[Update II] Dot has read every comment and since she doesn't have an account she asked me to thank everyone for their great comments and kind words. Every time she comes back to read, the tears come. Oh, and she will be opening an account.
There are times in life when you come across someone of such inspiration it brings tears to your eyes and raises the goose bumps on your arm. A week ago Sunday I was part of such a time with my friend Dot.
In 2007 Dot was about 335lbs and at 5’3" carried far too much weight that didn’t help her in her fight against cancer while living with Myasthenia Gravis.
Dot made a decision and a commitment like many people would want to do in similar circumstances to lose weight, beat cancer and run in the LA Marathon. Dot's not like most people as you'll read below.
Before you jump over the fold please rec for weight lose heroes and cancer survivors everywhere who conquer long difficult odds. They inspire us.
[Update]: Thanks for putting Dot and all the weight lose heroes and cancer survivors on the rec list. I really believe stories like Dot's help us all and in her case I know it helps many others. If you've ever met her and some of you have you'd know her as one special person. They all are.
She would hit the course having lost 189 lbs through diet, discipline and walking. She’d had her last chemo treatment about a month before. She was ready.
Having diligently trained, as race day approached Dot was bouncing off the walls with excitement. Her walks had given her a new strength and it showed in her step even though she walks with a cane and light brace on her leg.
After waiting in line for the porta potty and then for the start the starter finally shouted out the count down while Randy Newman’s "I Love LA" blared over the loudspeakers. The pack was buzzing. That was it for Dot. She couldn’t contain herself, when we reached the start banner she was jumping up and down shouting "We’re doing it! We’re doing it. We’re doing the LA Marathon".
5 miles, 10 miles, 14 miles she was strong and still holding her pace. There was discomfort and pain in her knee that is exaggerated in someone who has never suffered in a marathon but there was no doubt of the outcome in her mind.
At about 18 miles she was down to about 2mph and feeling every step but her determination never wavered for an instant. "I’m not quitting. No one thinks I can do this. I am finishing no matter what" was nearly a mantra at this point. She said it often. There was no way I was going to discourage this.
By now it was getting late and many people in restaurants, on balconies and in cars would hoot and holler and shout encouragement. They knew we’d been out a very long time. We would wave thanks and if anyone said "Keep going" Dot would respond back "I’m not quitting". One car stopped and asked if we’d really been out walking since this morning. "Yes, we have" "Incredible!"
At 23 miles Dot took her shoes off and walked on a strip of grass for 10 yards. She moved to the side walk and barely shuffled like the dying man walking the desert in the searing heat. I guess she was walking at about 1/2 mph by now.
The support had shrunk to a couple of very kind guys on mountain bikes who came occasionally came by to make sure we were okay. "I’m not quitting".
It was 7pm now and we were getting cold but she would still not even consider any possibility except finishing. I finally said "Dot I know you’re not going to quit but you have to know that at this pace you will not finish for another 6 hours at a minimum". She pleaded "Please don’t tell me that". "It’s a fact unless you get through the discomfort and pain and pick up the pace".
With that she suddenly picked up the pace to about 2mph again. After a very short time when I saw that she could maintain that I offered her my arm to take a little weight off. She immediately said "Walk faster" and I by now hurting more than a little myself picked it up to 3+ mph again and we were off. Why hadn’t I thought of that earlier?
When we turned from San Vicente to Ocean for the home stretch we could see the Ferris Wheel on Santa Monica Pier, the finish. We passsed a couple of others who’d passed us earlier, including a legacy runner who’d done all 24 previous LA Marathon’s. He wanted to call someone but couldn’t read the card so we read it for him and took off again.
Within a 1/2 mile of the finish my wife joined us and shortly after a race volunteer joined us to prep us for the location of the finish. The crowds were long gone. The clock was long gone.
But none of that mattered. All that mattered was getting to the finish.
All that was left were 4-5 incredibly kind volunteers who waited for us with our medals which they put around our necks when we arrived. There were hugs and cheers and many ear-to-ear smiles.
I and many other are inspired by Dot, a 60-year-old cancer survivor who had lost 189 lbs and then finished the LA Marathon in 12 hours and change.