The Mother of All Game Changers 2/2
~ Walkin’ for Kate ~
On “Walk day,” I was one half like a kid on Christmas morning, eager to see what Santa left under the tree. The other half was sitting in the endodontist’s office waiting for my root canal. I was curious, excited and filled with just enough angst to wish there was a ‘practice Walk’ first.
For starters, we couldn’t have asked for a more picture perfect day. Not a cloud in the sky but that’s not all. We had a gorgeous setting for an unforgettable day on every level. What made this Walk unique was we’d be walking through one of Chicago’s most iconic neighborhoods. One minute we’d be passing the Lincoln Park Zoo, the next minute we’d be walking through beautiful gardens.
Lincoln Park has always been a very hip place to shop, eat and the nightlife never disappoints. My friends and I have been known to trip the light fantastic a time or two there, ever since we could drive and ask for the car to go to the library.
Shortly after we arrived at the Walk, I spotted some friends and a few neighbors that had told me they were coming. Then out of thin air my brother Jimmy appeared!
My brother Jimmy who lives in Deerfield Beach, Florida!
Yes, that Jimmy! Wait, what?!
Next thing I knew, friends and neighbors started multiplying like loaves and fishes. Friends I didn’t know were coming, out of town friends, siblings of friends, friends of my siblings.
It was one surprise after another, and they were all wearing Walkin’ for Kate team t-shirts! This was the best surprise party I could have never imagined!
I’m sure there was music playing, registration and information tables buzzing and ALS staff and volunteers everywhere making sure the event ran without a hitch.
There could have even been streakers (those were the days, weren’t they?) but I couldn’t say for sure because…
I was seeing and feeling so much joy and hope on everyone’s faces, everywhere I looked. Even on the faces of those whose progression had taken everything but their spirit. They displayed a grace so beautiful you couldn’t help but be reminded of God’s presence. In what felt like a blink of an eye from when Megan announced we were signed up to participate in this Walk just 8 short weeks ago, here we were, hundreds of warriors, raising awareness and funds for an end to ALS! It was ~ OMG ~ all day long!
At the exact start of the Walk, the skies dumped a biblical amount of rain on us, non-stop, until the very moment we finished. We sloshed our way forward laughing, soaked and a force to be reckoned with, until we reached the finish line. And right on cue, the rain stopped.
The Walk ended around noon and since we were very near one of Chicago’s favorite diners, we invited the Walkin’ for Kate team to have lunch with us there. Ed Debevic’s is a 1950’s retro diner themed restaurant with a snarky waitstaff in full character who love roasting their customers, which was half the fun. You came for the experience. What a day we were having…
This entire day had been surreal. I walked in (pun intended), half expecting the Walk to have somewhat of a somber undertone and instead I left inspired and uplifted beyond my widest dreams. It flipped my perspective and turned my world right side up again.
Yes Virginia there is a Santa Clause. That’s what being part of a community of “ like warriors “ is like.
It was an incredible feeling to be a part of this new ALS community. It would still be another year and a half before I found my pALS (people with ALS), my other people ~ but this was a big win in my self-imposed, isolated from all things ALS world. I just wish I hadn’t told Ellie not to come..
Yes, I told my mother to not bother coming because it would be depressing. How did I know it would be a full blown celebration of courage and determination to wipe out ALS? The 2010, Walk to Defeat ALS at Chicago’s Lincoln Park was a Masterclass of joy and resilience. If you are sensing a theme of Masterclasses in my posts you would be correct. ALS is similar to one of those teachers you dreaded like the plague, but they are the ones you end up learning the most from. That day I found my voice. ALS may try to silence it, but it will never have the last word. God will.