Relay for Life and others...

In the midst of preparing for a kind of relay race back to Colombia to close up and out my life down there, I walked the Relay for Life locally to honor my many MM friends and others who are holding on through adversity with cancer. In particular I want to recognize a 'blog-pal' called Karen who has been a reader and supporter here as well as on other blogs. (NOTE: Swim Across America in Seattle will be happening next month - September 7. I have heard rumors that a new and younger member of the family might be competing so I will be donating and will be there!)

Karen and I have never met, never even spoken on the phone, and yet I feel as if I know her from her postings. A compassionate, upbeat and direct-speaking individual, Karen has been through the wringer with the death of her beloved Hugh from MM and her own health challenges. As I walked around the track, ticking off the laps, I sent healing energy to Karen as I know she was having surgery yesterday.

If you are a walker or a runner, perhaps you will join me in simply sending healing thoughts to Karen - or anyone else facing health issues - as you walk or run. Thoughts are things, I am finding, and while the action of walking or running is somewhat of a meditation, it is also a time when we who are lucky enough to be doing it can send some of that vibrant energy onward.

My trip to Colombia will be short and very busy, so I may not post here until I return. I leave you with some pictures from the past couple of weeks and this thought... I have eliminated ALL SUGAR, even in its hidden forms (malodextrin, dextrose, sucrose, corn sugar, etc.) from my diet and body for the past 50 days along with white things like potatoes, rice, (even brown rice) pastas, breads, etc. sticking to fresh vegetables (organic when I can get it) and various proteins. With mild exercise, I have gotten rid of almost 30 pounds of excess baggage (glad they didn't weigh ME at the ticket counter before!) and corrected some health issues of my own.

The Olympics with beach grass in the foreground, WA

The beach grass in close-up at Port Williams, WA

Protection Island, in Puget Sound, Washington

I'm not quite a shadow of my former self, but I'm working
on it. Photo of me with my beach-walking buddy.

The Swim is Over

Some of the MM bloggers and caregivers
will remember "Andre" and I didn't
want him forgotten, either.

It's hard to believe the Swim Across America event here in Seattle is over and I only have a few hours before grabbing onto the wings of an east-bound plane for Atlanta, GA, and then head south to Colombia.

I was there again at Luther Burbank Park at 6 a.m. ready to volunteer. It was dark and cool and I had to drive through several patches of rain so it was just plain good fortune that it didn't rain during the event.

The turnout of swimmers was bigger than last year with 200 jumping into water temperatures that would send more than a shiver up your back. According to the announcer at the end, the fund-raising for Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) was better than the year before, too. That is good news because they are working very hard on research related to the immune system and these funds will help to support that effort.

I found this sign somewhat amusing given the numbers
of people (200) who were swimming for this event.
Actually there were over 50 people on the water watching
out for the swimmers - police, rescue personnel and volunteer
kayakers and boaters to ensure a safe outcome.

Some of the volunteers were on the water, some were dishing out food (me), some were handing out packets and tee shirts and afterwards there were a lot who were doing clean-up. As my daughter remarked, "We couldn't swim without all the help that's provided." It was fun, and I wouldn't have missed seeing my oldest beat her own time by a couple of minutes over last year. Good going!!

This year the cooler temperatures made the hot sausages, hot quiche, hot pancakes and the rich whipped cream and strawberries, cookies, cup cakes and cream cheese a veritable feast for all who attended. If food is a motivator, this year it sure surpassed all expectations! Families and friends picnicked together after the racing was done and listened to announcements and successes in the fundraising efforts. The numbers aren't all in yet, but they definitely already showed an increase over 2009. One team of four women raised $7,000, winning the "Best Effort Award."

One of the on-water volunteers was taking his dog with him. "She loves to go with me," he said. But in this first photo, he is trying to tell her she has to move to the front and she has already loaded on, being very careful to keep her feet dry, having determined that the cold water wasn't something she wanted too much of.

In the second photo he had gently taken her by the collar and pretty much forced her to move to the front spot. I loved the expression on her face which seemed to say, "I don't agree with you, but if you say so."

And then in this final photo she seems to have resigned herself to the new position and is watching some of the activities on shore as her owner paddles out to the race area.

The Half-milers begin their swim at 8:30 a.m. and a few managed to finish
just as the Two-milers were coming into the gates as well.

The leading swimmers in the Two-Mile race began hitting the gate at 39 and 40 minutes (having started at slightly after 8 a.m.) which means that they were swimming a mile in 20 minutes!!! That is churning up some water!!! The Half-Milers were swimming pretty well by putting themselves through the gate after about 25-30 minutes. Nothing to be ashamed of!

About 9:30 the sun began to break through the heavy clouds and as the remainder of the swimmers came onto the beach from both races, the early arrivers were getting toweled off and warmed back up.

There are too many who are in this MM fight... I was sad
that they limited the numbers of flags we could post.

I posted some prayer flags for a few of the MM folks I know who are having a particularly tough time, but I was limited in the number of flags so I just want to say that although your name might not have appeared to be waving in the breeze, I was still thinking of you and your caregivers and hope you know this was not meant as any kind of slight. And while I wasn't 'swimming,' for the cure, I did what I could to support those who were.

These are the leader swimmers rounding the last mark on their two-mile
Swim Across America in less than 40 minutes!

'Godwillin' and the crick don't rise,' I will be back next year to do my small part in helping to raise awareness, funds and energy to this event.

The red, white and blue balloons of Swim Across America
blow in the gentle breeze off Lake Washington in Seattle.

Swimming Across America in WA #2

This will be the second year for Swim Across America in Seattle on Lake Washington. It takes place on Saturday, September 11 and here is the link for all the information about the long distance swimming event, which gets under way VERY early in the morning... good place to see the sunrise!

http://www.swimacrossamerica.org

I was a volunteer last year and have offered again for this year but have not heard back as yet. Whether or not I am doing that, I will certainly be there to support the swimmers.

The upside-down triangles are prayer flags which are filled out by anyone who wants to remember someone who has been affected by cancer or by family members paying tribute to the swimmers or for groups to recognize someone. Last year I honored the late competitive motorcycle rider, Andre, who wrote the blog "http://motocancer.blogspot.com/" He was afflicted with Multiple Myeloma.

My dream is to not have to put anyone's name up there for this disease or any other kind of cancer.

As you can see, the weather was ideal for this kind of an event. I will be intending for a repeat version for this year as I cannot imagine how much harder it might be to complete such a course in the rain or other inclement weather.

As the swimmers complete their two miles, there is a group of volunteers ready and waiting to help them out of the water, give them refreshments and a towel. When it is all over and done, the donations received will be going to the local Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, as it did last year.

HOPE WE WILL HAVE LOTS OF SUPPORTERS!!!

Swimming Across America in WA

On Saturday, Sept. 12, at o-dark-thirty, I headed south from Everett to Lake Washington to Mercer Island's Luther Burbank Park for the first annual Swim Across America event as a fund-raiser for a beneficiary which this year was the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

The sun seemed to take forever to get up over the horizon, and before it actually made it, the first swimmers began to arrive to get registered and marked up. A team of volunteers, of which I was one, were already in place to blow up balls, prepare the coffee, cut up the bagels, hand out t-shirts and answer questions.

One of the swimmers is someone I know very well, and I had not advised her that I was going to be a volunteer, and she was significantly surprised to be standing in line for a t-shirt and see me standing there. I was there to support the swimmers, a family member who has cancer and to memorialize those who have recently died from Multiple Myeloma or another cancer.

About 90 men and women signed up to swim the two-mile route under the Mercer Island Bridge on the western side of the island and another 35 or 40, including a number of teens, were ready to swim a half-mile course. Each of the entrants had to raise $500 as part of their "training" for the competition along with other physical conditioning activities.

The efforts of these swimmers raised $65,000, along with other donations, putting the total raised near $100,000 for the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. The "prayer flags" were comments by various people about the event or about their motivation to swim the distance.

When the bus came to pick up the two-milers, the sun was shining brightly, there was little wind and the water was 69 degrees. They hit the water at 8 a.m. and the first swimmer, a guy, ran up on the beach at about 8:37 a.m.!

This was just after 8:30 a.m. when the half-milers got the gun and they were off, swimming furiously.

I took a break from being a spectator for a walk around the park and discovered a dew-covered spider web plus loads of blackberries ripening, and they were a tasty breakfast treat!

The announcer proclaimed a new wave of arrivals from the 2-mile group and I found the best spot to watch was up in the lifeguard's chair. My hat is off to all the swimmers who churned up the water for at least an hour; a few took longer than that to complete the course.

The last of the half-milers came in as well, moving the event from being spectators to the animated talk between swimmers and supporters about the event. Friends and relatives began arriving to share in the post-event breakfast and awards ceremony.

Young boys and girls were now bored with the adult conversation and quickly found a way to entertain themselves - a dried up fountain offered an opportunity to discover what it was supposed to be doing, where the water came from, where the water would go. I was fascinated by their youthful conclusions and research as they worked together easily, boys and girls, to reinforce their ideas.

One enterprising young lady had seen a number of bottles of water not being taken by the adults, and she offered to make several trips from the dry fountain to the source to carry more than a few bottles of water back to be poured into the dry spot to see if it would either generate more water or when overflowing would run down to the outlet. As I was her temporary "caretaker," at the request of her mother, I let her make a few trips without comment. Finally, after 9 bottles of water had been 'sacrificed,' I had to be the spoil-sport and stop her, partly because her parents were getting ready to leave. She was quick to think of another way to get the water... go to lake and fill up the bottles she already had! I hated to

be the limiter of her fun and stopping the energy of youthfulness.

The lazy sun was now heating up the day without a cloud to slow it down. People were leaving the park, heading off to other weekend duties or adventures. I had been a part of something powerful and moving... and my thoughts went out to the individuals who had committed to the swim and why they did it. How many times did their arms reach into the water to pull them along over a two-mile area? How many kicks did it take to get to the end? It was impressive and thought-provoking. And because of each one, combined into many, SCCA would have some additional research funds perhaps to help solve the mysteries of MM. Like this last shot suggests, a victory over cancer for good!