MAY 2009
Well, May was full of tears, hugs, celebrations, friends, fundraising, motivation, new friends, new adventures and the beginning, the real beginning, of my new normal. I made it. I did it. And, now I know what I can accomplish and where my passion lies.
After the drama of tryouts for BHS Rockettes, I put my priorities in order and Doug and I were out of here. We kissed the kids, left them with family and traveled to the US Virgin Islands~St. Thomas!!!! It was a treasure. Doug's parents joined us and truly treated us like royalty. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton and were completely spoiled. Skies the color of Steph's eyes, white sandy beaches and an infinity pool you'd die for. Food and drinks delivered to our chairs, and the absolutely most fantastic staff I have EVER encountered. I'm not kidding. They were spectacular. I actually lost track of the dates (which was probably a good thing) but at 3 pm on May 8th, we all lifted our glasses to the sky and thanked Stephanie for changing our lives forever. Coming home was hard, but I found myself needing to see Sara and Scotty...which is a big step for me. I felt ready to come back and be mom again. I can't explain it, but it was a long year.
NONE of this would've been possible without my in-laws and my staff and administration here at BMS...what teacher takes an entire week off in May to "vacation". But, as I've said 1 million times, my team, administration, and school district have been behind me 100% and NOTHING was possible without that support. It will never be forgotten.
Then, after the vacation reality sunk in..but there was a very exciting adventure right around the corner. The Cleveland Marathon. And in the Cleveland Marathon were over 100 people supporting TEAM Stephaine and the ITP Foundation in some capacity. Water-passer-outers (as I called them), volunteers with organization of teams (Thanks Alicia), shirts (thanks Darcy and BTZ~ love you all), collections jars (thanks Beth), constant communication and clarification (thanks Julie), and then the runners and walkers. WOW.
TEAM Stephanie was represented in every category on Sunday. 10k walk, 10k run, 1/2 marathon and full marathon. It was so unbelievable to watch the TEAM Steph shirts cross the finish line. I cried almost at each one supporting me, my baby and ITP. Two dear friends finished the full marathon in under 4 hours...I am so proud of them!!!
Another amazing piece was Kelly and her Klan! :) What an amazing group of people, who truly traveled from all over to meet me, support Kelly, run/walk for ITP and just show their love for Stephanie...a little girl they never even met. This is what the world needs more of. People coming together for a greater cause. Love, support, friendship, and compassion. Imagine a world full of those. I can. I do not believe it is not possible. Thank you Bobby, Jyl, Jill, KellyG, KellyW, Carrie, Michelle, Liz, Elaine...I am thrilled to be part of your "group". Thanks for inviting me in! I love you all.
14 comments:
Katie,
It was worth every second...the training, the running, the pain afterwards...I would never take the joy and accomplishment back from that day at the Cleveland Marathon. Thank you for letting us be a part of it!! Keep the faith girl...I am always praying for you!I will see you at the half next year baby!!!!!
Love ya, Beth
katie, thank YOU for allowing us to be a part of honoring sweet stephie..
your family is amazing.. the amount of love makes my heart warm.
this whole weekend was amazing, and i feel lucky to have been a part of it. this is only the beggining.
love to you
xox
jill
Dear Katie,
You don't know me, but I've been thinking/praying all month for you. I'm so pleased that you took that vacation to the VI...and that you're doing so well. It's been such a tough road for you (I truly can't imagine). You need to know that there are MANY of us who constantly lift you and your family up. Blessings and love. Another Bay Mom
Katie, you did it. You made it through the year. Only good things are to come for us. I know it. And you can join our Klan anytime. I love those Rosie friends of mine. They are the real deal, just like YOU.
BTW, It cracks me up to hear you refer to me as KellyW.
Katie- YOU are an amazing person! The spirit in you and your family- the love, the compassion...This past weekend was truly incredible!! I am so honored to be a part of something so special. Thank YOU! Looking forward to more adventures with you...
xo
mrs.lufkin , its looks like u had a great vacation and a lot of wonderful friends!!!!u seem to be doing well, u have done so much to raise itp awearness.............u are looked up to and loved ecspecially from us at BMS
- BMS student
Yeah Katie!!
Congrats on making it through this past year, there is nothing you cannot handle after this. Look at how much you have accomplished this year and how many lives you've touched. You are amazing!
Wish I could have run with your team.
Betsy
I wish I could have been there with you on race day...but i was certainly there in spirit! I can't wait to hear all about it when I get home! I know it was awesome:) Love you and miss you xoxo
Katie-
It was an honor to run the 1/2 marathon for Stephanie and for your family. It was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I wouldn't have wanted to spend my 35th birthday any other way! You continue to be in my prayers daily. I am in for next year! See you there!
Wow...what a tremendous outpouring of support. It's heartwarming to know you've made it through this difficult year and that you were able to get away with your hubby. I think your support network is amazing and such a gift. You don't know me, I follow Kelly's blog, but I continue to pray for your family daily and hope the pain continues to ease with time while still holding the memory of your sweet girl close. Sending you hugs (( )) (( )) for strength and support from Michigan!
katie- for days i've been trying to find the words to describe last weekend. i am at a loss. each time i think about it, i begin to cry. what an honor and pleasure it was to meet you, doug, scotty, sara, and the rest of your family. although i never met stephanie, she will always be a part of me. i look forward to many more TEAM stephanie adventures!!! xo- liz
Katie: I so wish I could have been there...but my spirit was with you. I'm having a bit of a hard time myself right now but nothing like yours. I am so happy to see you settling in to your "new normal". I do hope we will meet after I relocate to Cleveland (in 3 weeks!). Peace and love as always. xoxo
Hello Katie my name is Judy and I am from Houston, Texas. I just found your story through the ITP Foundation website. I have a 14 yr old nephew in Austin, Texas that has suffered from ITP for 7 years now. I never knew there were other people whom have suffered from this horrible disease. This disease is not known in Texas. There is one other child we know of that has this disease. I have been looking and searching for answers, solutions, treatments for years. My nephew is very sick right now and looking for a donor for a bone marrow transplant. He also has Lupus. I am so very sorry to hear about Steph, I have to admit I am lost for words because I am so afraid we are going to lose my nephew. As of 6/8/2009 his count was at 4,000. How do you find strength to accept this disease? We feel so alone in this struggle. He is a very strong kid and sometimes he has to keep us up and going. I am really sad because I never knew what this disease was capable of doing. Love and sympathy to you and your family.
Judy from Texas
JamTexas...
I'd love to communicate more about ITP with you. There are some questions I have for you. And...get involved in the ITP Foundation.org. We're working really hard to spread awareness. It is NOT as rare as everyone thinks it is.
my email is ktdl03@oh.rr.com
peace to you and your family.
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