Louie Treasure Island Tri

Honoree Larissa Campana and participant Kathryn O’Dell were featured in the SF Chronicle photo highlighting the Louie Triathlon! The team was also featured on the Channel 2 news at 10pm on Sunday night.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2006/01/23/BAG35GRGPH1.DTL&o=0

In the coming days, I'll share my experience of this day. Let me just say for me it was a biathlon (Swim/Bike) with a very long transition from the Swim to the Bike, including an interview by Channel 2.

Green Tea Kills Leukemia

Green tea extract 'is cancer aid' The tea, discovered in China nearly 5,000 years ago, has long been thought to have health benefits. But the team from the Mayo Clinic in the US found it appeared to improve the condition of four patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4551748.stm

Helping Each Other Along Life's Course

Helping Each Other Along Life's Course By Stephen Clark LA Times Staff Writer

By mile 18 of the 2003 San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, first-timer Daniella Ruiz, 36, had reached her breaking point. With a blister the size of a golf ball on the sole of her left foot and virtually nothing left in her tank, she plopped down onto the pavement, pulled out her cellphone and called her mother, Iris Ruiz, who was waiting for her at the last mile.

"Mom, I can't take another step," she said, sobbing.

"Yes, you can," said the elder Ruiz, who had recently endured four months of chemotherapy - losing her hair, losing weight and losing her strength - after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which was now in remission.

She had prevailed, she said, and her daughter could too. "I'm going to send angels to lift you up on your feet, and I'll be waiting for you at the finish line. If I endured those days at the hospital, there's no reason why you can't get up and walk to the finish line."

Daniella Ruiz tucked away her phone, got up and limped the final eight miles to the finish line. There, she fell into her mother's arms.

" We hugged and sobbed for the longest time." Daniella said.

Since then, mother and daughter have gotten through seven more marathons, traveling as far as Honolulu. Daniella does the running. Her mother gets her to the finish line, meeting her in the final mile. Together, the two walk hand in hand to the end.

For Iris and Daniella, the last mile of each marathon gives them a chance to show the power of holding on despite the odds. Family members often run or walk races in honor of their loved ones, but "it's very uncommon for the patient to be able to participate in such a wonderful way," said Liz Olsen, national spokeswoman for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the beneficiary of the national team Daniella runs on. "The patient is often at home, unable to participate in the last mile."

For the full story http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-cancerrun3jan03,1,701760.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california&ctrack=1&cset=true

Dinner with family

[L to R] My Mom, Drew, Jessica, and my Father

Last night I was blessed with the company of my parents, and Drew and Jessica cooking us all dinner at their condo. It was a joyful evening, with delicious food, wine and lots of laughter!

[L to R] Me, Jessica, Dad & Mom

10 Tips For Living

1. Throw out the nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight, and height. Let the doctors worry about them... it's their job.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about computers, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop... and the devil's name is Alzheimer's."

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long, and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love. Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: if it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9.Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

10. You never know when an act of kindness, a kind word, a hug, or a smile can change another's life. Give it freely. It costs you nothing but may change another's life.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away