I had a hard time deciding what to call this article. My second choice was "What's Your Excuse?"
I've mentioned my wife Angie before. Her faith in God and her relentless spirit are true inspirations for just about anyone that meets her. This week she has found a way to add even more examples of both.
Here is a little background for those that don't know about her. When Angie was 17 she was diagnosed with Macular Degeneration and declared legally-blind. They took away her driver's license within a year of her diagnosis. Rather than sit and feel sorry for herself, she began running. Over the years she has completed 39 marathons/ultra-marathons, as well as 4 Ironman triathlons. (She was the first-ever physcially challenged female to compete and finish the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii)
About a year and a half ago, she came down with congestive heart failure. They implanted a pacemaker/defibrillator back in January of 2008. Not letting that stop her, she completed two more marathons this past winter.
Although her heart has improved from her initial stay in the hospital, it still isn't great. A couple of days ago they tried to do a procedure to limit the number of extra beats to give her heart a better chance to recover. After 3 hours in surgery, they were unable to access the area with the biggest trouble. Her next step is to try ANOTHER new medication before they would need to do a surgery going in through the chest.
When she woke up and heard the news, she just took it all in stride. Like always, she didn't feel sorry for herself. Wasn't disappointed. Wasn't depressed. She just said, "Ok. Lets try the new medication and see what happens."
Not only is she psychologically tough, but physically as well. Although she broke her foot this past weekend and has a walking boot/cast she was up at 4a.m. the day of the surgery getting a workout on the elliptical trainer. She knew she was going to be lying in bed for a couple of days, so she wanted to get a workout in first.
So whenever I get lazy, or tired, or even a little hurt and want to make up some excuse for not going to train that day, I just need to remember that with everything she deals with (including me) she doesn't make excuses. She doesn't give up. She doesn't give anything less than 100%. Not as an athlete. Not as a mom. Not as a wife. Not as a Christian.
Thank God for putting her in my life. Amen.
