FEATURES

Using My Superpowers For Good...

Tuesday, 24 February 2015 00:10

By Jen Wilson

Triathlon is a pretty selfish sport. Not the triathletes themselves; they are in fact some of the most generous, caring, compassionate people I have ever met. But it is an individual sport, so it’s all about “me”. We are always striving for a new personal record, scheduling life and family around our training, sinking obscene amounts of money into gear, equipment, race entries, training, nutrition… All to keep improving ourselves and get a few seconds faster. But we love it and nothing can compare to that sense of accomplishment we feel when we cross that finish line.

I raced my first Ironman in September, 2014. It was an amazing year of training, with some great races leading up to Ironman Wisconsin. I was injury free and prepared. I remember sitting at the Welcome Dinner two days before the big race, listening to the presentation by the Ironman Foundation about giving back to the community and I suddenly felt like my training was incomplete. Yes, I was physically and mentally ready to take on 140.6 miles, but I began to wish I would have used my training and race to help others in some way. I am just an average person, but when I finish a race, I feel like I have superpowers. And I wanted to use my superpowers for good.

When my husband and I decided to sign up for Ironman Wisconsin 2015, the first thing that went through my mind (after the initial I-can’t-believe-I’m-doing-this-again panic) was this year, it’s not going to be just about me. I am taking on this amazing feat, and if I can use it to someway help others, then that will be the icing on my Ironman cake. (For the record, Ironman is NOT a piece of cake). It wasn’t hard for me to pick which...

non-profit I wanted to support. I chose the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association in honor of my mother-in-law, who suffered from a stroke May 14, 2014, likely caused by a heart condition she wasn’t even aware she had; atrial fibrillation.

I got the call from my husband around 10:00am on that day that changed our lives forever. He told me that Mom had a stroke and was in the hospital, so I immediately got in the car to meet him and the rest of the family there. Mom had not been feeling well for a couple of days leading up to the stroke. She thought she just had a cold and was feeling run down. She kept putting off going to the doctor, even though she complained to her coworkers that she was experiencing some numbness in her left arm and leg. She said she would go to the doctor the next day. That night, she was talking to her sister on the phone about how ill she felt, and her sister told her to get to the emergency room. She promised she would. She is not completely sure about the events that happened next, but she collapsed. She couldn’t figure out why she couldn’t get back up, not knowing that her left side was paralyzed. She managed to crawl over to her phone, but the battery had died. She tried to get to a phone charger so she could call for help but couldn’t make it. She lay on the floor helpless from about 2:00am until she was discovered the next morning around 9:30am by her boss. Mom was never late to work, and when she didn’t show up that morning her boss knew something must be wrong, so she drove to Mom’s house to check on her. The doors were locked but she could hear Mom inside, whimpering for help. She called the police and they broke down the front door, got Mom in an ambulance and rushed her to the hospital.

Seeing Mom in the emergency room that day was shocking and devastating. Here was a woman, only 59 years old, who was walking around and living her normal life the day before. Suddenly, there she was before us; unable to speak, unable to move, face drooped, body bruised from her fall, and she didn’t understand that her left side wasn’t working because of the damage the clot was causing in her brain. The worst part was not knowing whether or not she was going to recover from this. The doctors were able to remove most of the clot, but only time and therapy would tell if she would recover and regain use of her left side or even be able to walk again.

Gay Bjorklund Wilson is a strong and stubborn person, and she wasn’t about to let a stroke stop her. Her goal was to be able to walk again by July, so she could walk her daughter down the aisle at her wedding. (And she did it! With the help of her walker.) After the hospital, Mom had to move into a transitional care unit to receive therapy and assistance. Aside from the physical damage the stroke caused, Mom and our family had to deal with the aftermath in all aspects of her life. She is no longer able to work. Without an income, she lost the home she had been renting. Her pets had to go live with other family members until she can get into a place of her own again. We have all had to work together to make sure her bills get paid. It has been frustrating and devastating for her to lose her independence in the blink of an eye.

Nine months after the stroke, I’m pleased to report that she is walking very well with a cane, her speech is completely back to normal, and she has almost gotten full use of her left arm back. She still suffers from some left sided weakness, but continues to make progress every day. She is getting ready to move out of the transitional care unit and start rebuilding her life.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in America. Stroke is number five. 80% of cardiovascular disease and stroke cases are preventable (www.heart.org). I have made it my mission this year to raise money for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. I firmly believe that we can reduce those numbers by educating the public about warning signs and prevention, and by funding the research that allowed the doctors to save my mother-in-law’s life. I hope that my Ironman journey this year will inspire others to make healthy lifestyle changes that could save them or their family members from going through a similar experience, or something worse.

I am so excited to be taking part in the Ironman Foundation’s Your Journey, Your Cause program. As if completing a 140.6 mile triathlon isn’t gratifying enough, they are allowing me to share my journey with others by helping with a cause that is important to me. Please visit my fundraiser webpage - LINK - to make a tax-deductible donation and join me in the fight against heart disease and stroke. You can also follow me on Facebook by liking my page IronJen For A Cause, where I post updates on my fundraiser and training.

I don’t want to be just an Ironman. This year, I want to be a superhero, too. At least someone’s superhero. If I can make a difference to at least one person, then my Ironman journey this year will fulfill a different sense of accomplishment, one that isn’t all about me.

ED. MTN will be going "Off Course" with Jen later in the week.