Running Free: Living and loving our life

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Living and loving our life

I just received a phone call from my 24 year old son, who told me that his friend just updated his facebook page and he says that he has 3 days to live. Nine months ago he was coaching and playing soccer. He had finished college and had a promising life ahead of him. Nine months ago he was diagnosed with brain cancer and it was terrible news. Today, he is facing the end of his short life. I am so heavy with sadness as I write this. A life cut so short. A good human being. His name is Brian. Please pray for him and his family. Thank you.

Yesterday, Matt and I hiked a total of 8 miles to a beautiful 300 foot waterfall. It was worth the work it took to get there. We swam in our clothes in the pool under the waterfall and it was so peaceful and serene there in the jungle. I look at my life and I am so thankful for everything I have. I think about the phone call from Caleb today and I feel terrible and selfish inside. I feel heavy with this news and I can't seem to get past it. I have always been fascinated and tormented with death. Today I feel tormented. A young man with so much promise is losing his battle. It doesn't seem fair, but I have to remember that life isn't fair. I must move on from this darkness or it will overcome me in a place where blue oceans and beautiful flowers abound.

Today as you run or do whatever you do to get away and be alone, reflect if you will, on the blessings that life is to us. Life is a terminal disease. Live it. Enjoy every moment for tomorrow isn't promised. Run with joy and lightness of step. Kiss or hug someone today. Smile! If you do nothing else today, please be thankful for the life that you have. It could be gone tomorrow.

8 comments:

Olga said...: My thoughts are with Brian and his family.; August 25, 2010 at 7:04 PM
Anonymous said...: count your blessings one by one!
My prayers go out to Brian & his family.; August 25, 2010 at 7:48 PM
HEATHERRUNS said...: Thank you for sharing this. My prayers go out for Brian. May his last days be peaceful. My thanks also go out to you for reminding us of how great life is !; August 25, 2010 at 11:22 PM
mizuno wave said...: So sad to hear this. I believe that life is too short, we should value those people who love us. And lets enjoy living a good life.
_____________
--Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward. ~Soren Kierkegaad; August 29, 2010 at 6:36 AM
Online Dating Chat said...: Ponder on this...
There was a time when I thought that a life time is too long...
But when I meet you..
I realize that a lifetime is too short to let you know how much I appreciate your existence...; August 30, 2010 at 8:08 AM
Anonymous said...: I have blog with the same title and came across your blog tonight. So very sorry to hear about your son's friend Brian, life is but a fleeting moment in time. I shall be praying for him.; September 1, 2010 at 8:55 PM
kelly said...: Thanks everyone for your kind words. Brians liver has stopped bleeding and he is frantically hoping for more time. I will keep you all posted.
Mike, thanks for stopping by my blog. I have bookmarked your blog and I know I will enjoy reading it.; September 1, 2010 at 9:59 PM
Jen said...: Wow, what a story. Prayers going out to the family. There is no death, merely a passage of life. Love and Kisses to you all.; September 5, 2010 at 9:25 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.''