Today I had the honor of attending a 5k race in Effingham, called Fight for the Finish. It was such an amazing event, for so many reasons, but I will focus on two.

The race is in memory of Nick Nosbisch. I didn’t know Nick, but today I had the opportunity to get to know how amazing of a person he was through this event.  Nick was a son, brother, an uncle and a friend. He was a fighter and would be proud to know he continues to inspire and change people’s lives. 

I wrote in a previous blog post that how we feel about death is selfish. And it is. Today, I felt selfish and upset for this amazing family who lost their brother too early in life. And yet, I felt inspired, because they continue to fight for Nick and for others still in the fight. 

The second thing from today was the amount of support and encouragement I felt for my fight. Nick’s sister, Amy, was my niece’s teacher and reached out to my sister, Angie, to see if our family would be interested in being part of the big day. What started off as an email, and no big deal if you are busy, turned out to be a sea of blue. 

 My brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, and friends from both Effingham and St. Louis were all there to support me and to honor Nick’s memory. They rearranged their schedules, got hotel rooms, and took time out to fight! I can’t even begin to express my gratitude to my support system. You never know how someone is feeling and I can say that no one will ever know how truly humbled I am by the love and support of my family and friends. 

I wasn’t able to walk in the event and I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal. But after all the participants took off, I was sad to be left behind. I think it was a combination of not being in the race and that is how cancer makes you feel.  Everyone is moving on, heading out, living their lives, while you sit in the sidelines and heal or recuperate. 

But at the same time, it was awesome watching everyone cross the finish line. I became fixated on the idea of crossing the finish line. For the runners today, it was a physical challenge on finishing the race.  Some running their first race and others their fastest!

And I got to focus on my own finish line. I know that there is always going to be something off in the distance. After chemo, is the one year check up, and blood work, etc. But I will focus on the battle ahead. It’s a day by day game plan and you have to be flexible to win. 

Nikki commentary: please say an extra prayer for all the families fighting or hurting from this awful disease. It has no rationale or reason. And even brings the greatest fighters to their knees. 

   
    
    
              
 
© Nicole Szymonik and This Is the Pause Button, 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicole Szymonik and This Is The Pause Button with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.