Posted by Gail Marino on December 17, 2004 at 15:26:24:
In Reply to: RACE ACROSS AMERICA-Louis Rodriguez updates posted by Gail Marino on August 02, 2004 at 09:02:43:
RAA SUMMARY - FRIDAY 12/17/04
Days 11, 13 &14 are not missing or off days, but days spent valuably healing Lou's injuries, helping the others to continue on with the one goal, that we all had in common-to finish, by cheering & supporting & by every possible way that we could. This we did from our hearts, soul & a pure selfish act of feeling satisfaction & a sense of pride watching everyone cross the finish line day after day, until we reached Central Park on 8/21/04. I believe that we were watched over that day, by Lou's brother- Harry, our friend- Mary Conroy, my dad & our good friend- Maryann Bosco, whom we lost to cancer a year ago, that is the reason for all the rain at the finish line. They were tears of joy, not only from all of us, but from our loved ones above. But of course this trip held a special meaning exclusively for us, because yes we love to run & win, but we have a respect for life & in touching one or thousands along this trip helped even just one person prolong their life through early detection of breast or any cancer, then we may not have won the race ,but we won something that is much more precious, that cannot be placed on the mantle or a shelf. Just thinking about it still brings tears to my eyes, because we know the feeling of hopelessness, when you are told you have cancer. No we did not win the battle of breast cancer, but perhaps we may have just helped make another dent into it.
It is difficult to summarize this trip because there are so many different emotions that we experienced during the entire trip. Of course the multitude of positive experiences outweigh all the negative ones, that we were forced to endure. I am saddened that doing this run has been a dream of Lou's for many years & for the last few years, it has been a topic of conversation almost daily, & now the memory of this run will always be tainted. Today, those few heart wrenching days still leave an awful taste in my mouth, a pain in my heart, as well as a disbelief at how cruel people can be, who happen to be in the "running community". But fortunately, we do have many, many wonderful experiences & new friends, that we will always remember & cherish each day spent together, as well as the extraordinary people we met along the way, & all those at home that supported us through each & every tear of joy & sorrow. To all of you, we cannot thank you enough. Lou & Agnes