Runner Spotlight: September 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

SPOTLIGHT: Kara & Damien Lawson

Each week we will be picking members to spotlight to tell their Alzheimer's story and why they are running in this year's New York City marathon. Check in each Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday for new updates on who will be spotlighted and get to know your teammates...(each person is picked at random)

Elsa/Getty Images

Kara Lawson is determined to help her college coach, Pat Summitt, fight the Alzheimer's she was diagnosed with earlier this year.

Kara Lawson fighting Alzheimer's with her coach

Text message, Pat Summitt: "Call me"

Missed Call: Pat Summitt

Voicemail, Pat Summitt: "Hey Kara. Give me a call."

It wasn't really unusual for Coach Summitt to call or text, even though it was close to midnight. But it was unusual for her to do both. I called her back, but got no answer. Then I started to get nervous. I went to bed that night wondering why my coach had tried to reach me, leaving messages saying nothing more than "call me."

Connecticut Sun coach Mike Thibault had given us Tuesday, Aug. 23, off. After a brutal stretch of six games in 11 days, I planned to sleep in. I was sleeping pretty lightly when another text message came across my phone around 8 a.m., this time from Tennessee assistant coach Mickie DeMoss. The message was different, yet very much the same, "I need to talk to you today." At this point, I was really concerned, and I knew that something was wrong. I called Mickie back and again, no one answered.

After Mickie didn't answer, I knew I had to find out what was happening. I called the one person who I knew would tell me what's going on. I won't say the person's name but I promise you, anyone who knows Coach Summitt knows when you need to know something, this is the person you call. That person filled me in on all the details. Mickie DeMoss called me shortly afterward and a day filled with every kind of emotion you can imagine began.

I'm not sure if I was angry or sad first. I think it was a combination of both with a little fear mixed in. I didn't necessarily fear the disease, I feared why Pat chose to make the announcement at that point. My husband and I had been in Knoxville with Pat and Tyler preparing for the WNBA season when Coach made her trip to the Mayo Clinic. She returned with a hopeful perspective about what was ahead without even a small inclination that something was seriously wrong. Did something change? Did her condition worsen? Did something happen that was prompting this sudden announcement?

It turns out nothing really changed. Pat just wanted us to know. She wanted her friends to know, her family to know. She wanted the media, her players and her colleagues all to know. It wasn't the disease she wanted us to know about. It was the fact that she was going to be OK. Those close to her knew something was wrong. We didn't know how serious; but we knew there was something. Now we know. And that's that. "No pity party," Pat said. And she meant it. Don't even try it.

It was that "we will survive this" spirit that ultimately turned my day around.

I had been getting interview requests from the moment the news broke. Damien (my husband) had been fielding all the phone calls and dealing with the emails. The AP called, the New York Times and papers from Knoxville and Connecticut all wanted to talk. I couldn't do it. I decided to do one interview; the 6 p.m. "SportsCenter" with Linda Cohn. That's it.

The call came from "SportsCenter" at the top of the hour and Linda gave me a quick rundown of what we would do. She asked the first question about what my thoughts were and I nearly cracked. It took every bit of emotional strength I had to get through that two-minute interview. I hung up the phone, sat down and began to cry. The day had finally caught up with me.

As my husband and I were talking I realized I still hadn't talked to Pat. It turns out Pat and members of her staff were together, so Kathy Harston, Tennessee's director of basketball operations, told us to give her a call. Finally, around 7 p.m. that night I talked to my coach. Was she down? Nope. Worried? Not a bit. Relieved? Perhaps. In true Summitt fashion she was celebrating the 91st birthday of a dear friend.

The conversation never approached the day's events. She asked how I was doing, how my health was, and how I felt the WNBA season was going. She talked to me about the Connecticut Sun and what she had seen from me and what I needed to do better. Essentially -- perhaps predictably -- she was coaching me. When the conversation should've been about her, she made it about me.

Now that my season is over, it's time to make it about her again. We've been trying to come up with a way to honor Pat and let her know we will fight this disease with her. Last week, Damien was approached about running in the New York City Marathon, set for Nov. 6. That's when the wheels started turning.

Not only is he running in the prestigious 26.2-mile race, I'll be running in the 5K celebration the day before. And we're doing it all for Pat. We're running for the Alzheimer's Association and we'll be taking donations in an effort to help this organization and all of the research it does.

Pat Summitt has meant so much to so many of us. Whether you're a former player like myself or a fan who follows women's basketball, we all owe Coach Summitt a debt of gratitude. In some way, shape or form, we are where we are because of her.

Just as she is there for me every time I need someone to turn to, I will be there for her now. We will be there for her now.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

SPOTLIGHT: Richard Maciejowski

I started running in 2010 and never thought I would be able to run a Marathon, I had participated in team sports my whole life and running was never appealing to me. I began running to get into better shape and it with each passing week I wanted to tack on more miles. I began participating in NYRR race’s with my brother, who has been running since High School, and started to really get into it. We decided to enter the marathon lottery together (there is about a 10% chance of being selected through the lottery I think.) He was selected, I was not. I was actually kind of relieved that I wasn’t going to have to undertake the rigorous training I knew it would take to run the marathon! A few weeks after the lottery I spoke to my boss, Anne McBride, about the marathon and she mentioned her relationship with Lou-Ellen Barkan and encouraged me to pursue getting a spot on team R2R. I decided to apply to the team and was so thrilled to be accepted. At first, my reasons for getting on the team were very selfish, the fact that I could raise money for a charity was in the back of my mind. My feelings changed when I joined the first team meeting by phone and heard all of the stories from my teammates about running for a loved one, I thought it was very inspirational. I decided that the least I could do was teach myself about Alzheimer’s so that I could truly have a connection with the disease while I trained to raise money for the Association. I quickly learned that almost everyone I spoke to was related to or knew someone afflicted by the disease., including myself. I had a conversation with my mother 2 months ago and found out that my grandfather, who is 86, has started to show signs of dementia as he has gotten older. Now, I can truly say that running and raising money with him in my mind has made the long runs enjoyable. I’m so happy I was able to find my way to the team!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

SPOTLIGHT: Andrew Friedman (AKA: Dru Ha) - Part 2

Dru Ha Marathon Training (Part 2) with Sean Price & Dallas Penn:

Part II of Dru Ha's training, as he readies himself for 2011's ING: New York City Marathon on November 6th. After celebrity trainer Mark Jenkins explains to Dru Ha that he doesn't have time in his schedule to train him, he refers Dru to two of his trainers that can fit within his budget. Ironically, Dru Ha finds himself in Brownsville, Brooklyn in the hands of Sean Price & Dallas Penn. Watch as they give Dru Ha their tips on how to prepare for the marathon and run scared.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

SPOTLIGHT: Andrew Friedman (AKA: Dru Ha) - Part 1

MARATHON RAP: DRU HA Set To Run the NYC Marathon to raise donations for the Alzheimer's Association NYC

It will be a run to remember when Drew "Dru Ha" Friedman, Co-Founder & CEO of Duck Down Music, attempts to run the ING: New York City Marathon on November 6, 2011. Dru, whose father Harvey L. Friedman passed away from Alzheimer's this past January after a brave 9 year battle with the disease, has been training this summer to prepare for the 26.2 mile race.

Dru explains: "I wanted to do something extremely challenging in memory of my father and to raise awareness about this compassionless disease. Fans of Duck Down may not realize how instrumental my father was in assisting with incorporating and founding Duck Down. While he was a respected real estate attorney, he had little legal entertainment background yet found the time to learn enough about the business to help negotiate our early contracts and offered unconditional guidance for Buckshot and myself. To properly train for a marathon, I'm quickly learning it takes dedication, perseverance and sacrifice of your personal time. All qualities my father exemplified; it's a fitting way to pay tribute to him."

In support of Dru's run; Duck Down Music plans to release two exclusive songs created by select Artists from the labels roster. All proceeds will be donated to the foundation.

Video: Dru Ha Marathon Training (Part 1) with Celebrity Trainer Mark Jenkins

Part 1 of the two part training series as Dru Ha readies himself for 2011's ING: New York City Marathon on November 6th. In this clip, Dru Ha explains why he is running, about "Run 2 Remember" NYC Alzheimers Association chapter team, and his experience training with celebrity trainer Mark Jenkins. Unfortunately due to Mark's busy schedule training celebrities such as Diddy, D'Angelo, & Mary J. Blige, he has to defer the training sessions with another "celebrity trainer" which was documented in Part 2 of this series.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

SPOTLIGHT: Anthony Reddish

It’s five o’clock in the morning and I hear a loud alarm going off. Immediately jumping out of my grandmothers bed I rush to get ready, I knew it was time to jump on the school bus. At only the age of four I was still too young to attend school, but my grandmother (Geraldine) would allow me to ride with her on the bus route to pick up the children and drop them off at school. For over thirty years this was her routine every morning. After dropping the kids off at school we would return to the bus garage to fill up with diesel then back home until the kids got out of school. At the end of the day my grandmother would park the bus in the front of her house. After running inside briefly I was back outside to play on the school bus. Pretending to be her I would sit in the driver seat (not even able to touch the pedals) turning on the flashers, opening the doors, talking to pretend children I would “pick up” on my bus route. All of this of course without the bus actually moving.

Most people would think it was just a child playing, but looking back it was me looking up to someone who is such an influential person in my life. My cousin and the other children would be outside fishing or hunting. Not me… I couldn’t leave my grandmother’s side long enough for those things. Helping pick vegetables in the garden, planting flowers, learning how to sew paper towels together, these were the things I would do because those were the things she would do.

Looking back at the time I’ve shared with my grandmother I realized how much of a caregiver she was. Between driving the bus, tending to the house (her and my grandfather built), to taking care of my grandfather while he was sick before he passed, she always put others needs in front of her own.

One of my favorite stories of my grandmother (which shows you how brave and independent she was) she noticed there was an alligator in the pond in front of the house. I hear my grandmother RUN inside grab a gun and rush back to the pond. I rush outside to see what is going on and I hear the gun go off. She shot the alligator and was now going out in the row boat to get the alligator out of the pond. *note this alligator was fairly small. She paddles out to where the alligator is floating reaches in and tosses the alligator into the boat. Turns out… the alligator is still alive. I’ve never seen my grandmother move so quickly. Before I knew it the alligator was on the boat in the middle of the pond and she was on shore standing next to me.

In 2004 my sister who was only 9 years old at the time was “know it all” (I believe sometimes she still think she is) was riding in the car with my grandmother and while sitting at a red light she said “granny you can turn right on a red light” my grandmother responded with “I can’t because I’m driving the school bus”. This was one of the early signs that something is wrong.

The woman that was a caregiver, a mother, a friend, a sister, and MY GRANDMOTHER, was slowly starting to lose her memory.

While in college she would always encourage me to do great things. Pushing me to be the best person I can be. It was with her encouragement and passion I’m inspired to fight for what I believe in.

Prior to her diagnosis my grandmother was my strength, my heart and soul. I relied on her for my life. Knowing she is suffering and there is nothing I can do is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to face. If this run can help prevent someone from feeling the same pain I’m feeling from this disease the pain from the 26 miles will be completely worth it. Now living in NYC this run is my way of giving back for all of the great things my grandmother did for me.

PS I wrote this without proofreading or spell-check. I wanted to tell my story but if I proofread what I wrote I couldn’t make it back through the story. So ignore all errors.

Monday, September 12, 2011

SPOTLIGHT: Denise Kitchel (from Baltimore, Maryland)

My mom has been battling early-onset dementia for almost 10 years. Today, she lives in a peaceful facility in a rural setting. She has no memory—no recollection of her husband, 5 children, 7 grandchildren or anyone else who touched her life. The years leading up to this late stage were difficult, to say the least, for everyone involved, especially my mom.

In early 2011, with “the big 40” staring me in the face, I decided I wanted to do something meaningful. Getting involved with the Alzheimer’s Association seemed like a natural fit. But, as my mom ingrained in her children, you don’t merely get involved. You do as much as you possibly can to make a difference. That’s when I decided to pursue team Run2Remember, and I’m so happy to have been invited to participate.

While completing my first marathon (with a husband, two young children, a demanding job and other commitments) will be a great personal accomplishment, the fundraising is even more important. I’m doing as much as I possibly can to make a difference in the lives of others—others who may have a chance to know their families and friends longer than my mom knew hers.

My mom is an unsung hero. She dedicated her whole self to her husband and children. (We are all college graduates, some with master’s and doctorates.) She ran a successful business. She gave to her community. She was an accomplished pianist. She was happiest with her kids by her side.

There is no greater platform than the NYC Marathon to honor my mother and let the world know what a hero she is. Some days I feel profoundly sad that I didn’t tell my mom more often how much I appreciated her commitment to others and how proud of her I was. She was an amazing person, and she makes me want to be amazing too.

I guess you could say that participating on this team is allowing me to be a proactive griever. I haven’t been vocal about my mom’s dementia until now. While she is still alive, every time I visit her, the grieving cycle repeats. That is the curse of this disease. But it propels me forward with my fundraising, my running (especially the long runs!) and my awareness building. I believe I’m beginning to make a difference, and that feels good.

The other morning, my three-year-old daughter started her day with this statement: “Nana’s never going to get better.” She is right. Her grandmother/my mother is never going to get better. But we are driven by the hope that a cure will allow others to get better one day.

Friday, September 9, 2011

SPOTLIGHT: Laura Gordon

It’s a good question, why. Don’t think I’ve completely figured it out for myself yet. I stumbled into it, but now I sense I am set on a new path.

My journey started when I registered for the New York City Marathon lottery 2 hours before the deadline. I had run a half marathon in Myrtle Beach on my 41^st birthday in October 2010, and lately had become bothered by the word half. A nagging feeling - “Just half? Why didn’t you run the whole thing?” (I’ve felt they should call it a ‘thon’ instead.) I read an article a few days earlier that said if you think you’ll only run one marathon, run New York. I live in North Carolina but I love New York. The article also said it was a flat course. Perfect!!

~Click~. A couple of weeks later on Opening Day, I searched online for my entry number and screamed with mostly surprise and a bit of horror when Congratulated. Ready or not, I was in.

My Alzheimer’s connection is a parallel journey. My father’s father had suffered from it, he had been in a facility for terminally ill for years and died in 2005. We saw the same early symptoms as noted by others here – the repetitive questions, asking for his wife Mildred who was long gone. My mother’s mother is also stricken with the disease and now lives in a care facility. When knew it when she wandered, a stranger picked her up and tried to get her to a familiar place, passing several times by the church my grandmother attended every morning yet didn’t recognize. My family is in Delaware so I was far removed from much of this, but I did see the day-to-day lives of my parents affected. They’ve had a rough decade.

These journeys are now intertwined, having been accepted to run with Team Run 2 Remember. I’m taking my training for the Marathon very seriously, keeping up with my running during extensive business travel, and I have set a high fundraising goal for the Alzheimer’s Association. This has become even more relevant in recent weeks. We siblings have decided that it’s time for Dad to see a doctor. My Dad, the pilot, the navigator, who could find true North when blindfolded and upside down, now can’t remember where he parked the car. He’s repeating himself and has had behavioral episodes that are hard to explain. Everyone is scared.

I will have turned 42 on October 24 when I finish the 42^nd NYC marathon. This all has to be happening for a reason. I hope that it gives me the strength and clarity I will need as my next journey unfolds.

Monday, September 5, 2011

SPOTLIGHT: Craig W. Hatz

I vividly remember the day my dad told the entire family that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. We were enjoying our 45th annual family vacation at Sandbridge Beach, Virginia in August, 2006. After a relaxing and fun day on the beach, my dad called my four brothers and me to the dinner table and told us. He asked us to do everything in our power to keep he and my mom in their house and not separate them. We assured our dad that we wouldn't separate them, and I'm happy to say that we honored his wish. As the week went on, it was difficult for me to process the news. My dad had always been so healthy - physically and mentally. And he had been my mom's caregiver for 25 years (my mom was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 1979). He admitted that he had a short bout of depression after his diagnosis but had finally accepted it. His mom - my Nana - had died from complications of Alzheimer's Disease so he knew what laid ahead for him. He asked me, his only daughter, to be his power of attorney, which I gladly accepted even though I didn't know exactly what that involved. But I knew from that moment on that I would do whatever he asked me to do to make his life as happy and stress-free as I could. I live 3 hours from my parents' house and traveled home every weekend to gather and organize all of their financial papers and to set up 24-hour care at their house.

Over the next several years, I saw my dad's memory fail as well as his ability to bath and dress himself. That was very difficult to watch. But one thing that my dad never lost was his sense of humor - his smile was contagious. Even after he lost his ability to talk, he would start laughing for no reason - he thought of something funny and couldn't share it with us in words but when he laughed, we all laughed.

A few days before my dad passed away, I was sitting next to him and rubbing his forehead (which I have done ever since I was a little girl), and he just looked at me, his eyes lit up, he smiled, and then squeezed my hand. I knew for that brief second that he recognized me and he was happy. My dad passed away on January 6, 2011, and I've missed him and thought about him every day. When I discovered that one of the charities for the NYC Marathon was the Alzheimer's Association, I knew that I wanted to raise money for this charity and run in memory of my dad. On August 26, 2011, my mom passed away from complications of Parkinson's Disease. So now I'm running in memory of my mom and dad.

Friday, September 2, 2011

SPOTLIGHT: Caryn Chan

I am dedicating my first NYC Marathon to my mom, my dad, my two younger sisters, and most importantly, my grandmother.

The original plan was to celebrate my 30th birthday by running the NYC marathon for the first (and probably the last) time. However, life as my family and I knew it was forever changed and a new reason to run sprung up in front of me - my grandmother was drifting away to Dementia.

The beginning of a new life, April 2010: The noticeable signs started. We received a phone call from the paramedics at 1:15 a.m. about my grandmother wandering and knocking on her neighbors’ doors confused as to where she was and looking for “somebody” who was calling for help. That “somebody” was not a particular person, but a vague visual and voice. When asked who she was looking for, she did not know how to answer, she mumbled a few sounds and eventually changed the subject “Hey, how are you this morning?” (It was still dark out).

It took us a year before we started accepting that my grandmother had Dementia. We visited several doctors hoping we would get an answer that we wanted to hear. Alas, after five of the same diagnosis, we started doing our research. In hindsight, the symptoms were there two years before the wandering incident – many of which can be mistaken for old age: forgetfulness, wearing the same outfit, not caring about their appearance, confusion as to where to place certain things, and short term memory/repeatedly asking the same questions.

I finally accepted it. Then the guilt kicked in. I cried myself to sleep in the following months. I looked back at all the times I got annoyed for her asking the same question a billion times and got mad at her for not remembering. I saw how it stressed my mom and dad out, because they did not know how to handle my grandmother and the sadness they had because they did not want to leave her alone. I saw my sisters, sad, yet in denial and saw their tears that their grandmother was physically there, but mentally was in a different world. After numerous family discussions over dinner, we knew what we had to do.

Our new life, present time: My grandmother recently moved to a nursing home, where many of the patients have Dementia/Alzheimer’s. Although this is not ideal, it is the best place for her where she can get the best care. The home is only fifteen minutes away from my parents’ home and they see her every day. My sisters and I visit her often, just like when she had her own apartment. We want her to get used to the idea of living there, but eventually will be bringing her out to eat, go shopping, and go to the park. She may be in a nursing home, but we are trying to live the most normal life possible.

This one is for my grandmother, to find a cure for the disease. It is also for my family, for the emotional ups-and-downs, for the challenging road ahead, and for the future, that we can end this disease and that nothing will be forgotten.