Sunday, February 6, 2011

Life's Obstacles

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
Christopher Reeve

I'd like to share with you something scary that happened to my brother, P, over the Christmas holidays. Let's just say that this was not a restful holiday season for our family. First, let me tell you a little bit about my brother. We are only 11 months apart and we are very close.  P is one of the most devoted and loving fathers I know, he's super smart and extremely funny. He is a runner. 

Here he is last July on a training run.

Here he is with my Super-SIL after they both completed their first marathon.
September 2010

Only three months later, on December 24th, 2010,  my brother was admitted to the hospital with a swollen and painful knee, fever, and dizziness. The diagnosis: Flesh Eating Bacteria!

On December 25th, I went to see P and when I walked into his room, I took his hand, and with tears in his eyes, he looked at me and said, "I'm scared" and then pointed to the photos of his three kids.  

He spent Christmas in the ICU and New Year's on ward 6A. The first week, he was operated on four times and by the second operation they had made a cut all the way from his groin to his ankle (sparing the knee) deep enough to see the muscle. They do this because these bacteria do not survive well in oxygen and they wanted to save his leg. Thank goodness, he did not lose his leg. The last operation he had was on December 31st when they sewed him back up.

My brother, P, is a runner and like most of us runners, he is very determined and likes to do what he can to heal quickly. Some people would use this as a very legitimate excuse to take it easy for a while. Not P. On January 1st, the day after his last operation to sew up his whole leg, he was walking and making jokes. My SIL (J) called on the phone and P was with his BIL (D).
J, "How is he doing?"
D, "We're walking in the hall."
J, "What!"
P, "We're doing our laps in 5.04 mins." laughs
D, "We're doing 10/1."
P, "Walk ten steps and stop for a minute; then start again."
J, laughs

I was in awe...instead of staying in bed and complaining because his leg was all cut up, my brother was taking that one step.

He came home on January 6th after two whole weeks in the hospital. Within two days, he was training on the bike and walking on the treadmill.

On January 24th, exactly one month after entering the hospital, my brother called me, "I ran today!" He was so excited and I was so proud of him. He ran a little less than 1K, but the next day, it was a little more than 1Km. He's on his way. His goal: "I just want to be able to run for the rest of my life." I have a feeling he'll have no problems reaching his goal. I love you P and I am impressed by your determination and strength. I know how hard this had been for you, both physically and psychologically. Yet, you refused to let this obstacle push you down. Your perseverence has surpassed all expectations (especially those of your doctors)!

It is impossible to tell you about my brother, without telling you about my SIL, J, his wife. Throughout all this, she has been an absolute rock for her kids and especially for my brother. Thank you J, for being who you are.
Taken in September, carbo loading dinner with J & P before the Montreal Marathon!
I love you both very much.

Cheers!

Pour ceux qui lisent le français, on parle de moi sur l'excellent blogue de Maman Marathonienne.  

35 comments:

giraffy said...

What a great story!! Your brother & SIL rock!!

trifitmom said...

that is very scary !! so glad to hear he is fine and he sounds like one determined person. how did he get this ?????

Sylvie said...

I'm soooo inspired. What a great life lesson. Wow! (made me cry!)

ajh said...

Very very impressive! Good luck to your brother. That is scary stuff. He sounds truly amazing.
And speaking of amazing I had the good fortune to hear both Christopher Reeve and his wife, Dana, speak at a college graduation. They were both inspiring people.
And yes, you and I need to run a race together!

Alexandra said...

Gosh! You are making me cry! I admire the courage and determination that runs in your family! What a great role model for the children.

Beth said...

What an inspiration! I'm so glad he is better and back to doing what he loves. I'm sure you guys are role models for each other. I wish him continued health and miles!

Laurie said...

That's a very inspiring story. Thanks for sharing!

Caroline said...

Anne, that is quite a story and yes very scary,a friend of mine had the same thing, he came very close to loosing his foot. Courage and will power.

Meg said...

Oh Anne, this was a wonderful post. What an incredible brother you have, such strength and drive...I love it that it's for his kids and wife. You are truly blessed! You are also to have such a ROCKIN SIL!
Thanks again for this inspirational post, big hugs!

Pat said...

WOW! What a scarey and inspirational story. It brought tears to my eyes. You have an amazingly brave and determined brother. He's blessed to have such a great wife and sister.

Alma said...

Amazing story, Anne, thank you for sharing. I hope your brother continues to gain his strength back and the whole family is back to running races together!

MomRunningFromCancer said...

Oh my gosh - what a stressful holiday season. I am so so glad he is going to get past that hump! Your brother certainly knows and understands that Life is to be lived! It is such a gift to realize the wonder and beauty of every day. I am so so happy for you and your family.

Princess Christy said...

Thank you for opening up and sharing this. This is so inspiring!

Kate said...

Very scary. I'm so glad that he's all right now. Thank goodness for doctors and wives who are rocks.

Amy said...

OMG - that is so scary - I have tears in my eyes reading this. Thank goodness your brother made it without losing his leg - and how amazing that he is already up and running. What an inspiration!

Johann said...

Your brother is amazing indeed! He will be running for the rest of his life. That must have been so scary. How/where do we get something like this?

Kelly said...

Wow, what a scare. Thanks for sharing his story.

kilax said...

Oh gosh. I teared up reading this. P is amazing. I am so happy everything turned out okay for him and he is back at it! What a great guy!

lish said...

So happy for you and your family that your brother is okay. This was a wonderful blog post! I will send some positive vibes your brother's way as he continues on his journey!

Marlene said...

I have goosebumps reading this! How scary. He is such a trooper and what an insipiration! Wishing him many happy years with his family and RUNNING!

Heather said...

Wow! what a way to spend the holidays. He is truly an inspiration! Sounds like he made an amazing recovery and will be happily running for the rest of his life.

misszippy said...

That is an amazing story! So glad it turned out well. And what an amazing family you have!!

Will said...

Very scary. I hope your brother has a full recovery and continues his journey as a runner.

Abby @ Have Dental Floss, Will Travel said...

Oh man, what an ordeal. I'm sorry to hear that your family has gone through that, but so glad that you wrote the post. I love your brother's strength and enthusiasm. Amazing how powerful that kind of positive energy can be.

Jill said...

Oh my gosh, what a scary ordeal. I can only imagine how difficult that had to be and I am truly sorry that you had to endure that. But wow, look at his determination to get back out there...so glad he's doing better and that he's there as a true sign that we all must try to be a little more thankful!

Julia said...

Oh this is so terrible! I'm so impressed with his recovery though. Best wishes for all of your family.

Jennifer said...

What an amazing journey! Thanks so much for sharing! And good luck to your Bro.

jackie said...

what a wonderful inspiration you have. your brother sounds amazing...and has a wonderful sister in you! stay warm during the cold.

Super-SIL said...

Love you! <3 <3 <3

Party of Nine said...

This is a beautiful post and the bond you have with your brother shines through. I am so glad he is on the road to recovery!

kat said...

Wishing him welll.

mommaof3ontherun said...

Wow! Wishing him well.

Adam said...

WOW. Just wow. I am actually quite jealous of the relationship that you have with your brother. Hope all is well!!

Chris K said...

This is the most emotional post I have read in a long time. I cannot imagine what your brother when through. Can.not.imagine. He is a stud for his attitude and "getting back on the horse" so quickly. Must be because he is Canadian.

Thank you for visiting my Blog and offering your congratulations!

Melinda said...

OMG - I am little behind in reading this, but what an inspiring story. Your brother sounds like an amazing person to focus on things one thing at a time, versus feeling like the world is collapsing. That is probably why his recovery was so remarkable.