Mission Moment

On Sunday right before we were about to start swimming in the Bay for our practice triathlon, one of our mentors told us that Frankie, the brother of one of our teammates, had passed away on Friday after a long battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He was only 29. I looked around me and noticed many people wiping away tears.

I've never met Frankie, and I don't think any of those other folks had met him either. But losing him was like losing one of us. It's strange. I haven't quite sorted out all of nuances of the emotions I had in that moment. I felt hopeless, helpless, guilty, honored, angry, and sad. I felt terrible that I was enjoying the beautiful 80 degree day and that his sister wasn't here with us but preparing for a funeral. I felt determined to train more for him.

I remember the practice Tri we did last season. It was cold, windy, and pouring rain. I was miserable and frozen even before jumping into the bay. And as we waited to swim, some yelled out "Be thankful to be here." Now more than ever, I am thankful to be here, will take inspiration from Frankie's struggles, and am glad that I am able to do something, even if it's very small, to battle blood cancers for people who cannot.