My Inspiration....
Isaiah 41:13- For I the Lord thy God will hold thy
right hand saying to thee be not afraid I am with thee.
 That's
the memory verse of a very special young man. The
eldest son of friends, classmate of, and, friend to, my
children and a young man whose light was as bright and
hopeful, full of promise and life, as has ever burned.
Zachary John Dievendorf was diagnosed on May 14 of 2008
with a brain stem glioma...more specifically
Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma...DIPG.(Click the
link to learn more) Zak fought hard. In fact he was an
inspiration. Here he was...facing down this terrible
disease...and finding time to care for those around
him...to encourage them. Even as the affects of the
treatments took their toll Zak always managed to find a
way to smile and to use his incredible sense of humor to
lift those around him. He finished his time here on
December 26th of that same year. You see despite the
excellent care given him and all the love and prayer
there was not and still is no cure for DIPG. Zaks
testimony through his words, his actions and his
attitude, made a huge impact on many...including me. I
felt compelled to do something. To "Kick some holes
in the gates of cancer hell!" as Zaks family says but I
didn't know what. God kept (and keeps) Zak on my mind
throughout this past year.
The verse above is on the bulletin board in my home
office on the card from his memorial service. I was not
sure why I put it there at the time...but I guess God
had a plan. I was really not happy with God after Zak
went home. Like many people I was asking why? (I still
am) I felt it was unjust. I kept hearing this small
voice from somewhere inside me saying something like
"Well then do something about it!" At first I
thought it was my personal sense of fairness, then I
thought it was my ego...as if I could do anything about
it..."what could I do?"
More than a year passed and during that time
there were many opportunities to think about Zak, happy
memories, some sad but that anger was always close
behind accompanied by that nagging feeling that
something important was being left unattended. During
the early part of 2010 in conjunction with my Extreme
Lifestyle Makeover I began to run as a convenient form
of exercise. I had no intentions of running for any
purpose it was just a cost effective and practical way
to get in shape. While flipping through a running
magazine I was stopped cold by an ad for the 2010
Nautica South Beach Triathlon ...the event was being
held in support of St. Judes Childrens Research
Hospital.... the facility Zak and his family traveled
to in their battle against DIPG. Seeing the St. Judes
logo made me think of Zak and that made me smile and
then pretty soon.... here was that anger at God......"Why
Lord? Why?" ....... and I was waiting for that
feeling that something was a miss........... but it
never came.
 Suddenly
I felt very peaceful as if I had just gotten the idea
for a solution to a problem that had been perplexing
me. One of those You know what might work?
moments..I saw myself swimming, biking and running......
with a purpose.....then reality snapped back into
focus... "A triathlon? Seriously God? Me?"
Ridiculous! And yet I found myself tearing the ad out
and affixing it to the mirror next to my bed. I had
barely even run 3mi. without taking a walk break and
here I was considering a 1.5 km swim, 40 km ride, 10 km
run. Time passed as I considered the sheer folly of my
attempting a triathlon.... I looked at the mirror every
morning and saw the ad, thought of Zak and the whole
thing happened all over again. I decided to register to
run in a "real" race and see how things went. Call it a
feasability study. Things went well and I was
encouraged to enter another race...even longer...twice
as long..... 6 miles...10k...the last portion of an
Olympic Distance Triathlon.
I did it...not well but I did it...non-stop 6
miles...never in my life would I have dreamed that
possible but with work it had been achieved....I started
to ride my bike.another test study...first 6miles, then
8 and then 11 miles to Beaver Lake, a 3 mile run, and
then 11 miles home!
Then I got another "Zak Attack" as his family calls them
when I was reading a running blog online and a picture
of a runner from the Walt Disney World Marathon popped
on to the screen. Being a Disney event people wear some
weird stuff in that
race and there was a young contestant maybe a little
older than Zak would be, wearing an exact duplcate of
Zaks furry red pimp hat, smiling and staring right into
the camera. Looking it seemed right at me. Well I saw
the hat...started thinking about Zak and......"A
Marathon? You must be kidding Lord!" But I
knew...He wasn't and now neither was I. A plan started
to form ...a long range plan...a purpose for the
running...maybe I could do something....
I decided to take the encouragement from
Zaks Caring Bridge Journal to "Support any St. Jude
fundraiser" to heart only I am not waiting for St. Judes
to schedule events. I am going to run, and run and
bike, and swim and every time I do I want it to be in
support of St. Judes Childrens Research Hospital and in
memory of Zak D.
I am asking you for your support. I am asking you to
help to give the families and the children affected by
this horrible disease reason to hope. I am asking you
to help beat DIPG. Here are the four events that make up
the 4 for Zak fundraiser
- Philadelphia
Rock-n-Roll 1/2 Marathon September 19, 2010
Run - 13.1 miles
- The St. Jude
Memphis Marathon
December 4, 2010
Run - 26.2 miles
- The Nautica
South Beach Traithlon April, 2011
(TBA)
Swim 1 mile - Bike 24 miles - Run 6 miles
- The Syracuse
Ironman 70.3 September
20, 2011
Swim 1.5 miles - Bike 56 miles - Run 13.1 miles
Got no money? Then I am asking for a few minutes of your
time. If you have no money send this link
www.mystjudeheroes.org/forzak to 10 friends and ask
them if they will support my efforts. Click on the
Share this links at the bottom of the page, write a
letter or as unlikely as it may sound to you now...sign
up for an event and RUN! Check out
www.stjudeheroes.org and become a St. Jude Hero
yourself.....Now I'm no hero...Zak was a Hero...but you
can be a hero to the kids who are facing this disease
right now. I am covering all of the travel,
registration and miscellaneous training expenses
attached to all of these events.
Click on the link below to donate and then stop by
often to see how training is going, to hear about
new events and opportunities to support St. Judes.
There will be plenty....of that I am
certain. Give what you can...one time...or a
regular monthly gift. All donations are made
securely through St. Jude directly. You can ear
mark dollars to go for DIPG by indicating that as
your preference.
Running is a new activity for me. One that is
difficult, and at times painful. It is a struggle for
me but that struggle, that pain, pale in comparison to
what Zak and other kids like him go through while
battling DIPG. It is nothing when compared to the loss
experienced by their friends and their families. I
carry that thought with me as I prepare to face these
challenges and I pray that someday I will run just to
run because this disease has been defeated. When I see
Zak I hope he will be as proud of what you and all who
donate have done in his name as those of us who knew him
were proud of him and the example he showed to us all
...an example of Faith, Hope and Love.
"Well done good and faithful Zak"
Well done indeed.
***On the way home right after finishing this page I
heard this read by the author, the current poet laureate
of the United States, on the radio.......
Separation
by W. S. Merwin
Your absence has gone through me
Like thread through a needle.
Everything I do is stitched with its color.
You never have to wonder "if" God talks to us.
Sometimes it's the "how" that just blows me away!
W.S. Merwin was just named Poet Laureate of the U.S.
oh and for those "in the know" he is a Buddhist.
Nice touch Zak!
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