Running Free: My Sister Shawn

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

My Sister Shawn

Shawn is my younger sister. She is 2 years younger than me and lives about 2 miles from our house. She is an artist, and unlike me, is very creative. She can draw like nobody's business, and she is quite the home decorator. She is in a constant state of redesigning her home. Every time I visit, she has new color on her walls, or a new plant or tree in her yard. I wish I was as talented as Shawn is. She inherited her creative abilities from both my Mom and my Dad. I, on the other hand, got the gift of gab. Go figure.

Shawn has lot's of friends and loves to travel. She is also really good with managing her money. I'm not sure where she got that trait from. That is not a trait I even came close to getting. As I have mentioned in this blog before, I spend everything I have and then more. Shawn is also a great writer and you will enjoy her blog because she always has something funny to say.

I don't know if any of you remember the DeFranco family, but they were a singing group when I was a teenager. My sister just loved Tony DeFranco and once while traveling with our family across the U.S. and Canada, she insisted that we take a drive 150+ miles out of our way to drive past their home in Canada!! Well, to make a very LONG story short, we found their home and we actually went up to the door and knocked. The DeFranco's dad was there preparing their home to sell and let us come in and take a tour. Believe it or not, somewhere, we have a picture of my sister Shawn sitting on their toilet. She wanted to get their kooties or something like that. I still laugh when I think back on that trip.

I am lucky to have a sister like Shawn. I know that I can count on her and she is always available to help me with this blog. She is great with computers and tivo's and everything mechanical and she can even fix things that are broken in her home. I am not able to do any of those things. Sometimes, I pretend to be good at mechanical things, and people who don't know me might think I am creative. Do I look creative? I think not. Shawn is an artist, writer and story teller, I am an athlete who can skin a snake, climb mountains, and has dreams of exploring Africa. I asked Matt what creative abilities I possess. He thought long and hard and finally came up with....."you make people smile." Hah!! Oh well, I know he loves me very much. With or without any real creative traits.

2 comments:

Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...: Kelly Said:I am lucky to have a sister like Shawn.
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Yes u are, I went over to her blog and she is funny and does support u a lt, very cool!; July 18, 2007 at 8:36 PM
kelly said...: Thanks, Bob for checking out Shawns blog. She's pretty funny!; July 19, 2007 at 9:38 AM

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Not Even Lupus Can Slow Ridgway

NOT EVEN LUPUS CAN SLOW RIDGWAY Published on June 26, 2004 © 2004- The Press Democrat BYLINE: BRUCE MEADOWS Three years ago when she was diagnosed with lupus, Kelly Ridgway didn't take much time plotting her course. ``I figured I could lay on the couch and be a drug-seeker for pain or I could choose to be as healthy as I can be,'' said Ridgway, 46, an outpatient surgery nurse at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Ridgway, defying the odds, is entered in the Western States 100 Endurance Run, which starts at the base of Squaw Valley at 5 this morning and ends 100 miles away in Auburn. ``I see people at the hospital in horrible shape because of lupus, but I realized I had a choice how to deal with it,'' Ridgway said. Lupus is a chronic auto-immune disease affecting mainly women. The immune system attacks the body's own tissues as a foreign substance, producing antibodies to fight it. The cause of the disease is unknown although research has shown it occurs when a specific set of susceptible genes is exposed to a combination of environmental factors such as infectious agents, certain drugs, excessive ultraviolet light, physical trauma or emotional stress. Ridgway said she has been a ``serious runner'' for 14 years and has also competed in 50- and 100-mile events on horseback. She started running to get in shape after the last of her three children -- Caleb (18), Chelsea (16) and Courtney (14) -- were born. ``I've found I really love ultras,'' said Ridgway, a single mother who graduated from Montgomery High, then earned a nursing degree from Santa Rosa JC. Dr. Lisa Kremer, Ridgway's rheumatologist said, fatigue is the most universal symptom of lupus. ``For somebody to run 100 miles with an auto-immune disease is incredible.'' Ridgway first experienced flu-like symptoms, then fatigue. ``But when I started having problems with cognitive stuff, I knew there was something more to it.'' She was having trouble doing simple math or even finding her way around town. ``I thought of all sorts of things, including a brain tumor,'' said Ridgway. Ridgway has been training with Santa Rosan Karen Hanke, 42, and Suzanna Bon, 39 of Sonoma. This is the second Western States for Hanke, who finished last year in 29 hours, 47 minutes, running the last 70 miles on severely blistered feet. It is the first Western States for Ridgway and Bon. Because of the glut of applicants -- more than 1,000 annually apply for 400 spots -- runners must not only qualify with an acceptable 50-mile run time but also get lucky by having their name drawn by lot. Bon, whose goal is ``just to finish although I'd love to do it in under 24 hours,'' is impressed with Ridgway's effort. ``Kelly is strong and smart about training,'' said Bon. ``We'll run at our own pace this weekend, not together, but we want to do the best we can.'' Ridgway sees herself as a runner who happens to have lupus. ``My case is relatively minor and medication has really helped,'' said Ridgway, who logs 75 miles a week. ``But I don't know anybody with lupus who runs as much as I do.'' She has bouts of fatigue and deals with them. ``There are days I am really tired and need to come home and rest for a while,'' she said. But this weekend there will no place to rest. ``I'm not the type to quit,'' she said. ``I will persevere.'' Kremer said people with lupus react differently to the disease. ``Some have a real tough time with it and others take it as a challenge,'' said the doctor. ``In general, a disease like lupus provokes self-evaluation ... some patients look at it as a way to straighten out their lives, physically and socially.'' Kremer said most lupus patients with a positive outlook exercise to some degree. ``For them, making an effort is a personal victory.'' Ridgway, who left for Squaw Valley Thursday, has been on the Western States course before, having competed in the Tevis Cup horse race and also working the run the past two years as a medical helper. ``It's beautiful ... I fell in love with the trail,'' she said. ``I'm excited but not nervous.'' Ridgway will be tested following the race to determine how running 100 miles affects a lupus patient. ``I know I am capable of doing this.'' She likes to run, even 100 miles, because it makes her feel healthy and alive. ``Maybe in some ways this will speak to people who are trying to make choices,'' she said. ``You can push ahead and take charge of your life.''