Helene Neville of Henderson preps for final marathon run around U.S. perimeter

Helene Neville

Four-time cancer survivor Helene Neville of Henderson has battled three brain surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation. Yet incredibly she is about to embark on the biggest challenge of her amazing life. This is an extraordinary story of courage and bravery.

In just two weeks, the 54-year-old nurse, grandmother and health activist will set out on a run from the eastern tip of the United States on May 1 at St. Stephen, New Brunswick, on the U.S.-Canadian border and 127 days later, on Sept. 5, wind up on the country’s western tip in Ocean Shores, Wash.

She’s assured me that she will complete the task at an approximate rate of 25 miles or so each day to cover the 3,680-mile journey. Here’s a YouTube of her earlier run finishing in Florida:

We have reported her success in running three earlier legs of the U.S. perimeter: the 2,520 miles in 93 days from California to Florida on a southern route; the second run of 1,560 miles from Vancouver, B.C., to Tijuana in 2013; and the third transcontinental jog from Marathon, Fla., to Portland, Maine, over 1,860 miles in 67 days.

Individually, they are remarkable undertakings. Collectively, they are an extraordinary and epic achievement. Now comes the toughest and biggest of them all to complete the full circle. She will become the first nurse and cancer survivor to complete the perimeter run. Only three others have achieved it.

Her two-feet journey will have taken her 9,587 miles through 37 states and Washington, D.C. You can study the amazing accomplishment on her website at OneOnTheRun.com

Helene’s farewell send-off party will be a running affair this Saturday at 2 p.m. at Boca Park. I’ve agreed to serve as MC for the festivities, which include a Zumba workout and dancer Jennifer Romas with her “Sexxy” showgirls from Westgate Las Vegas. The Zumba class will merge music and movement with more than 300 people taking part as Helene leads pied-piper style an uplifting run around the shopping mall.

She runs for nurses and causes with the Mary Ellen Rouse Neifert Memorial Fund for the St. Francis School as the beneficiary of the perimeter run. She carries with her in her survival backpack the ashes of her deceased brother. He was an accomplished guitarist, and she plans to spread some at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as she loops through Cleveland.

During the run, she also shares her spellbinding story at hospitals, schools, cancer centers, fire departments and military bases. This transcontinental athlete also raises money for Nevada nursing student scholarships.

“My run is not to realize my own dream but to inspire others to realize theirs and rethink the impossible,” she said. “Life only happens once, so why keep the best for last when we don’t know when last will come?”

The run is beyond athletic achievement but a reflection of human spirit. She’s already demonstrated her courage and strength in overcoming her battles with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma abscessed in her brain and T-Cell Lymphoma and the three prior legs of the run. Now she sets out on the toughest final portion, and the entire project remains a grass-roots effort.

Team Helene, made up of family and friends, leaves her to run solo with the loneliness of a long-distance runner, but a battered car with a supporter or two sets off with her every morning to seek where she’ll stay that night, either a cheap motel or as a guest in someone’s home en route. Donations can be made via PayPal to her website. She needs your support to help defray costs associated with the journey.

Helene has written three books chronicling not only her running journey but also her life’s journey and medical battles. The first was “Nurses in Shape” in 2009, followed by “On the Run: 93 Days Across America” in 2012. Her third book, “Border to Border,” will be published in May while she’s running.

“The inspiration and generosity of the people I’ve met in small towns and urban hubs have become the foundation of the book series, which thanks ordinary Americans for their love and support,” she said.

Once the May 1 run begins, Helene will have 3,680 miles and 13 states remaining to complete her record-making 9,587-mile perimeter run. Wish her well at her sendoff Saturday, then be ready to welcome her back home in the fall as she continues the work of the Healthy Nurse Conference here in Las Vegas.

On June 1, Helene will run from Westfield, N.Y., to Erie, Pa. By July 1, she will have arrived in Adel, Iowa, and will celebrate the Fourth of July in Harlan. By Aug. 1, she plans to reach Billings, Mont., and Sept. 1 will be in Lacey, Wash., ending it all 48 hours ahead of Labor Day in Ocean Shores on Sept. 5.

We wish her the best of luck and rest easy knowing that her determination will pull off this miracle.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past 15 years giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Sun A&E Senior Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.