We are lucky enough to have become friends with a fabulous family, the Clements. I met Denise through the Run Club I attend and we have a lot in common, aside from the running. She and her husband Jason have two great daughters, Sara and Dylan.
Recently, Jason was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease is part of a family of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. People with Crohn's disease experience a range of unpleasant, painful symptoms.
On June 12th, Zachary and I will be joining Jason, Denise and a few others at the Heel N Wheel A Thon here in Sudbury, to raise funds for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada.
As Zachary proved last year when he raised $1318 for CHEO, he is a far better fundraiser than I am. So I will be coaching him and running at his side on June 12th, but he is doing all the fundraising. He has once again set a goal of $500, and his well on his way having already raised $375!
You can help him out by following this link and donating any amount you can....every donation helps!
What a kid....he sure makes us proud!
Jessica
Monday, May 23, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Generosity
I have always tried to teach my sons generosity and compassion by example. There are no tests, no report cards, no way to measure whether these lessons are learned. I believe that my children’s generosity will surface when they are ready—true generosity cannot be compulsory. Nothing prepared me for the level of generosity that my oldest son would display--at just seven years of age.
I am a recreational runner. There are many reasons I run, however one of them is the opportunity it gives me to raise money for causes that are important to me. It’s not something I realized my son was aware of until I asked if he wanted to run in the 2010 Ottawa Kids’ Marathon.
The Ottawa Kids Marathon is a fantastic way to promote fitness in kids. Kids are expected to log 41kms (usually 30minutes activity= 1km) and then run the last 1.2km on the same day as the Marathon on Ottawa Race Weekend. Zachary has often expressed interest in running with me, and he was up for the challenge. Zachary chose to run every kilometre.
What came next surprised me. “Who do I raise money for?”
Although he didn’t have to raise money for this race, yet he insisted that he wanted to. We went online and investigated the official charities associated with Ottawa Race Weekend 2010. Although all were fabulous charities who do excellent work, none resonated with him. So, after some discussion, Zachary chose to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).
Suddenly he was a man on a mission! We created a Facebook group. We filmed a video of him and posted it. We sent emails. Zachary set what I thought was a lofty goal of $500.
So he raised money, and he ran. And he stuck to it. Soon he was able to run up to about 3.5km!!
And my shy, reserved boy was asking anyone he knew if they would donate.
I was amazed when he reached his goal. I was stunned when he raised $700. I was overjoyed when he reached $1000. And I was moved to tears when on a sunny Friday in May, Zachary walked into the offices of the CHEO Foundation and handed them donations totalling $1318.
Inevitably, countless people said to us “You must be so proud”, and we were. How could we not be? But most importantly is that he was proud of himself. Countless lessons were learned in those short few months. I am still amazed at what he taught me.
Jessica
I am a recreational runner. There are many reasons I run, however one of them is the opportunity it gives me to raise money for causes that are important to me. It’s not something I realized my son was aware of until I asked if he wanted to run in the 2010 Ottawa Kids’ Marathon.
The Ottawa Kids Marathon is a fantastic way to promote fitness in kids. Kids are expected to log 41kms (usually 30minutes activity= 1km) and then run the last 1.2km on the same day as the Marathon on Ottawa Race Weekend. Zachary has often expressed interest in running with me, and he was up for the challenge. Zachary chose to run every kilometre.
What came next surprised me. “Who do I raise money for?”
Although he didn’t have to raise money for this race, yet he insisted that he wanted to. We went online and investigated the official charities associated with Ottawa Race Weekend 2010. Although all were fabulous charities who do excellent work, none resonated with him. So, after some discussion, Zachary chose to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).
Suddenly he was a man on a mission! We created a Facebook group. We filmed a video of him and posted it. We sent emails. Zachary set what I thought was a lofty goal of $500.
So he raised money, and he ran. And he stuck to it. Soon he was able to run up to about 3.5km!!
And my shy, reserved boy was asking anyone he knew if they would donate.
I was amazed when he reached his goal. I was stunned when he raised $700. I was overjoyed when he reached $1000. And I was moved to tears when on a sunny Friday in May, Zachary walked into the offices of the CHEO Foundation and handed them donations totalling $1318.
Inevitably, countless people said to us “You must be so proud”, and we were. How could we not be? But most importantly is that he was proud of himself. Countless lessons were learned in those short few months. I am still amazed at what he taught me.
Jessica
Sunday, May 1, 2011
I DID IT!!!
Goal for my first half-marathon: 2 hours 30 minutes
Time for my first half-marathon: 2 hours 22 minutes 33 seconds (not official).
UPDATE: official time 2 hours 20 minutes 03 seconds
I will write a post about the race later, but for now, I leave you these...
Jessica
Time for my first half-marathon: 2 hours 22 minutes 33 seconds (not official).
UPDATE: official time 2 hours 20 minutes 03 seconds
I will write a post about the race later, but for now, I leave you these...
Jessica
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Reason I Run
On May 24th, 1991, I was the driver of this vehicle.
I am thankful for every day- EVERY day-because I know how fortunate I am to be alive.
I suppose that a better writer could phrase that more eloquently, but there you have it. I am LUCKY. For some reason, my passenger and I survived that horrific crash. What's even better is that we both chose to live after we survived.
We did not escape uninjured. After leaving the road and hitting a small rockface, the 1982 Ford Escort flipped end for end multiple times. The force of multiple impacts tore the backseat from the floor - it crashed through the back window and was found outside the car. Eventually the seatbelt could no longer restrain me and I was thrown into the back. I suffered serious injuries. I ripped the clutch out with my foot; I bent the steering wheel with my face, breaking my jaw. My esophagus swelled shut, and one lung collapsed. Eventually, with my body so weak, I developed pneumonia. My digestive system went into shock and would not work for days. I was injured and sick, and I fought like crazy to survive.
However, despite incredible care, 20 years later, there are still after effects. I suppose one never fully heals from injuries of that magnitude. I've had several surgeries on my jaw and still suffer from a nasty case of TMJ. It was years before I could chew anything harder than overcooked pasta. It is still difficult to eat many foods. Due to the injuries to my ankle, which were initially overlooked in favour of saving my life, I spent about 10 years on crutches and canes and was finally given a brace to deal with a condition called drop foot. It was presumed I would likely not walk again without some minor form of assistance. It was presumed that because of the injuries to my jaw I might never play flute again, something I was very talented at and loved immensely.
HA!
I still play flute. I still walk with a limp and have reduced sensation in that leg, but I walk on my own. Not only do I walk - I run!
It was not enough for me to just defy the odds and walk unaided--13 years later, I wanted to see if I could run. First a 5km race, then another, and another. I am neither fast, nor am I slow. I am still always secretly amazed that my body has let me continue to run one more race. I have continued to train and on May 1, 2011 I will run my first Half-Marathon.
21.1 km. 13 miles. In one day.
Many people think I am crazy. For others the distance is not that far. It's important to remember that I have run with people that run multiple marathons a year. For some people, 21.1km is merely a fun run, not a challenge (they're the crazy ones, by the way)
But for me? For me, this is overwhelming!
Once, a handful of people who know medecine, but don't know me, decided that the odds were stacked against me. I decided they were wrong. For as long as I can remember I have chosen to believe that my willpower is stronger than "the odds". This doesn't mean that I am not plagued by self-doubt. I wonder if I can do this, I wonder if I should do this. But really, the only way to know for sure is to actually go out and DO IT!
So, in the end I will not be intimidated by this half-marathon, because for me, I have already conquered the real battle. The brace, and the crutches and the cane stay in the closet, readily available - just in case. But I know I won't need them. 20 years ago I could have accepted the fate offered to me by the doctors. I could have gone home and never played flute again, instead of going on to study music and psychology . I could have just accepted the brace and the cane. But always, always, I could see the end goal. The challenges were just part of the journey.
Finishing my first half-marathon? THAT'S the reward. THAT'S what I believe is owed to me.
Its been almost 20 years, and I have decided to collect.
(The friend who was travelling with me? I dont think she's run any half marathons -she says she prefers to sprint!)
I am thankful for every day- EVERY day-because I know how fortunate I am to be alive. I suppose that a better writer could phrase that more eloquently, but there you have it. I am LUCKY. For some reason, my passenger and I survived that horrific crash. What's even better is that we both chose to live after we survived.
We did not escape uninjured. After leaving the road and hitting a small rockface, the 1982 Ford Escort flipped end for end multiple times. The force of multiple impacts tore the backseat from the floor - it crashed through the back window and was found outside the car. Eventually the seatbelt could no longer restrain me and I was thrown into the back. I suffered serious injuries. I ripped the clutch out with my foot; I bent the steering wheel with my face, breaking my jaw. My esophagus swelled shut, and one lung collapsed. Eventually, with my body so weak, I developed pneumonia. My digestive system went into shock and would not work for days. I was injured and sick, and I fought like crazy to survive.
However, despite incredible care, 20 years later, there are still after effects. I suppose one never fully heals from injuries of that magnitude. I've had several surgeries on my jaw and still suffer from a nasty case of TMJ. It was years before I could chew anything harder than overcooked pasta. It is still difficult to eat many foods. Due to the injuries to my ankle, which were initially overlooked in favour of saving my life, I spent about 10 years on crutches and canes and was finally given a brace to deal with a condition called drop foot. It was presumed I would likely not walk again without some minor form of assistance. It was presumed that because of the injuries to my jaw I might never play flute again, something I was very talented at and loved immensely.
HA!
I still play flute. I still walk with a limp and have reduced sensation in that leg, but I walk on my own. Not only do I walk - I run!
It was not enough for me to just defy the odds and walk unaided--13 years later, I wanted to see if I could run. First a 5km race, then another, and another. I am neither fast, nor am I slow. I am still always secretly amazed that my body has let me continue to run one more race. I have continued to train and on May 1, 2011 I will run my first Half-Marathon.
21.1 km. 13 miles. In one day.
Many people think I am crazy. For others the distance is not that far. It's important to remember that I have run with people that run multiple marathons a year. For some people, 21.1km is merely a fun run, not a challenge (they're the crazy ones, by the way)
But for me? For me, this is overwhelming!
Once, a handful of people who know medecine, but don't know me, decided that the odds were stacked against me. I decided they were wrong. For as long as I can remember I have chosen to believe that my willpower is stronger than "the odds". This doesn't mean that I am not plagued by self-doubt. I wonder if I can do this, I wonder if I should do this. But really, the only way to know for sure is to actually go out and DO IT!
So, in the end I will not be intimidated by this half-marathon, because for me, I have already conquered the real battle. The brace, and the crutches and the cane stay in the closet, readily available - just in case. But I know I won't need them. 20 years ago I could have accepted the fate offered to me by the doctors. I could have gone home and never played flute again, instead of going on to study music and psychology . I could have just accepted the brace and the cane. But always, always, I could see the end goal. The challenges were just part of the journey.
Finishing my first half-marathon? THAT'S the reward. THAT'S what I believe is owed to me.
Its been almost 20 years, and I have decided to collect.
(The friend who was travelling with me? I dont think she's run any half marathons -she says she prefers to sprint!)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Zachary Did It!!!
Words can not adequately express how thankful Zachary and I are for everyone's support. Whether you supported by cheering, with a donation to CHEO Foundation or both, you helped give a Zachary an experience like no other.
Highlights of the weekend included:
Running the Family 2km run on Saturday. It was hot, it was sticky and we were particularly thankful for the gentleman who generously had his sprinkler spraying onto the race course for a much appreciated cool-off! Zachary and I crossed the finish line hand in hand, with our arms raised in the air, yelling our trademarked "Hooray!!!"
Zachary running his fasted ever pace during the Sunday finish to the Kids Marathon. His pace of 5min 48seconds per kilometer, means he finished in 6minutes 49.9 seconds! Alos, this was his first run without his coach (that's me!) by his side. The smile on his face when we met up in the recovery area was spectacular. And the Marathon medal (just like the "real" marathon medal) is something he will cherish forever.
Watching the blistering fast finish of the marathon. Fujiwara of Japan set a course record, and the next two finishers were only seperated from the lead by 20 seconds. It was one heck of a race!
Most importantly, on Friday, Zachary walked into the CHEO Foundation office, and handed over a donation of $1318.00!! When I asked Zachary if he wanted to participate in the Marathon, it never croseed my mind that he would want to raise money for a charity. That he thought of this on his own, and made all the efforts he did truly inspires me.
He makes me strive to be a better person.
So for all you have done to help Zachary to exceed his initial fundraising goal of $500.00....
Thank you!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
March Break
Zachary and Corbett went to visit their Aunt Leanna for the March Break. Zachary has gone for March Break since he started school. This was Corbett's first time there for that long, but he has been for the weekend before. They both love being there and the added bonus is that she has a large property and one of those mini-quads.
Judging from these pictures, they are having a blast!
Judging from these pictures, they are having a blast!
Boys and dirt---together since time began!
Jessica
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Boys Will Be Boys!
Our friends Rosanne and Jamie from PhotoCaptiva recently took some great pictures of Zachary and Corbett. Here is a preview!
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