2013 Climb-a-thon: Mission Accomplished!

“…With everyone’s efforts, the climbers who participated climbed well over 70,000 vertical feet and we raised $24,500. That is enough money to send 24 more participants on the adventure of a lifetime: a First Descents program.  We also couldn’t have had such a successful event without all of our incredible volunteers. So thank you to everyone who came out!…”  To read the entire article, please click here.

It was so awesome to have participated in this event!  Especially for me because it didn’t involve running and it was something I could do and Lee couldn’t due to his still tender wing.

First Descents also shared a link to a Tedx presentation done by Laura Rozo.  I watched it with a mixture of heartache and admiration as I witnessed, yet again, the wisdom and courage expressed by a young adult with cancer.  Laura’s story has some interesting parallels to Nick.  I hope you take the time to watch – it is about 10 minutes long.

I have recently seen several tv commercials sponsored by the American Cancer Society stating 2 out of 3 people are surviving cancer and that the ACS has been involved in almost every cancer breakthrough.  As I’m putting back together the tv remote, having been dismantled by being thrown at the tv, I’m screaming, “HEY, what about the young adults!?!  Their statistics haven’t improved in over 40 years!!!!  Don’t pat yourself on the back quite yet, big fella.

I think I might be a little crabby lately and missing Nick tremendously.  Last weekend, I was clearing out my saved tv show recordings and noticed the one done waaaaayyyyyy back in December 2010 when Nick won the “Les Schwab Do The Right Thing” award for the entire year.  I watched it again with a seemingly new pair of eyes – I was stunned at how he looked so sick.  I remember at the time, I thought he looked wonderful, cute and darling.  This time watching, he was still all those things, but sick… really, really sick.  Interesting…  I think I needed to see the video again to remind, rejuvenate and refresh my efforts with Wacky Warriors to keep fighting hard.  I get emotionally tired – make that exhausted – sometimes and it is very difficult to continue with the foundation work.  This helped me enormously.

I have been doing some soul searching, wondering if I should take on the endeavor to combine Nick’s blog with my personal journal and write a book.  I always pray for guidance, a big fat sign (I have yet to acknowledge subtlety) that will direct me towards the right path.  Within 24 hours of this prayer, I was directed towards Laura’s presentation.  The similarities gave me pause in perhaps Nick’s message of hope and my perspective might need to be heard together.  A spiritual prompting or personal ego calling?

Do you remember the “Cheers” episode when Diane is at a convent, completely distraught over what to do about her life?  She desperately expressed, “Please God, send me a sign… ” and then the lights went out, leaving her completely in the dark.  She paused a moment then said, “…any sign…”   Ah, funny!  That’s how I feel about signs.  They have to be monumental for me to see it.

So while I’m still waiting for a much bigger sign, what is your opinion about a book?