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Honoring the memory of Anne Notch '97 through kids run
04/18/2009
Anne Notch during the summer of 2008. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in October 2007 and died Jan. 14 this year. The Notch family cabin was a place where she liked to relax with family and friends. She spent her last Christmas at that Park Rapids cabin. Photos courtesy of Jon Notch
by Eric Hagen - Staff writer
Anne Notch of Andover lost a battle with colon cancer Jan. 14 that had lasted over a year.
Her memory will be honored at the Colon Cancer Coalition’s fifth annual Twin Cities Get Your Rear in Gear event Sunday morning (April 19) at Southdale Center in Edina. The kids half-mile fun run is being dedicated in her name.
Her friend Lindsey Dickinson of Minneapolis said it is fitting that the kids run is dedicated to Anne because kids were central to her life. She was able to stay at home to raise her kids Natalie, 6, Sam, 4, and Christopher, 1. She was previously a sixth-grade teacher at Valley View Middle School in Bloomington.
“I have always held Anne up as a great example of what it means to be a woman, a wife and a mother,” Dickinson said.
As of April 13, Notch Your Average Cancer Fighters have 148 team members including those who are participating in the kids run or the 5K run or walk.
“It’s really exciting because it’s a reflection of Anne’s impact on people’s lives,” Dickinson said.
Anne’s Caring Bridge Web site as of April 13 has had over 154,000 visits. Some knew Anne. Others did not. What they have in common is they are thinking of the Notch family.
“It’s pretty amazing the support we’ve had from the friends and neighbors and family during the last year-and-a-half,” her husband Jon Notch said.
The Notch family last fall found out that the kids run for the April 19 Colon Cancer Coalition Get Your Rear in Gear event was going to be dedicated in Anne’s name.
“She was ecstatic that she was chosen to have the kids run in her honor,” Jon said. “Obviously at that time she hoped she could be there for it.”
Anne’s colon cancer was in the fourth stage when she was diagnosed in October 2007. She went to the emergency room at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis because of shoulder pain that kept getting worse.
She had visited several doctors before taking this step and they suggested further testing because they believed the pain was not originating from her shoulder.
An ultrasound of her liver showed lesions. A CT scan confirmed there were spots on not only her liver, but her lungs as well. Results from a biopsy showed that this was cancerous.
At the time, Anne was seven months pregnant with her and Jon’s third child. Doctors delivered Christopher on Oct. 18, 2007, seven weeks before the due date.
According to MayoClinic.com, people are more at risk of getting colon cancer if they are older than 50, are obese, have a diet low in fiber and high in calories, are inactive, smoke, drink a lot of alcohol or if members of their family have had colon cancer.
Anne did not fit into any of these categories, Jon said.
“She was always an athlete in her life,” Jon said. “She was a collegiate swimmer, swam since she was a little kid all the way through college. Even when she was pregnant with Christopher she was still swimming.”
Anne was on the swimming team at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph where she earned a business degree. She received her master’s degree in elementary education from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
She also golfed with friends, ran and loved to wakeboard at the family cabin, Jon said.
“She always watched what she ate, maintained a healthy weight,” Jon said.
It was too late for surgery to be an option, so after Christopher was born, Anne tried different chemotherapy treatments at Abbott Northwestern and the Mayo Clinic.
Dickinson said Anne was always a determined, smart and funny person. This did not change after she was diagnosed with colon cancer, but might have been amplified.
“Anyone who was witness to it was very humbled by her grace and courage and her love for her family,” Dickinson said.
Eric Hagen is at eric.hagen@ecm-inc.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Institutional Advancement
College of Saint Benedict
St. Joseph, MN 56374
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