A joyful return for Ashley Runion

The booth along the back aisle at Glory Days Grill in Sterling is a hot commodity. For one thing, it is just secluded enough from the main floor for a group of teenage girls to laugh and gossip with-out being overheard.

Yet the real attraction is Ashley Runion.

She occupies a seat right against the wall and each arriving member of the Vienna Stars softball team wants to share it with her.

"They know that every minute they get to spend with her is a special thing," coach Kim Fogel said.

Late afternoon gatherings like this one used to take place in a hospital ward, so chatting over grilled chicken salad is a welcome retreat.

Now that Runion is healthy enough to play softball again and her acute myeloid leukemia is in remission following five rounds of chemotherapy treatment, the Stars have something to cele-brate.

"She's really funny and fun to be around," teammate Megan Avakian said. "I'm so excited that she's back on the team.

"When I first found out that she had leukemia, I was scared. I've never known any-one who had that before."

Fifteen months ago, Runion didn't know much about cancer, either.

She'd just turned 15 and wrapped up her first year in Osbourn Park High School's biotech program. The entire summer was in front of her and that meant playing in a softball tour-nament virtually every weekend.

It never crossed her mind that she'd spend 165 days in the Fairfax Hospital Chil-dren's Center fighting for her life.

"We nearly lost her a couple of times," her mother, Shelly, said. "A year ago it was just normal for us to be with the team every weekend, but when she was diagnosed last June, it changed everything."

'She had to grow up way too fast'

There is no such thing as a bad hair day anymore.

Ashley doesn't concern herself with such trivial matters. For two weeks following her final chemotherapy treatment, she couldn't even walk while her immune system tried to fight off a serious blood infection.

And, last spring, she developed a rash of shingles that required prescription pain medication.

"I feel like she had to grow up way too fast," Shelly said. "With the type of leu-kemia she has, they have to go at it really aggressively."

The side effects can often be severe.

When her blood pressure dropped dangerously low last December, nearly a dozen doctors and nurses rushed to Ashley's bedside in an effort to stabilize her.

Even now, with her cancer in remission since July, there is serious concern if she comes down with a fever.

"We don't take anything for granted," Shelly said. "We were told with Ashley's AML that there is a 50 percent cure rate. It's much harder to cure than childhood leukemia."

Ashley is aware of the statistics.

In recent weeks, two of the cancer patients that she befriended at Fairfax Hospital have experi-enced reoccurences. So she takes advantage of any opportunity to hang out with her team-mates.

"I think I'm pretty much the same person, but I'm more aware that things can happen at any time," Ashley said. "You think that stuff won't happen to you, but it could."

The early signs

A bone marrow biopsy wasn't part of her summer plans.

But the early symptoms of her illness -- stomach aches, random fevers, fatigue and bruising -- were alarming enough that doctors sought out additional tests.

"I knew something wasn't right," Shelly, said.

Ashley did, too.

The ball wasn't jumping off her bat the way it once did and she could barely make it to first base without running out of breath.

Other subtle signs were evident as well

"When things started getting tough for her, she wasn't herself. She wasn't the girl who made everybody laugh," Fogel said. "At practice, everyone always wants to be partnered with Ashley because she makes everybody crack up.

"Everybody is different and has their own interests, but she is socially connected to every player on the team in some fashion. So when this happened to her, they immediately wanted to do something."

The Vienna Stars decided the best way to honor Runion was to keep on playing even if she couldn't. They scribbled her uniform number -- 2 -- on their shoulders with Sharpie markers and won the 14U ASA state tournament.

"They went out and were phenomenal. They won it for her," Fogel said.

Helping others

When they weren't on the field, players from her travel and high school teams took turns visiting Runion at the hospital -- organizing games and accompanying her on walks around the children's center.

The Stars wore matching practice T-shirts with No. 2 on the back and even represented her at the annual "Light the Night" walk sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Soci-ety.

At this year's walk in Reston, Runion will join them -- serving as team captain for "The Conquer Crew."

Her goal is to raise $5,000.

Runion is also making plans to host Halloween and Christmas parties for the children at Fairfax Hospital and hopes to one day serve as a volunteer at the "Give Kids the World" village in Disney World, where she stayed last April during a trip sponsored by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

"They just want to make you happy. That's why they are down there," she said. "It would be fun to go back. I had such a good time and I want to make sure other kids have a good time when they go."

Getting back into the game

She carries that same philosophy with her to the softball diamond.

When Runion returned to the Stars dugout for the first time in 12 months on June 6, it was almost as if she'd never left.

Her laughter has a way of uniting and energizing an entire team the way nothing else can.

"It makes them so happy to see her out there," Fogel said. "She got an at-bat and she struck out, but it was the best strikeout ever."

Last month, Runion pitched two innings during a scrimmage at George Mason University's summer camp and now she is eager to get into the batter's box again.

"I really want to get a hit. I haven't gotten one yet," she said. "I'm not where I used to be, so I still get a little nervous."

But her anxiety rarely lasts very long, not when she has so many friends eager to help her suc-ceed.

For Runion, every new adventure is something to cherish -- whether it's a dinner party with teammates or the start of 11th grade.

"I'm actually really looking forward to school because I haven't been there forever," she said. "I hope I don't get lost."

IF YOU WANT TO HELP

To help Ashley reach her goal of raising $5,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, make a donation by linking to her Light the Night page at: http://pages.lightthenight.org/nca/NorthVA09/arunion or join her team by visiting http://pages.lightthenight.org/nca/NorthVA09/TheConquerCrew