11th Hour Racing's Will Craig
Husband/Father/Warrior
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| Will Craig at home, with his wife Brittany Slaughter and sons Ian Elliott (right) and Fox (middle).
By Nicholas Malfitano
Will resides in North Philadelphia with his wife of six years, Brittany Slaughter, and children, 12 year-old Ian Elliott and 5 year-old Fox. “I worked at Drexel University as a security officer, I did mobile security,” Will said. “I drove around the campus making sure everything is OK, checking for lost items or if people are hurt, or for someone who needs help.” Will added he soon plans to transition into another career as a corrections officer, after completing future training in Philadelphia – a professional pursuit slowed only by his learning of his cancer diagnosis, just under one year ago. “It’s Stage III colon cancer. I went in for a routine check-up in February for my asthma. It was my wife who let the doctor know that I was very cold, because I don’t go to the doctor very often,” Will explained. Will ascribed this aversion of doctors and hospitals to suffering the loss of his brother at age 17, followed by the passing of his mother when he was 20. “We got blood work done and the results came back, which said I was extremely anemic. I got a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, and that’s when they noticed I had polyps. From there, I met Dr. Benjamin Philips [of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital], and he is the one who removed my colon [in May]. It was like a week-long process of being in the hospital,” Will recalled. Will said at that time he had never undergone surgery before, and experienced complications during the procedure; something he described as both “scary” and “painful”. About a month later, Will said his doctors had examined his colon and told him that his cancer, which they initially believed had been caught early, was instead at Stage III. This urgency caused Will to begin chemotherapy treatments with Dr. Michael Ramirez at Methodist Hospital in June. “I used to go to chemotherapy with my mom [during her illness]. So, I was kind of freaked out at first about the whole process. But once I got started, it was good. The nurses were very nice, the doctors were very sweet. They really took care of me,” Will stated.
Will explained how from there, he was put in touch with Jodi Sandos of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. From that connection, Will was introduced to 11th Hour Racing and its founder Mike Rowe, in mid-to-late July.
“They asked me about my family,” Will said. “They’ve been helping me, helping us, ever since. With support, financial, emotional, everything.” Will said he and his family handled the difficulties resulting from his diagnosis the best that they could on their own prior to 11th Hour Racing’s intervention, but making ends meet proved to be a challenge. “We didn’t have anyone to lean on. We sat down with Mike and he was telling us about the program with 11th Hour Racing, and how they had helped a lot of families,” Will said. At that meeting, Will remembers his 5 year-old son Fox drew Mike a picture of a pink bunny, with his own name next to it. In the coming weeks, Will spoke of many benefit events 11th Hour Racing conducted, in an effort to help him and his family with the new burdens they found themselves faced with. “The biggest stress for me was financial. They helped with all of that. The bills, the rent, gas. They also helped with the kids, for food and for their uniforms. They helped with Christmas. We had a great Christmas because of them.” Will explained the organization secured tickets for he and his family to see “Disney On Ice” at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia, a show which he said he and his family enjoyed greatly.
A recent change in circumstances necessitated Will and his family to secure new housing. With the aid of approximately 10 volunteers from 11th Hour Racing, CoreFitness and Torresdale Beer Runners, Will said he and his family’s recent change of address went “very fast” despite moving the entirety of their house in the process.
“We got in and got out. It was really quick, maybe an hour and a half to two hours, tops,” Will said. After the move, the organization’s volunteers, plus Will and his family, enjoyed a cookout together and mutually relaxed after the relocation. As far as his medical prognosis, Will explained he was feeling “much better” as of late, and is due to attend a cancer assessment check-up this month. The first of many as it were, since Will must receive regular examinations twice a year for the rest of his life, in addition to an annual colonoscopy. However, Will was happy to share the news that he recently completed his chemotherapy on Dec. 1. Furthermore, Will stated though he has never been a runner before in his life, another goal in his battle is to recover enough physically to one day run with 11th Hour Racing. “I’m trying to get myself together so I can go out there with them,” Will said, who complimented the organization on their dedication to its mission of assisting cancer patients and their families. Will concluded by offering a special note of tribute and gratitude to his wife, Brittany.
“She took a lot on from this, she had to take everything on herself. From helping me with my appointments and getting me to my appointments. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t even be here. She’s been one of my biggest supports throughout this whole process, taking care of me and being there for whatever I need,” Will said.
Runners, this is a call to action! If you would like to directly support 11th Hour Racing and enjoy a great race through one of the oldest and most storied university campuses in the country in the process, sign up for the Rutgers University Unite Half Marathon! The race takes place at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey on April 9.
For all registered runners, regardless of individual or team participation, free bus transportation will be provided to and from the race. The bus will pick up all runners in front of City Tap House in Logan Square at 5:30 a.m. on race day. In addition, City Tap House is hosting the race after-party upon runners returning to Philadelphia, featuring happy hour-priced drinks. A cover charge of $10 at the door will be directly donated to 11th Hour Racing! More information may be found on the race's Facebook page, and please confirm your attendance on 11th Hour Racing's Facebook event page for the race.
11th Hour exists because no family should endure the added burden of financial hardship while they are fighting cancer. We seek to lessen or even eliminate these burdens, so patients may focus on recovery, and their families on spending time with their loved ones.
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