I have to admit, I’ve been quiet on my blog lately because of a big
crash. The “high” was the recent AIM
Walk in Charlotte which I still consider one of the best days of my life. You have no idea how much love and respect I
felt for people at the walk. I hugged and
shook the hands of warriors who were Stage 0 to Stage 4. I felt overwhelming admiration for those who
ran all 5K as well as to those who took the challenge in a wheelchair. I felt humbled by these folks in ways I can’t
begin to describe. And that’s one reason
that words have escaped me of late.
But the crash afterwards was hard.
After I came home, I felt like we had just won the Super Bowl. The season was over…the victory was
ours. But then it occurred to me…in the
20 hours or so that I spent in Charlotte, 20 people in the US died of
melanoma. In the 11 days since the walk,
264 warriors have left us. Melanoma
never stops to celebrate. It just keeps
being the evil that it is. And in the
midst of the crash, I felt tired.
I have no right to feel that way since I don’t have melanoma. I fight the awareness battle in memory of my
brother, but that’s nowhere near the war that others fight every single
moment. Several folks couldn’t make the
walk because melanoma was hitting them hard.
Some were in the hospital…some were sick at home…and some were way too
financially depleted from the expense of the battle to make the trip to a far
away city. Melanoma attacks in so many
ways and it doesn’t get tired. Our most
dedicated warriors get tired, but they fight on. Despite the most daunting of obstacles, they
fight on. Jillian fights on. I’m inspired by that.
Their fight reminds me of that of Inigo Montoya.
He was the Spanish sword master in the movie “The
Princess Bride.” Inigo had a sense of vengeance
to find the “man with six fingers” who had killed his father long ago. For many years, he had rehearsed his greeting
for the moment he would meet his father’s killer.
Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
Eventually, he finds his nemesis and confronts the six-fingered man
with his line. Unfortunately, Inigo is
quickly stabbed with a dagger and about to suffer the same fate as his father. When all seemed lost, Inigo mustered up
enough energy to pull the knife out and repel a killing thrust of his enemy’s sword while muttering…
Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
Another thrust is rejected and Inigo repeats the words...twice. The six-fingered man screams “Stop saying
that!” do which Inigo responds…
HELLO! My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
Ultimately, the words prove prophetic and Inigo gets his revenge. Despite having been injured and bleeding and
left for dead, Inigo’s determination and strong will saw him through.
The efforts of those warriors that fight every second of their lives,
and the determination of one movie character makes me want to stare melanoma right
in the face and say…
Hello. My name is Al Estep. You killed my brother. Prepare to die.
Hello. My name is Susan Hayes. You are pissing me off. Prepare to pay.
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