Ian's 1/2 Marathon!

I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of my husband. However, I must try to express it, so that you may understand just a fraction of my pride, and his accomplishment.

Ian is a 2-time cancer survivor. He was diagnosed first at age 18, then he had a recurrence again at age 21. The last treatment he received was in August of 2009, when he had an autologous stem cell transplant (see my Be The Match post for more info about bone marrow/stem cell transplants and donation). The doctors say that it takes a long time to recover from the treatment that Ian underwent, and they gave us estimates around the 2 year mark - they figured he should be feeling better and getting his energy back by then.

That did not happen.

It has been a long journey toward health and recovery, with struggles along the way. We tried many different strategies to combat his fatigue and help him have more energy, but nothing really worked.

This January, 2013, Ian decided to implement a regular exercise regimen to combat the fatigue that he had been facing for too long. He began with 15 minutes on the stationary bike, 5-6 times per week. 

When he started, this amount of exercise was quite difficult. But he kept at it. When he could tolerate 15 minutes, then he increased to 20. After a couple weeks of that, he increased to 25 minute sessions. He was determined to take charge of his health and progress toward his goal of having enough energy to live the life he wanted.

Then he heard about a local organization that was recruiting people to participate in a Half Marathon at the end of June. They were running on behalf of Team Hope, to raise funds and awareness for Pancreatic Cancer. 

13.1 Miles was a big goal, but it was just what Ian wanted and needed. 

He needed to do something more than what he had been able to do before cancer.

He had to prove to himself that he could accomplish such a feat. 

He wanted to show cancer that it had not beaten him. 

He took the step, and signed up to run the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon with Team Hope. It's the half marathon associated with Grandma's Marathon in Duluth. 

So he began training. He increased the length of his workout, and added the treadmill to his regimen a few times per week. He built up slowly so that by the time it was 12 weeks until the race, he could begin a set training schedule designed to prepare runners to run a half marathon.

And he trained! He made a spreadsheet, kept track of runs on his calendar, and stuck to that schedule like you wouldn't believe. And several people didn't believe at first. They were worried that 13.1 miles would be too much. "Maybe you should start out with a 5K. You haven't raced since high school." The doubts were difficult to hear, but Ian pressed on. 

Each Saturday was a "long run", starting out around 3 miles, then increasing. Toward the end of the schedule, he ran 10 miles when we were in Chicago (it was cold and windy!), 11 miles the next Saturday, then 12 miles along the trail by Lake Minnetonka two weeks before his race. Those feats were major accomplishments in and of themselves! I think he had won over the doubters by that point.

The race was June 22nd. We went to the running store about a month before, and got all the gear he would need. The clerk was an elite runner who had lots of helpful tips for training and racing. Shout out to Marathon Sports in Minneapolis!

Marathon Sports

We drove up to Duluth after I got off work on Friday the 21st. Ian picked up his race packet, and we drove through crazy fog to get to our cabin for the night.

Saturday morning we woke up at 5:00am and got ready. Ian donned his Team Hope jersey, running shorts, shoes, and computerized tracker so that we could get text updates about his progress throughout the race. 

 

It was a wet, chilly morning. Thankfully it wasn't raining, but there was a slight mist, and the temperature was around 50 degrees. Ian got suited up in his gear and warm-ups, and he was ready to go!

Our cabin was about 3 blocks from the Half Marathon starting line, so we were able to walk there instead of taking the shuttle bus, which would have made us get up even earlier! We walked together until we could see the tents at the start, and then I wished him luck, told him I loved him and I was so proud of him.

His race began at 6:45am. I drove to a location along the race course where I could watch him go by, about one mile from the finish line. I met up with Ian's parents, my parents, and my sister Meghan and her husband Dennis. We had a great cheering section going on!

At 7:20am I got a text telling me that Ian had reached the 5K mark in 30 minutes! I shed happy tears - he was really doing it! He was running! At just the pace he had planned, too!

We anxiously waited for Ian to pass by. His goal was to run with the 2:15 pacer. There are "pacers" at the race who run races for a living at a specific pace. In this case, the pacer was a woman who was set to finish the race in 2 hours and 15 minutes. This was around the pace that Ian had been training. 

We saw the 1:40 pacer pass by, then 1:50 and 2:00. He should be coming soon!

Then about 15 minutes later, we spotted him! He was there, right with the 2:15 group! I don't remember if I yelled his name, screamed, or just started crying. There he was! Running! And he looked so good! We all yelled and cheered for him, and he pumped his fist in the air! 

I will never forget that moment. 

After we could no longer see him, I turned to his mom, and she had tears in her eyes too. I hugged her, and my mom, and we all cried together. We were so happy and proud of Ian, this man who we all love so much. 

I speed-walked to the finish line with Meghan and Dennis as quickly as I could. I had to see Ian! When we finally found him, he was standing, and talking, and breathing, and he had a medal around his neck! He had done it! He had run a half marathon!!!!!!!!!!!!! (13 exclamation points, in case you were wondering.)

We bundled him up in all the blankets and jackets we had, because it was still 50 degrees and he was a little chilly... We all met up and reflected on various aspects of the race. Then somebody got smart (I think it was Ian's mom, Susan) and suggested that we find a restaurant close by, go in, warm up, and get something to eat. Brilliant!

It was only fitting that we ended up at Grandma's restaurant. We ordered a little early lunch, and celebrated Ian's victory!

What a morning it was! Ian amazes and inspires me. If you know him, you know what I mean. If you don't we will have you over to our home for dinner and games, and you can find out.

My husband is a runner.

He is a cancer survivor.

He did more than his friends and family thought he could.

He proved to himself that he his stronger than cancer.

I am overflowing with pride, hope, and joy.

I love him so much!

Be The Match

I am a passionate person. There are many things that I believe in. I care about people, I believe in hope, and I truly do want to make the world more beautiful. Just like Miss Rumphius

If you have not read "Miss Rumphius" by Barbara Cooney, I insist that you do so. It is a beautiful children's book. Pick up a hard copy, or enjoy the audiobook here: Miss Rumphius Audio Book

I have big dreams about how I will make the world more beautiful one day (ask me about this at your own risk - I will probably tell you about it for at least half an hour).

In the mean time, there are small things that each of us can do to make a big difference.

Like join the National Marrow Donor Program, via Be The Match.

This is a cause that is near and dear to our family's heart, because Ian was the recipient of a stem cell transplant that saved his life. His transplant ended up being autologous (he used his own stem cells), but there was a possibility that he may have needed a donor. So many people suffering from blood and lymphatic cancers need donors.

Are you interested yet? Let me lay it out for you:

- If you were chosen as a donor, you would literally save the life of another person.

- To sign up, you go online, give them your contact info, and they send you a kit. You swab the inside of your mouth with a cotton swab and return it to them.

- If you are chosen as a donor, you will donate in one of two ways: You will be hooked up to a machine that will takes your blood, extracts the stem cells via centrifuge (basically), and then returns your blood to you in a closed-loop system. The other option is that they would take bone marrow from your hip bones. This would be painful, and you may need about a week to recover, but let's put it in perspective: The person who needs your marrow has been fighting cancer for months, dealing with awful side effects like nausea, pain, mouth sores, and more stuff that you don't want to know about it. I think you can handle one little procedure to SAVE THEIR LIFE.

By now you must be thinking one of two things:

- Yes! I am already on that list!

- How have I not heard of this before? I must go to http://bethematch.org/Home.aspx right away and register!

Lastly, I will share this, a real-life story of a woman who needs a donor.

Mother of Toddler Urgently Needs Bone Marrow Donor

This will link you to the news story, with text and video.

And this kid: http://supermansamuel.blogspot.com/2012/06/superheroes-for-sam-photo-project.html

Superman Sam is 7 years old, and he is undergoing treatment for Leukemia in Wisconsin. He needs a donor too.

Be The Match Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BeTheMatch?fref=ts

Share this with everyone you know, please. We really can make a difference.

Wisdom from a long life

I work as an Occupational Therapist in a Nursing Home. I am approaching my 1 year anniversary of working for my company, Pro Rehab, as well as the end of my first year as an OT! It has been a challenging, rich year full of learning. Naturally I have gained clinical skills, making me better at evaluating patients, treating musculoskeletal conditions, working with wheelchairs, etc. But the most valuable things I have learned have been the lessons from my patients.

Most of the patients I work with are in their 80's or 90's. I like to chat with them about their lives and experiences. My favorite is to ask for general life advice. "What have you learned in your 98 years that you would like to share with me?" 

Life advice from a 98 year old: Just be kind.

On marriage: Be sure to listen. Hear what they are saying, say your piece, and then move on.

On marriage: Just keep loving each other

old hands

Even if they don't give me a specific piece of advice, just getting to know them is an education in and of itself. When I think of how much the world has changed in their lifetime, and what all they have done, it's astounding. Many of them have raised families, worked for decades, retired, moved, grieved over losing loved ones (the hardest is elderly parents who have lost children), and been blessed with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

When I see them in a short-term rehab setting, it is usually because they are facing a change in their health, and need assistance to recover. It may be from an illness, a fall, or a surgery. I am honored to be able to be part of their journey. Many times it is towards wellness, and they are able to return to their prior living situation. Sometimes difficult choices have to be made, such as the decision to move from their home to an assisted living facility.

Now, you must go and read this article: Oldest Living Couple on Earth Gives Great Relationship Advice. They have been married 85 years. She was 101, and he was 104 at the time the article was written.

Isn't that the sweetest picture? And to know the history behind it. 85 years of life together, loving one another, sharing hopes, dreams, and day-to-day realities. 

Please take a little time to connect with an elderly person in your life - it can be a grandparent, neighbor, or an old man that you see in the grocery store with his walker. If you really want to be blessed, volunteer at a nursing home. Just sit and listen to the stories of people who know about life from living it. They still have so much to offer, and we can learn more than we realize.

Singing for joy

I was having a great day. While driving, I was singing along to Taylor Swift (so fun) and I noticed an empty pop can in my cup holder.

Discovery! Empty pop can = excellent microphone!

Taylor Swift, excellent singing-in-the-car music.

Especially this song:

The singing starts at 2:10. There are so many things that I love about this song. My favorite line is:

 

bubblews.com

Life is such an adventure, and my adventure-partner husband Ian is the best dragon fighter I know. Ian, I am having the time of my life with you. Thank you for all the past, present, and future adventures.

So go grab a pop can, sit in the sun and drink it, then take a drive and sing your heart out.

Blessings of community

One of the reasons I started this blog was to have a place to write about things that I am excited and passionate about. 

Well, tonight one of those things is on my mind and heart - the blessings of community.

In November my husband and I started going to Church of All Nations. We were welcomed with open arms right from the start (one of the members introduced us to half of the church on the very first day), and we have been so very blessed by this faith community ever since.

I could (and probably) will write for a long time about how wonderful it has been to become part of this church. For now I will simply say that I am so grateful for the love, support, and community that we experience on Sundays and beyond. 

Thank you, church. And thank you, Jesus, for bringing us to this place.

Church of All Nations website

Church of All Nations facebook page

Crafty

Hello again! 

I like to think of myself as being a little bit crafty (as in, I like to make crafts - I'm not very tricky or devious if that's what you were thinking). My most recent medium of choice has been knitting! I made several fun projects at the beginning of 2012, took some unintentional time off when life got crazy with my first grown-up job, and other various lifey things.

Now I'm starting back up again! And I remember how much I truly enjoy it.

This is my current project that I started today:

Pattern from Ravelry

And I am using this yarn that I got for Christmas from my lovely siblings:

The pattern is simple, and the yarn is so soft! I am loving the project already.

Here are a couple baby sweaters that I made last year:

This yellow one I gave to our friend's baby girl. Oh, the cuteness!

This teal one is so darling, and I love it so much. I haven't given it away yet... so maybe I'll just keep it around for "someday."

Stay crafty, friends.

Here I go!

Hello! My name is Adrianne, and I love blogs. I have been a behind-the-scenes blog follower for quite some time, and have toyed around with the idea of starting my own. It finally feels like the right time, and I'm so excited to get started!

Two days ago, my wonderful husband and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary! I'll tell you right now, I LOVE being married to Ian! He really is the best. Case in point: This is what he did for me on our anniversary:

I was delighted to receive such thoughtful, heart-felt gifts. I am so lucky to be married to this man. He really is the best!

I'll keep this first post short and sweet. More adventures to come!