Heroes

About 18 months ago, my doctor and I spoke at a Houston Marathon pre-race dinner. Our topic was Heroes. We were not assigned the topic and actually were surprised when we discussed our talks prior to the dinner. It is time for me to revisit that topic.

This weekend is the weekend for the Capital of Texas Triathlon in Austin, TX. I have been coaching a group of Team In Training triathletes for the last four months as they prepare for the race. In exchange they have each raised thousands of dollars for cancer research. They have each in their own way become heroes in the fight against cancer.

So what makes a hero? Dictionary.com defines hero this way:
1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal.

When I think of heroes, I think first of the men, women and children who everyday are battling against cancer and surviving. These are the people that you do not read about. They are out there living their lives and trying to just keep going. They fight everyday for their life.

Then there are those that take care of these fighters. These would be the caregivers. The spouses, parents and significant others that sit there and hold the patients hand while he throws up everything he has eaten. The caregivers are the ones who also sit up late at night praying for the recovery of the patient. They are there at all hours while the patient is receiving chemotherapy. They make sure the patient lacks for nothing. These heroes come in all ages. They are children, teenagers and adults. They never falter even when they get tired.

Finally, there are the doctors and nurses. These people take up the fight every day. They spend hours upon hours comforting patients and at the same time trying to find a cure. They could be in private practice making a whole lot more money, but chose instead to work in a field where there is a need for a cure. A field that has a high mortality rate and often sees death.

So where is this going? As we have started planning for Remission Run 2010, I was reminded that my wife, my two kids, my doctor and my running coach are all my heroes. I would not be where I am today without each one of them. They were there through the vomiting, through the chemo , through the hospital stays and through the recovery. I love every one of them and dedicate this weekends effort at CapTex Tri to them.

Go TEAM!!!!