My Real Life

So, let me begin with a huge thank you to those of you who donated or sent well-wishes to me with regards to the Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes.

I wound up raising $1,001.00!

So, thank you!  So very, very much!

The walk was this past Saturday in Bridgewater, NJ.

Monkey Girl went with me and we had a blast.

It was held at TD Bank Stadium, which is where the Somerset Patriots play.

We had a great time driving down together, chatting and having some girl time.

When we arrived, we headed to the check-in table and I handed them my paperwork.

The woman immediately picked up a cowbell and started ringing it and all of the volunteers behind the table (about 10 of them) started clapping their hands and cheering.

Monkey Girl looked at me and said out of the corner of her mouth “Um…what did you do?”

“I have no idea,” I responded.

The woman checking us in overheard and laughed and explained that since I had raised over $1,000, as an individual (there were many teams there, but only about 100 individuals), I was considered a champion.

Then, she handed me a nice, long-sleeved black t-shirt proclaiming me a champion and a warm red hoodie that said the same.

Sweet!

She looked at my paperwork again and then said “Oh!  You are a Red Strider!”

Again, Monkey Girl and I looked at each other with a “Huh?” look.

She said, “It means you are a walker with diabetes.  Many of our walkers are simply here to raise money for the cause, but don’t actually have the disease.”

So, she stamped my hand and told me to visit the Red Strider tent inside, and then gave me another t-shirt, this one short sleeved and gray and very nice.

We said many thank you’s and headed inside.

At the Red Strider tent, they gave me a red bag and a red baseball cap, identifying me as a Red Strider.

At this point, I started to wonder how much all this swag was costing them and whether that money could have been better spent going directly to the cause, but Monkey Girl reminded me that it’s always nice to reward people for their efforts.

The voice of reason, that one.

We walked around and looked at the different vendors, all health related, and did some general people-watching.

They made an announcement for people to enter the stands, and so we went and found some seats.

They then started the pre-game show, which involved the National Anthem, some key speakers, and then they started calling people onto the field.

Which people?

Oh, the Champions.  The individuals who had raised over $1,000 by themselves.

Monkey Girl said “I think they are going to call you out!”

I said, “Um, I wasn’t prepared for this!”

She said, “You have to go!”

I said, “Then you’re coming with me!”

So, one-by-one, they called 15 of us out to the field.

The 15 of us had raised over $20,000 for the walk, alone.

They gave us a medal and the crowd cheered.

It was a pretty proud moment, and I had my girl right with me.

Then, we walked.

I said to Monkey Girl, “I don’t expect you to walk a 5k with me.  You can certainly take a seat in the stands.”

She said, “No…I want to do something for the cause, too.”

And so, hand-in-hand, she and I walked 13 laps (5k) around the field.

There were over 500 of us that started and less than 100 that finished, but me and my girl did it and I was so very proud to be there with her.

And so, I share this experience with you not to toot my own horn but for a few other reasons.

First of all, to say thank you.

Thank you to everyone who donated.

Thank you to everyone who sent me a message of encouragement.

There are very few people that I know that didn’t at least say “Good luck!” at some point during this journey, and I appreciate that more than you know.

I also share this with you to show that no matter what the cause, there is always something you can do.

There is always some way that you can help out, no matter what your passion.

Will I find a cure for diabetes?

No.

But I can do this…fundraise and walk and do a small part in funding the search for a cure.

On the wall in my school, there is a mural that has this saying on it:

I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do. – Helen Keller

Do what you can.

It’s enough.