I started this journey with the Blackwood family about 6 months ago. We had learned some time ago, I believe it was spring of 07, that Cathy was diagnosed with Carcanoid. Those that know us know that the Blackwoods are our extended family. My wife Karen has know them for 12 years ever since she moved into the area to coach for ODAC (I think Jessie was her 1st Blackwood experience in the swimming pool :-) I have know them for 8 years, as long as I have know my wife.
There are no words to describe the Blackwood family. They are the most caring, heartfelt, grounded, and unselfish people I know. Yet they are the busiest, healthiest, spur of the moment, free spirited, most forward thinking people I know. Regardless of what they have going on in their lives they seem to always take the time to stop for their friends, open up their homes and their dinner table, and invite you in to be part of the family. They truly epitomize what has been lost in today's American family: Red, White and Blue Americans, focused on love and happiness through the foundation of christian values and always putting family and friends before self. (And did I mention that they are Canadian? :-)
My journey to care for carcanoid began around Thanksgiving of last year. I was at the Blackwoods for one of the many memorable times we have shared around the dinner table and Jessie had started to talk about the breezy point triathlon and how the entire family was going to do it. They were looking for ways to get the word out about Carcanoid and were going to rally behind Cathy to show support. They asked if I would be interested and I didn't even hesitate. My first thought was, not knowing Cathy's condition or what she feels physically on a daily basis, if she's doing this then I have no excuse. I will do it.
In the coming weeks and months I will post several blogs on this site about my journey through life and my experiences that I share with the Blackwoods as we go through this training journey but please, make no mistake. This journey is not about me, rather, the experience of lending my mind, my body, and my soul to helping a family that has always been there for mine, unconditionally. A very minor goal of mine is to see how far I can push my body and finish the triathlon in a respectable time. Past that I give my everything to the Blackwood family, especially Cathy. Every training session I endure I feel some sort of suffering that goes along with endurance training but as soon as I start to think about what Cathy goes through that pain goes away, almost as if her struggles with this disease are washing away the rest of ours. When I find myself focusing on the struggles of a particular training session I let my mind immediately jump to the end goal and that is the race. The race to "Tri and Find a Cure." I am devoted to this cause as I know that they would do the same for me.
Until next time......
