Challenge to Conquer Cancer - Cycling Relay to Austin, TX » Judy

Thoughts…

Judy — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:34:02 +0000

I’m not quite sure what day it is or where I am, but I am finally sure about why I am on this adventure. I didn’t start out the day with a great deal of purpose. It had been a long night. After driving for hours we were so looking forward to some decent sleep before our shift from 6am-noon. In the blink of an eye we saw our opportunity for sleep “drift” away. We had a flat tire in the middle of Nowhere, Mississippi. With skills that a NASCAR pit crew would envy, our guys had the spare on and we were in search of a new tire. We ended up at a Wal-Mart waiting for a new tire. We waited and waited. We finally ended up at a hotel @ 11:30 and slept 4 glorious hours! After a few hours in the van and a few wrong turns we finally found the yellow team at a McDonalds. We were late for our transition, and we were all frustrated and grumpy. I felt bad that we missed our transition time, but Laurens helped me get perspective and reminded me why we were doing this. I needed to hear that. Then, I pulled out my verse of the day (my daughter hid an envelope in my gear bag with a note to take a card with me each time I rode). Today’s verse John 14:27 which ends with “do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” I let go of my frustrations, and we started on our way, and we rode the first hour in honor of our teammate, Kathy, a cancer survivor. Our second hour was in honor of Laurens, whose attitude and strength overwhelm me. Our third hour we rode in the memory of Don’s (one of our support team) wife and brother. He lost them both a few years ago, and he misses them. A lot. Next I chose to ride and pray for the families of Scott Shuey and Dale McDaris. Both were our warriors who recently passed away. In that hour I prayed for strength for their wives and children. I know there are going to be rough days ahead, and I pray they do not forget that there is the promise of good days too. The rest of my ride I reflected on my dad’s life. He left a legacy. I miss him so much. I hate cancer. I hate that cancer stole him from us. I hate seeing my mom’s heart break. She lost her husband and her best friend. But if cancer had not killed him, my fabulous brother Ron would not have given birth to this life altering Challenge to Conquer Cancer. So, now through my dad’s death, hopefully someone else will have a chance to live. So, Laurens was right, it wasn’t about the ride. (Although the ride was great today)!

Oh Starry Night

Judy — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:42:10 +0000

Wow! What a night. It was a rough (but good) one for the white team. Jennifer tried to prepare me for the lack of sleep, but I didn’t believe her! We slept a few hours after our 9-midnight shift, and then we were on the road again. We stopped at the Trek Bike shop in Chatanooga (thanks Kim), and the Golden Corral (thanks Rodney and Hillary), and then started the long drive towards our next transition. We spent the last few hours before our shift in the parking lot of an Exxon station just off the Natchez Trace in Collingwood, TN. The folks there were great! We thought we were going to have to change in the dark on the Trace (at which point Joe offered up his best quote “If you haven’t already seen it, you won’t recognize it”!) About 10:30 we started trying to locate the yellow team. We ran into Laurens and Anne in the yellow team support vehicle. We decided to pay the yellow team a little visit to help them over the hump of their last hour. That last hour in the cold and dark is a rough one. After two drive bys with lots of cheers and lovely show from Milt (I’m going to keep my blog g-rated), we found a good transition spot. Adrenline kicked in as the yellow team pulled in, and we prepared to leave. After counting roadkill the night before (there were 8), we decided to count live animals on this ride. The count was nine with 2 skunks, both who threatened with their tales in the air, but we escaped safely. Who knew Kathy and I could move so quickly! The night sky was incredible. There were no clouds in sight, and the stars were AMAZING! I saw 2 shooting stars. I think they were from my dad, just a little something to keep me going. We struggled through the night, but found things to laugh about. Another great Joe quote was “My booty is squeaking!” He claims he was talking about his shoe covers, but I’m not sure I believe it. I haven’t pulled an all nighter since college, and never on a bike! For me, that was the most physically and mentally grueling ride. I like sleep. I like sunshine. There was none of that. We were warmer than last night, but still cold. We stopped a lot for food and hydration, trying to keep us all going. We also got to stop for photos as we crossed not one, but two state lines (Alabama and Mississippi). We lost a great deal of time on the stops, but the white team endured, and we were so grateful to see the pink team had scoped out a great transition spot with bathrooms (yes divas, I christened at least 4 ditches last night)! They welcomed us with lots of love, and saved their hotel rooms for us. We finally made it to the hotel, and the last words out of my mouth were “I love the pink team!” They saved great beds for us! We are now completely rested (not) with 3.5 hours of sleep. It was great fun to have a gift waiting for us from Sally and the Dots (the polka dot team). Very cute and it really made us smile. We are doing laundry, and packing up. We are moving Scott Shuey’s bike from van to van, so that it is on the road with the teams throughout the trip. That is a very moving sight. When I see his bike on the top of our support van, I am able to dig a little deeper. Thank you to all the cancer warriors for showing us what true strength and courage looks like. It keeps us going.

Off we go…

Judy — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:49:18 +0000

Well it is almost time to get ready for our midnight to six ride. I was really mentally struggling with this when I realized I’m only facing six hours of fear and uncertainty. How do our warriors, and all others with the dreaded diagnosis face each day? How do Jessica and Christi not obsess on the “spots”? How does Holly deal with the questions about her meds? How did my dad face his final days, hours and minutes? With courage, dignity, and the FAITH of a warrior. This too is how I will face these next six hours. I hope to make you all proud.

Off We Go

Judy — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:01:37 +0000

Wow! What an amazing send-off. Standing in front of the Cancer Center surrounded by family and friends, it was hard not to be totally overcome with emotions. I could’t hug my children enough. I could see the pride in their eyes. That alone makes all the struggles worth it! My diva girls were right there too! Then as we were about to pull out, one of my students showed up! Thanks Cam for coming. That really touched me.I will do my best to make sure you have A’s in all your classes-I owe ya! It was such an honor to be led out by Scott Shuey’s teenage daughter (he was one of our warriors who passed away a short time ago).Team white started our first shift at nine. It was oh so cold(30′s), and although I thought I was prepared for the cold, I quicky realized I wasn’t. There wasn’t a thing we could do about that, so we dug in and started peddling. Don and Mike did a great job of keeping us safe. We didn’t talk much tonight; I think we were all just settling in and trying to deal with being up past our bedtime! After seeing 8 roadkill, we made it to our expected transition in Murphy, NC. It was great to pull in to the cheers from the yellow team. They are off on their way. We got changed and back in the van. We passed team yellow. They looked good in their paceline, and shared a wonderful view with us-thanks Beth! Now we are in search of a hotel to crash for the night and rest up for our next shift at midnight. Team White is STRONG for the fight!

Here I Go….

Judy — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:21:48 +0000

I’m Judy, better known as Ron’s sister, and I’m on the white team. I don’t know many of the folks on the P3C3 team. I didn’t do many of the training rides. I’m significantly slower than most of them, and frankly just can’t keep up! But here I am. Almost ready to go, and now I’m going to attempt to come clean. Admitting my weaknesses and fears is not easy for me. After going through a divorce, being a single mom, and having my dad diagnosed with cancer; I learned to hide my feelings and put on a smile. No one wants to see or be around a depressed, angry, weak person. So I stuffed down my fears and covered my weaknesses with food. I’m not quite sure how I thought that was going to help, but it is what I did nonetheless. In 2005, my world changed. My dad died. It was cancer’s fault. My dad was THE MAN! If you knew him, you know exactly what I mean. If you didn’t, you missed out. But if you know my brother Ron Jerina, you have a pretty good idea what my dad was like. The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. My dad loved God, loved his family, and loved his life. He REALLY loved life. You know the kind of person I mean, the kind you just can’t help but be happier when you are around them. I covered my grief with more food, and I reached the epitome of unhealthy. Then, God used a song to speak to me. I heard Lee Ann Womack’s song “I Hope You Dance”, and I realized I was choosing to sit out on life. I was completely missing out on the thing my dad enjoyed most…LIFE! I was letting cancer win! Cancer took my dad, and without even entering my body, it was taking me! So I started fighting back. I’ve had two knee replacements and have lost nearly a hundred pounds. I still have more to go (a lot more), but I’m coming clean with my fears. I’m afraid I won’t be fast enough, strong enough, or that my “fake” knees won’t hold up. But what I’m not afraid of is standing up and saying I’m here to do what I can to KICK CANCER’S BUTT! I’m here with my less than perfect body to ride for those who can’t. To fight for my friends, Christi, Jessica and Holly, who are all battling cancer. For my mom, for our warriors, and for my kids grandmother, Ann. I will fight because I can. When I feel like giving up, or complaining, I will carry on with the spirit my own father exhibited when he was fighting for his life. As we prepare to leave, I have to take a moment to thank people who helped me get here, because this is a journey I couldn’t have gone on alone. I thank God for keeping my body strong, despite my best efforts to destroy it. I thank my children, Elizabeth and Andrew, who give up so much of their time with me so that I can exercise and train. They tell me they are proud of me. My “diva” friends (the name we have given ourselves), who hold me accountable to my workouts and never complain (well almost never) when I drag them on another ride or to another triathlon. I have to thank the kids at my school, GMC Charter High School. These less than 200 kids raised over $1,800 last week for the Challenge to Conquer Cancer! And finally, I have to thank my sweet husband, who supports and loves me. So here we come. I’ve come clean with my fears. I’m scared, but I’m determined. Cancer better watch out.