Fleeting

 Yesterday afternoon, I noticed that a friend had posted a message about how a fellow cyclist (Mike) had gone in for surgery, and that he wished Mike well. As much information as there is on the internet, I could not figure out why Mike was in surgery and what the surgery was for. With a little bit of more searching, I found that he was having his leg amputated from above the knee, and with more time, it was revealed that Mike had blood clots, and that there was not a chance to save his leg.

The first point of this is to call for donations. With the current costs of medical care, Mike and his family were hit with huge bills. Here is a link where you can donate: http://www.gofundme.com/2hxlos. Please consider donating. As with any noble cause, there are many ways you can invest your time, money, and energy. Please consider helping my friend.

Several months before Mike had this surgery, my former swim coach and close friend Karin was diagnosed with cancer. She looked after my older brother and I while my parents went to Vietnam to adopt my sister. Karin is currently going through chemotherapy. I don’t think that there is something similar to this set up, but if there is, I will update the blog.

I only had a few opportunities to ride with Mike. The first few times, we were about equal. Then he started riding with another group, and when I was riding with him again, he was riding in the Cat 1/2/3 fields (for the non-cyclists out there, that means he was fast). I have no doubt that he will ride again. From our brief interactions, I knew few who were as intense on the bike.

Karin was a former collegiate swimmer at the University of Pittsburgh. She would get in and swim with the masters team that she was coaching. Despite having three kids, she was still incredibly smooth and fast in the water. Her breaststroke was something to behold. Scary, in fact. Currently in awe thinking about.

Health is fleeting. Our time spent with our friends and family is less. Take advantage of it. Care for each other. Use every moment. We never know when it is going to be taken away.