Spotlight - Courtney Correnti

On November 1st, I will cross my fourth marathon finish line, this time for a charity with profound personal meaning.

I am running the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon with the Athletes to End Alzheimer's to honor my mother, Charlene, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 2013.  My mother has Alzheimer's.  Yep. Still sounds surreal to even say it.  But, I say it, and I say it without hesitation.  

There is no shame in it; and, the more the disease is given a face, the more it will be talked about.

If you're one of the people reading this, you already know the numbers. They're staggering.  So, from both a quantifiable and emotional place, I am running for my mother, and for my whole family, because it could be any of us.  We don't have a family history.  The unknown has come along, and believe me, it's schooled me in all things Alzheimer's.

Without seeking the root of the problem and figuring out how to prevent it, everything else is really a band-aid. I was taught that if I saw people  falling off of a mountain, I wouldn't send an ambulance to the bottom.  I'd run to the top to see what the hell was going on.  Well, we're there.  People are falling off of that mountain left and right, and I run so that our resources can be used to prevent this. 

I run because The Alzheimer's Association has been an immense support network for me.  The 24-hour hotline is always there, and my support group has been an incredibly centering force in my life.  Through the connections I've made there, I was referred to a wonderful licensed clinical social worker.  The chapter asks nothing in return.  So, I really do want to give back to an organization that does so much for me and my family.

I run because my mother's a funny woman, and I am consistently moved that she's still self-aware of her comedic ability--sometimes even laughing hysterically at her own jokes.  Sometimes, when the mother I know stops and the mother I'm starting to know begins, I reminisce with her about one of her various sitcom-worthy stunts, and BOOM.  She's back.  I run because I want her, and others like her, to maintain what makes them smile.

I run because things have changed, and I don't know what else to do about how unfair that is.  I know now I have to keep my telephone conversations with my mother concise.  My mother, the same woman who used to proof-read my papers in high school and insist I compete with her on crossword puzzles (otherwise, she swore my SAT verbal would suffer) has changed. 

So, there you have it.  I have no control here, and I hate that.  But, I can help.  I can love my mother; I can give her great care; and, I can raise money for this incredibly worthy cause.

An old friend told me that running this marathon was my version of making lemonade from life's lemons.  And, that pretty much sums it all up.  Running this marathon will be 26.2 miles worth of what's been some incredibly rewarding lemonade.