PIT of DREAMS
-BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME-
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-AND COME THEY DID-
75 firefighter's and law enforcement officer's came together to honor 2 brother's who had fallen 1 year ago and to raise funds and give HOPE to a brother who is fighting a war of his own now. Close to 50 more people were on hand to cheer on the ones who were in the arena battling for the strength to keep moving and the air to fill heavy lungs. I was humbled by the turn out and the amount of donations that we were able to collect for Shakey and family. Day 1 was nonstop from 7:30 am thru 6 pm that evening. Doug Cooper came and busted out the grills and went to work feeding the hungry athletes. The atmosphere was thick and everyone pushed harder than we had prepared for, no one dogged it and all suffered in their own way to honor these men. Day 2 began a bit early but by the time our first heat had finished warming up we were surprised by the guest of honor himself, Stephen and his wife Lisa! I was greeted by Shakey with tears that flowed freely and a real man hug that seemed to have lasted forever. I don't think either of us wanted to let go. The mood in the Pit seemed to be charged and a breathe of life flowed in. When Stephen spoke I don't believe there was a dry eye. He told of his battle and what we need to do...He gave us all a gift and a warning together...Shakey has brought us all together, and as bad as this is, THAT is the blessing we some times miss because we are so consumed with the anger and sadness of the situation. The Fit Pit has become a common ground for us all and it has become his home away from home. And now for 2 days different departments have come together as one and fought hard. I know there will always be the cold and the calloused, the non believers, and the prim-a-donas BUT we out numbered them and our hearts beat louder on Thurs and Fri and I believe they will keep beating this way. Only those who put it all out on the floor together know what I mean. The presence of Stephen today mean't so much to us all, I watched in the back ground as his brothers took turns holding him and talking to him, and at one point Stephen had to sit on the stairs while a group stood around him as he spoke with his mask covering mouth and his tear stained face. This same man had gone through 55 hours or more of chemo starting on Mon morning! This was not an easy thing, but he came, and I pray he took HOPE from us when he saw the amount of people who came out FOR him! I watched him as I was explaining that these names that cover the white board represent all the people who came here to do battle for YOU, his body shook, he cried, he held me tighter. He was thankful. He was thankful to YOU! All you who came out here, all you who weren't afraid of the difficulty that lie ahead, all you who drove hours to get beat up willingly, all you who had NEVER met Shakey but came anyway to give of yourself, to give of your income to not be selfish but be LOVING! yes that is love no matter how I look at it, what ya'll did these 2 days was LOVE on another brother, and one that a majority of you had never met! See the naysayers can keep on saying what they want, the non brotherly firefighters can keep hiding behind what ever it is they think hides them. BUT what you 75 did was truly amazing to be a part of. And guess what, you will never have to feel the shame I felt years ago when I did not do the things I should have done for my brothers Because you stepped up and did the right thing! It is my honor to know you all-Clermont,Orlando, Cocoa, Winter Garden, Cape Canaveral and my Orange County brothers !!! Thank you for filling my heart and soul with this breath of brotherhood.
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This Fri afternoon at South Lake CF after leaving the Fit Pit...Squatting for Shakey, last set 300# to a 16" box with a Safety Squat Bar. Thank you sponsors and you will be getting a new club member Sun I was told!!!...Shakey, Thank you brother for showing us the love Friday by coming to your home away from home with Lisa....you have renewed OUR hope and STRENGTHENED our BOND. sleep well my friend, love ya Bull
It was a privilege and honor to be able to show up and be part of the "Fill the Pit" party yesterday! As it happens during MANY Hero workouts that I have done, it happened again yesterday - I got that feeling and reminder that I need to keep pushing HARDER because the workout I was performing was created because of the loss of a HERO... a Hero who was passionate about fitness and working out! I try to remind myself that I am doing this because I LOVE the intensity and if that Hero whose life was lost was in my shoes - he would be feeling the SAME WAY!!! FF Kennedy aka "Dork" was a Boston fireman who lost his life doing what he did best - the job of a firefighter... he was also passionate about fitness and coached Crossfit at a gym in Boston. This not only hits close to home because I am a firefighter, but because he had the love of Crossfit just like me.
ReplyDeleteThen we coupled this memorial with raising money for one of our own... one of our own who is surviving AND fighting - for his life. While I was warming up, self-destructing thoughts were going through my head... "155 pound back squats are gonna be heavy... burpees are awful... how should I break the repetitions up so my time is faster... waaaaa waaaa wah!" Then, unexpectedly - SHAKEY SHOWS UP! Shakey is the fireman we all have come together to rally behind to show that he has love and support in his fight against cancer. Bull gives a formal introduction, explanation of the workout and the websites/social media that we can use to help to continue to support the cause. And then... Shakey speaks - he says many things... but these are the things that resonated in my head during the actual workout and stuck with me. He said (with tear filled eyes), "Get yourself checked - go to the doctor. Don't be like me and think you never need to go... I have a type of cancer that if it wasn't found now, it could be way worse. My kind of cancer is not easily detected and has no signs nor symptoms like so many other cancers." And then he actually broke down and said, "And many of you here today know that I am the loudest and craziest in the room... being silly and all - but I cannot be more serious when I say that I am humbled and I want to thank you all for being here today and doing what you are doing for me and my family."
That was it... that's all I needed. Those self-destructing thoughts were erased and JUST SHAKEY being in the same building... breathing the same air that I thought had been removed from the room during my workout - ALL THAT AND THEN SOME was enough for me to suck it up and do what I came there to do!!
Again, it was an honor and privilege to be there... to be apart of something that NEVER started out about me - that something I did was just a part of supporting another brother and showing "other center-ness" with love, passion, blood, sweat and tears!!! (Ok - so there was no blood... )
Thank you Tom Hill, Dave Coughlin, Brian Megargee, OCFR Professional FFs Union, and those who I don't even know - for rallying behind a sick brother and reminding us all how to live better, live nicer, in this world.
I'm sorry I missed you, Rachel; I was on shift Friday. Looks like I missed a lot.
ReplyDeleteGreat work.