During my whole life I can remember looking up to Scott with such great admiration. I always knew that there were a few things about him that set him apart from so many others. Scott was a peacemaker. I had two other brothers that were older than me. In our house, being the youngest and the only girl meant that I was picked on quite a bit. Scott was always the one to protect me. He always made sure that my other two brothers weren't too mean to me.

As we grew older I always looked to him. I watched him to see how he reacted in situations. I looked to him as my example of how I wanted to live my life. I don't believe that I have quite lived up to his standards, but I have sure tried. Throughout most of Scott's adult life, he was faced with so many challenges. Scott was such an example to me of how to react to the hard parts of life.

Scott always lived STRONG. He had the strength in his ability to keep his morals in life. Scott was physically strong, even when he went to school all day and worked at the hospital all night to support his family. Scott was emotionally strong when faced with tough decisions. Scott lived strong in his relationships. He always gave 100% of himself to his family, and he showed nothing but respect for his friends. My hope is that someday I will be able to live as strong as he did.

I chose to join Team LIVESTRONG and run in the New York Marathon for a few reasons. First off, it made sense to support a foundation that fights to improve the lives of those affected by cancer. I also like that over 80% of their funds go directly to programs to support those with cancer. There are so many other large foundations that only 10-20% of funds actually help people. Lastly, as I descrived above, Scott embodied the spirit of LIVESTRONG. He did not sit back and let cancer take him. He fought extremely hard, and he was strong through it all.

Please take a moment today to donate to LIVESTRONG to honor my brother. It is through your suppor that myself and my family has been comforted. We have seen first hand, the affect that one person can have on so many people. I am honored to be able to run in the New York Marathon on November 7th, wearing the LIVESTRONG jersey, and a photo of Scott on my back. He will always be in my heart, and may he be in yours too.







Thursday, May 27, 2010

One photo can change everything.....

This first photo below showed up in the inbox in my phone on February 15, 2008. I blogged about it then. This is what I said:
" I just got this picture text sent to my phone. I hope they don't mind me posting it. This is my brother Scott and his two girls. Scott was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer last May. Scott went through the ringer with chemo and radiation. He just finished all of his treatments a few weeks ago, and is now cancer free. Yay! he is at Disney World with is family right now. After a hard day with Mira, it was just so nice to see a picture of my brother, recovered, with a big smile on his face. Well, a big pirate smile."
 When I look at this photo now, I remember what joy it brought me that day. It was such a weight lifted to know that he was going to be OK. His life had been so hard for the previous nine months, and now he was able to enjoy life again. I am of course balling as I type right now. It's almost a tease now. This picture brought so much joy before, and now only heartache....

Today, Scott's wife posted some photos of her and the family over the last month. Many of them brought me joy again. It is comforting to see that they are still enjoying life, a bit, even though I know they must still ache too. Then, I got to the photos from the Relay for Life. Once again, my joy shattered. Shattered by a single paper bag with a candle.....




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Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Meet Cheerilee!














Scott was a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists or CRNA. The CRNA's that he worked with at Palmetto Baptist Hospital in Columbia enjoyed a little humor at work. Cheerilee was a secret Santa present to Scott this last Christmas. This little pink pony started out as a joke, but she became a mascot. She stayed by Scott's side through his most recent battle with Leukemia. She watched over his bed in the hospital, then guarded his casket at his viewing and funeral.

The reason that I bring Cheerilee up, she has an identical twin. Her twin is also named Cheerilee and was brought to our daughter, Mira, for Christmas from Santa. This Cheerilee spends most her time up in Mira's toy room with the other ponies. Every time I happen upon her, I can't help but think of Scott. It's amazing what one small little toy can do to my eye makeup.

This little pony will now become my mascot now with this marathon to honor Scott. Maybe we'll take her to New York in November!
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