George was my cousins' cousin, and he was diagnosed with AML in 1993. At the time, he was going for his Master's of Science in Business Administration. Although I never met him, I have heard stories, and family, friends and coworkers describe him as kind, conscientious, considerate, and very lovable. His faith played a central role in his life, as did humor...he loved to laugh. He was responsible, hard-working, and dedicated. When he was diagnosed, he was in his late twenties and his future was bright with possibility.
He received a bone marrow transplant following diagnosis, but he passed away not long after. He was 28. When you look at these photos of him, you can get a sense of the personality that was described to me, and it makes me wonder, "Why did he die and I live?", "Will they ever know enough about this disease to truly understand it?" These questions don't have answers, at least not yet. Maybe we don't need answers to these questions right now--we just need to maintain hope that research will address them and perhaps even one day result in the eradication of blood cancers.
I hope George is looking down on me on Sunday and smiling at all the Team members who are running and walking to cure blood cancers...I know I will be thinking of him when I pass each mileage post and cross the finish line. I am so lucky to be here and to be healthy enough to participate, but I will carry his spirit with me for strength and hope, and thinking of his smile in these photos will help push me along when I start feeling tired.
So if you say a prayer for me on race day, don't forget George and his family because I consider them all my honored teammates.
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing that Jules. It made me teary eyed. I will be thinking of you and George. I know you will do him (and all of us) proud.
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