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| My favorite super hero Carter!!! |
(Fair warning: this has nothing to do with my medical travel work but is a shameless plug for one of my favorite charities)
When Carter came into my life, exactly 4 years ago today, he
was only a few hours old, tiny, beautiful, and born with the challenge of
sacral agenesis. Unable to use his legs like most of us, and facing complex
chronic medical and surgical challenges, Carter is a superhero of unbelievable
courage. An active four year old, he loves the water and is taking swim
lessons. After his first lesson, the coach suggested he join the swim team as he
recognized the special strength and determination in this amazing child.
For the past two years, I have participated in the Challenged
Athletes Foundation triathlon as the swimmer on the “Carter’s Angels” team. My
contribution of one little mile in the La Jolla Cove left me plenty of time to
enjoy the festivities at the event while my teammates conquered the 44-mile
bike and 10-mile run. Each year, I am overcome by the inspiring athletes and
the mission of this foundation. I have vowed to participate in this event every
year that I am capable.
When it came time to register for the 2013 race, my
teammates were unsure they could commit and my alternate recruiting efforts
failed. I will be doing the whole race this year. (As a funny side note, I
honestly thought this was an Olympic distance race … until I started training
for a shorter distance and it was gently pointed out that this is most
definitely longer than an Olympic distance.) So, I am learning to bike, and run
and am thankful to my family of coaches who think I might be able to pull this
off.
In addition to Carter and I pursuing our athletic endeavors,
this year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Challenged Athletes
Foundation San Diego Triathlon Challenge. What better year to donate to this
amazing group! Check them out at: http://www.challengedathletes.org.
Their grants support equipment and training for challenged athletes. They will
be offering assistance to those effected by the Boston marathon bombing and are
determined to help anyone and everyone nurture their inner athlete. Please
consider supporting this amazing foundation and this inspiring event. http://SDTC13.kintera.org/cartersangels
I look forward to the day I get to swim the cove WITH
Carter, but until then, I will carry him in my heart on October 20th.
Happy 4th Birthday Carter! Happy 20th Birthday CAF! Thank you for
your support! Love, Suzy
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