the 5K

I know you’ve been waiting, wondering, wanting to make plans and I have been procrastinating because I didn’t want to put it in writing but here’s the deal. I did not realize what went in to holding an official race and I guess naively, I also didn’t realize how much time it took to plan one either. I was/am still moved by how quickly and how many generous people grabbed the idea and ran with it (especially you Ellyn), researched and made it almost a possibility for this year, but the sad truth is we just couldn’t. We could have thrown something together but the general consensus was, if we wanted it done right, we needed at least another month or two to make it a success.  We would have greatly benefited and needed a running group to sponsor the event.  As I found out, running groups book 6 months to a year in advance.  

My feelings are mixed - the first anniversary of anything seems to hold the most significance - birth, weddings, dating, etc.,etc… so we feel that the “first” should be huge, should be just as memorable as the event itself.  But the second and third and fourth become just as important and the more years we have to celebrate, the more important they become. 

I wanted/want this 5K to celebrate more than just Michael’s survival and recovery.  Awareness - before Michael’s accident we didn’t understand the vastness of an injury to the brain, most people don’t - but should.  Prevention - we all know you shouldn’t drink and drive but how many of you still go to “happy hour” and then drive home? How many still go out to the bars, drink for hours and then drive home?  How many just like Michael, hanging out with friends, having a few drinks and get behind the wheel of a car to drive home? Michael still has friends that just don’t get it.  Fundraising - Michael’s insurance coverage for rehabilitation is over.  We are doing our best at home but we need the support of Brain Injury Services to guide us, to keep Michael moving forward with hope of continued recovery.  We do everything we possibly can to keep Michael’s brain engaged in recovery, but we are not professionals, we can only do so much on our own-there lies the other reason for the 5K. 

Brain Injury Services is a non-profit organization that is supported by state general funds administered by the Department of Rehabilitative Services. They are under-staffed and although Michael has been on the waiting list since January, his name is still far from the top. Far from receiving the benefits offered through BIS. They need our support to raise awareness and to ultimately raise funds so they can offer support to those they were established to help - people like Mike.

During the planning process, I contacted BIS to see if they could offer support for our event and the director told me about a similar event they have been holding for the last few years called the Kit Callahan Miracle Mile.  If you would like to participate, I believe that you can sponsor a survivor (like Michael)but please check out the website for more details Kit’s Miracle Mile .

I learned from the 5k (that will be, just not this year) - don’t say anything until you know it can be done. We WILL do something on October 18, 2008. We WILL celebrate life. We WILL celebrate and you are invited. Stay tuned…

OBTW - naming the 5k- a very, very tough choice so we finally just left it up to Michael.  He favored two “Single Steps 5K”  and ”Survivor 5K”, finally deciding on “Survivor 5k”.  He doesn’t want his name on the event like ”Mike Rosner Survivor 5K” but I don’t think it sounds too bad?  Michael would like the logo to be his Dali inspired vision of an arm with the open hand holding a cracked “brain like” sphere with E=mc2 floating out of it.  Remember, Michael BELEIVES in his own recovery - he has NO DOUBT.

E=mc2 is Einstein’s conservation of energy relationship. Energy is conserved as a relationship of mass and the speed of light. Energy, mass and light are related and joined within a closed system, and, therefore, as a basic circle. The circular relationship(s) among energy, mass and light, is an essential key to understanding reality. Energy and mass are form and substance in time and space (producing light, or speed, and sound, or size). All symmetries. All circles. All conserved. INFINITE

To all who have posted on the blog, kept up with Michael’s progress, called him, stopped by to visit, brought him cookies or banana nut bread, kept him in your life, treated him no different but acknowledging he was, sent an email, told a friend, shared a story, prayed for healing, cried watching the video - we are humbled, we are blessed to have your support.  It is a journey we couldn’t make without you.  One Love.

xxoo