Heartbroken

I am completely heartbroken this morning as I read the status of a friend on Facebook. He said,

"Leah is in Palliative Care at MCV. Shortly after Kathy and I made it to Richmond, our immediate family and Johnny sat by her side as she was taken off life support yesterday afternoon so that she could be "most comfortable". We feel the prayers and love you all have sent our way!!! She has stayed with us through the night. She is NOT in pain and will soon be in a better place. We will let you know how she is doing and any arrangements being made."

If you could do your pull-ups today for Leah and her family, I would greatly appreciate it. Nobody should have to go through this.

National Brain Tumor Awareness Month

As you know, we've been doing pull-ups every day this month to bring attention to National Brain Tumor Awareness month. But.... did you know:

• There are over 600,000 people in the US living with a primary brain tumor diagnosis.

• More than 60,000 adults and children will be newly diagnosed this year.   This year alone!

• Brain tumors are the leading cause of death from solid tumors in children under the age of 20, and are the third leading cause of death from cancer in young adults ages 20-39.   Leading cause of death in children…  No child should have to experience this.  Third leading cause of death from cancer in young adults…  Third.

• Brain tumors may be either malignant or non-malignant (“benign”), but can be life-threatening in either case.  Depending on the location in the brain, even benign tumors can be life-threatening.

So pull-ups are great and we're definitely getting stronger but let's remember why we're doing them. Think of Sarah, think of Lauriel, and think of the 600,000 people in the US living with this diagnosis when you're doing them. That's a lot of people who's lives have been changed forever.

Prior to this month, I could string together four dead hang pull-ups in a row without coming off of the bar. Twenty-four days into this challenge, my new max rep dead hang pull-ups sits at NINE! Before this month, my weighted dead hang pull-ups was at 5# plus a chain. Yesterday I pulled myself up twice with an additional 23# plus a chain! AND.... the month isn't over! As a group, we're sitting at 2,000 pull-ups for the month of May! If you've jumped in and done a few pull-ups this month for brain tumor awareness (even if you're not a member of Kitsap CrossFit), PLEASE add your name and number to our spreadsheet! It would mean a lot to us and, well, you've already done the work - let us know about it! Thank you to everyone who has read this post. As Lauriel said in the very beginning, "There are plenty of times where I was down and relied on others to lift me up. This isn't a fund raiser, it's about raising awareness and lifting up people when they get down." Just being aware is one step closer to lifting up someone in need. 

Lauriel and I pulling for a cure...

... after a brutal WOD with a lot of pull-ups in it.

We didn't have much in us that day...

... But we gave it everything we had and did it together.

"In Memory of Sarah"

There was an article in the CrossFit Journal dated May 9, 2012 about a wonderful young lady named Sarah who was 25 years old, a crossfitter, marathoner, and who died of a brain tumor. Her box, CrossFit Catalyst, has dedicated its self to exercise for the benefit of the brain. Most people just think of CrossFit as lifting, throwing, pushing or pulling heavy things and don't even realize the muscle memory and neuro-muscular development that must take place to pull off successful completion of specific movements. Of course, the first to come to mind are the oly lifts which are my favorite. Oly lifts are so fun (when you actually pull it off) but also pretty damn frustrating because there are so complex. On the other end of the CrossFit complexity spectrum, I've also done a WOD where you couldn't call "TIME!" until after you had put together a children's puzzle which was in a dozen pieces on the floor waiting for you. Sometimes CrossFit isn't about breathing hard or lifting heavy objects at all but instead about throwing a ball through the hole in a small tire or having good balance.

Anyway, the article goes on to explain how memory, processing speed, focus and attention can all be improved thanks to the plasticity of the brain. Then it breaks down step by step how to do it. I would link the article here but the CrossFit Journal is a subscription service ($25/year... best money every spent) so you'll probably have to login to be able to read the full article.

Of course upon reading it, I forwarded it to Lauriel and was interested to hear her opinion of the article. It was weird for some reason for me to ask her opinion... I guess it is because I have no perspective here. I had no idea if the steps written in the article were helpful or true. I knew that they made sense to me but I had no idea if for some reason, her opinion would be different because she's actually lived it and experienced it. Upon reading it, Lauriel immediately sent the author of the article, Chris Cooper, an email to introduce herself and her history with this experience, thank him for bringing attention to the subject, and to represent Sarah who will never be forgotten. Lauriel then forwarded me a link to Sarah's Blog.

Sarah's Blog    

When I received the link, I was at the barn while my daughter was taking her horseback riding lesson. The next thing I knew, I was sitting in a barn laughing and crying while reading Sarah's story in her own words. What a courageous and  inspiring young woman. Click the link above and get ready to ride a roller coaster of emotion and be inspired. 

At the end of the CrossFit Journal Article, there was a WOD listed that CrossFit Catalyst does in memory of Sarah.

"100 Grand"

10 rounds for time of:

10 box jumps

10 knees-to-elbows

10 tuck jumps

10 squats

Lauriel and I decided that we will remember Sarah by doing her WOD together sometime this month. It will be to honor her and National Brain Tumor Awareness Month. When I do my pull-ups today, I will think of Sarah's strength and determination.

Sarah Grand

Pull-ups Yesterday

This photo is from the noon class yesterday at Kitsap CrossFit. I'm pretty sure the entire class was "in" and getting stronger doing their pull-ups. Love these people!

Pull-ups

Don't forget to do your pull-ups!

Lauriel doing what Lauriel does! She's known to also do these around downtown Seattle... trees, construction equipment, anywhere she can get a grip for a pull-up. Learn more about National Brain Tumor Awareness month and do your pull-ups!

FU Cancer

Pull-ups For a Cure

May is National Brain Tumor Awareness month. I currently have two friends who have been diagnosed with brain tumors. They are among 600,000 people in the United States living with a brain tumor diagnosis. One of my friends, Lauriel Luther, was diagnosed just over a year ago. She underwent surgery which removed the tumor and continues to fight with numerous rounds of chemotherapy, radiation, and infusions. Her last MRI scan was clear showing that her treatment is working but she will continue to fight every day for the rest of her life.

In an effort to raise awareness for these amazing individuals, she has created Pull-ups For A Cure. For the months of May, I will join her in completing a set of max-rep dead-hang pull-ups. When chatting with her about this, she said, "There are plenty of times where I was down and relied on others to lift me up. This isn't a fund raiser, it's about raising awareness and lifting up people when they get down." 

For the month of May, please join me in completing a set of pull-ups for those living with the reality of this diagnosis.  Even if you can't devote every day to doing pull-ups, do it whenever you are able. Use a band if you need to, it doesn't matter. It is all about being aware, raising awareness of others, and supporting these amazingly strong people. 

I did my first set this morning and got 4 reps. I did them thinking about Lauriel and my friend's sister, Leah. Hopefully my number of pull-ups will grow as the month progresses, just like our awareness.