo, a leukemia survivor who will make her Pittsburgh Marathon debut May 3.

"They found that people who went through leukemia, there's almost always a second cancer," she said. "Thankfully, I haven't gotten that second cancer yet, and I hope I never get it. Although there's relief that I hit this remission stage, there's never really true relief. I doubt that I'll ever be 'normal.' "

Minnemeyer-Climo, 42, overcame insurmountable odds. Her reality tugs at her daily.

"They don't use the word 'cure' with leukemia," she said. "I was not supposed to survive. I run in honor of those who have fought (cancer), whether they won or lost their battle and for their family members and caregivers. It's a motivation to bring attention to what I've gone through and what other people have gone through.

"I will always become tired more quickly, sick more easily, worried more often. Is it a headache. Is it a brain tumor? Am I getting the flu, or something else?"

Twenty-nine years ago, Minnemeyer-Climo, then 13, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a rare form of cancer. According to statistics from the National Cancer Institute, the five-year survival rate for that form of leukemia is about 25 percent.

She spent four consecutive months at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and underwent two years of chemotherapy, often unable to eat. Experimental chemo treatments including the powerful drug Amphotericin B resulted in emergency surgery to remove a fungal infection known as aspergillus from her brain. The surgery led to the loss of her peripheral vision ("I can no longer see to my left from either eye," she said) along with the ability to drive a car, but it saved her life.

"Renee is my miracle child," said Cheryl Homich-Majewski, an RN who treated Minnemeyer-Climo in the hospital. The plucky teenager had such a profound effect on Homich-Majewski that she still remembers her patient's room number.

"Room 8759," said Homich-Majewski, a registered nurse for 35 years. "Her room was the closest to the teen lounge, which had a pool table and other things for kids to do, but she could never use it because she was always sick. AML leukemia is hard to treat to begin with and she had complications up the wazoo. I remember taking care of her thinking, 'This poor girl.' She would get sores, and we had to treat her for that with medicine, too. She would have reactions and we'd give her IVs. It was really bad. We didn't think she was going to make it."

"I threw up for hours on end," Minnemeyer-Climo said. "I couldn't eat. I couldn't keep anything down. I remember after the surgery ... they had to cut out a piece of my brain. After brain surgery, your face becomes disfigured. They took all the mirrors away. I went to the bathroom and looked on the side of the towel dispenser. It was bad. But to be honest, I was too sick to care."

Shaped by such life-altering experiences, the diminutive Minnemeyer-Climo (5-foot, 90 pounds) is running the half-marathon in memory of her parents, Joanne and Bob Minnemeyer, who died from leukemia in 2007 and 2009, respectively, and friend Dianne Sarver, who ran the half-marathon a year ago to honor Minnemeyer-Climo's recovery.

"Dianne ran in memory of her father, who passed away from cancer, and in honor of me," Minnemeyer-Climo said. "I thought if she can do this for me, why can't I do this for myself?

"When I was diagnosed with leukemia, I spent four months straight in Children's Hospital without coming home. My mother quit her job. She stayed with me Monday through Friday. And either my dad or my sister (Lisa Eross) who lived in Virginia at the time stayed with me on the weekend. Frank's Pizzeria, the local pizza shop in Ambridge, knew we were struggling financially and never had us pay for pizza. There were a lot of people that would constantly help. It meant so much."

"Both of our families attended the same church," said Bobby Aloe, who with brother Sal operates Frank's Pizzeria, named for his late father. "They had the expense of Renee being in the hospital. My dad wanted to help."

Minnemeyer-Climo never forgot those acts of kindness. Running in the half-marathon is one way of giving back. As of Wednesday, she had received donations totaling more than $1,900 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Minnemeyer-Climo overcame leukemia to lead a productive life. She's been married 20 years to Chad Climo, her high school sweetheart. She operates a travel agency from her home in White Township (Beaver Falls), where she has trained 50 consecutive weeks for the half-marathon.

Last week, Minnemeyer-Climo averaged 11 minutes per mile at a 5K run in Ambridge. A few weeks earlier, she ran a half-marathon on her treadmill in 2 hours, 39 minutes.

"I just wanted to finish under three hours," Minnemeyer-Climo said. "That's my goal."

"Renee texted me a couple months ago and said, 'Do you think I can do this?' " said Sarver, who will run the half-marathon with Minnemeyer-Climo and four other friends.

"I told her there's no doubt in my mind. Renee is determined."

"I didn't make that commitment right away. I wanted to see how much I could run," Minnemeyer-Climo said. "Once you sign up, you're compelled to do it. There's no turning back."

John Harris is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jharris@tribweb.com or via Twitter @jharris_trib.

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