"It is a wonderful act of generosity when someone shares their own personal connection with the rest of us" -Sarah Clark
At the start of every practice we have a moment moment.
A moment in which someone opens up a part of themselves and shares their story with us.
Their connection to the cause.
Their experience with team in training.
Their journey involving cancer.
We hear of loss, we hear of pain, we hear of overcoming obstacles, we hear of hope, we hear of remission, we hear of cancer fighters, we hear of cancer killers, we hear of lives saved.
Every mission moment is different.
But every mission moment is SOMEONE'S story.
With every mission moment I hear, I take something from it.
I hear not only a story. But a journey. A journey that I can many times relate to.
Having been with the team for 3 seasons now, I greatly admire and appreciate every individual that gets up in front of us, and shares their connection with us.
It is not something easy to do, but week after week, an incredible individual will share something with us, leaving us with a reminder of WHY what we are doing is so incredible, and why it needs to be done. We need that cure for cancer.
As I mentioned this is my 3rd season with team in training, and it is my second season as a mentor. When we started this season I knew I wanted to share my mission moment. My connection to cancer. My reason for joining team in training. My reason for continuing on and fighting for a cure.
So a month and a half ago I started writing my mission moment. A process that was far more difficult than I thought it would be. Every week I would set aside a few hours to write, to process my thoughts, to bring back the pain and loss of my dads cancer battle, to write of my journey, and to form it in a way that could get my message across: that the journey of cancer is difficult, that it affects everyone it encounters, that with loss it is hard but it is something that we can get through, that finding team in training has forever changed my life, that we as participants are forever impacting the lives of others whether we know it or not, and we are part of the fight for a cure.
So for weeks, I wrote and wrote, and had every word I wanted to say written out.
Every word, my journey.
Last Saturday, I shared my mission moment.
A story difficult to write, but a story I wanted to share.
A 3 page long mission moment.
3 days, 3 life changing moments, experiences that changed my life that brought me to that moment standing on "the rock" sharing my story-- encompassed on 3 pieces of paper.
Getting in front of the team was nerve wrecking. As you know, I am not shy or the quietest of people, but to share of my story brought a rush of emotions.
I stood on "the rock", looked out at my teammates faces as they were ready to listen to my story, took a deep breath, held my papers tightly, looked at them one more time-- and all I saw were cancer killers among me, my nerves at ease, my heart filled with TNT love,and I knew I could get through my mission moment.
Sharing my mission moment was a big step for me. It was a release of my journey. It was a release of emotions I had held onto.
It was my story, and the story of so many others.
As I said during my mission moment, on the rock, "This mission moment is not mine alone. It is the story of so many others. With every connection to cancer, with every battle fought, with every life affected, with every battle lost. It is all of our story. With every run, with every practice, with every race. We carry every fighter in our hearts. Their fight is our fight. They are the reason why we run."
Standing up, sharing my story, I think I made my dad proud.
I will continue to fight in his memory.
I will continue to hold him tight and keep his memory alive in me.
I will continue to fight, and carry every mission moment I have heard and hear with me.
I will continue spreading the team in training love.
I will continue on, everyday, fighting for a cure.
To those that heard my story and to those that read it, thank you for your TNT love, support,and kind words.
I was thinking of posting my mission moment here, but I think I will hold off for a bit. But if you would like to read it I would gladly email it to you, just let me know.
Let's keep fighting for that cure to be found!
Forever relentless,
Sam
At the start of every practice we have a moment moment.
A moment in which someone opens up a part of themselves and shares their story with us.
Their connection to the cause.
Their experience with team in training.
Their journey involving cancer.
We hear of loss, we hear of pain, we hear of overcoming obstacles, we hear of hope, we hear of remission, we hear of cancer fighters, we hear of cancer killers, we hear of lives saved.
Every mission moment is different.
But every mission moment is SOMEONE'S story.
With every mission moment I hear, I take something from it.
I hear not only a story. But a journey. A journey that I can many times relate to.
Having been with the team for 3 seasons now, I greatly admire and appreciate every individual that gets up in front of us, and shares their connection with us.
It is not something easy to do, but week after week, an incredible individual will share something with us, leaving us with a reminder of WHY what we are doing is so incredible, and why it needs to be done. We need that cure for cancer.
As I mentioned this is my 3rd season with team in training, and it is my second season as a mentor. When we started this season I knew I wanted to share my mission moment. My connection to cancer. My reason for joining team in training. My reason for continuing on and fighting for a cure.
So a month and a half ago I started writing my mission moment. A process that was far more difficult than I thought it would be. Every week I would set aside a few hours to write, to process my thoughts, to bring back the pain and loss of my dads cancer battle, to write of my journey, and to form it in a way that could get my message across: that the journey of cancer is difficult, that it affects everyone it encounters, that with loss it is hard but it is something that we can get through, that finding team in training has forever changed my life, that we as participants are forever impacting the lives of others whether we know it or not, and we are part of the fight for a cure.
So for weeks, I wrote and wrote, and had every word I wanted to say written out.
Every word, my journey.
Last Saturday, I shared my mission moment.
A story difficult to write, but a story I wanted to share.
A 3 page long mission moment.
3 days, 3 life changing moments, experiences that changed my life that brought me to that moment standing on "the rock" sharing my story-- encompassed on 3 pieces of paper.
Getting in front of the team was nerve wrecking. As you know, I am not shy or the quietest of people, but to share of my story brought a rush of emotions.
I stood on "the rock", looked out at my teammates faces as they were ready to listen to my story, took a deep breath, held my papers tightly, looked at them one more time-- and all I saw were cancer killers among me, my nerves at ease, my heart filled with TNT love,and I knew I could get through my mission moment.
Sharing my mission moment was a big step for me. It was a release of my journey. It was a release of emotions I had held onto.
It was my story, and the story of so many others.
As I said during my mission moment, on the rock, "This mission moment is not mine alone. It is the story of so many others. With every connection to cancer, with every battle fought, with every life affected, with every battle lost. It is all of our story. With every run, with every practice, with every race. We carry every fighter in our hearts. Their fight is our fight. They are the reason why we run."
Standing up, sharing my story, I think I made my dad proud.
I will continue to fight in his memory.
I will continue to hold him tight and keep his memory alive in me.
I will continue to fight, and carry every mission moment I have heard and hear with me.
I will continue spreading the team in training love.
I will continue on, everyday, fighting for a cure.
To those that heard my story and to those that read it, thank you for your TNT love, support,and kind words.
I was thinking of posting my mission moment here, but I think I will hold off for a bit. But if you would like to read it I would gladly email it to you, just let me know.
Let's keep fighting for that cure to be found!
Forever relentless,
Sam
