It is nearly impossible to find the right photo that adequately captures what happened today in our small town in Utah and all around the world. Because of each of you, this run was a success. We will share more details in the coming days: how much we raised, the families we're going to be able to help, and some remarkable stories of hope, courage and love. Because this has been a global event, we still have people running all over the planet ... which is really neat to think about. If only Mitchie could have seen this. And though, perhaps in some way, he can see this from a different view point ... I wish he could have seen your love through the eyes of the little boy he once was.
We met some remarkable young boys today with DMD ... and families that are equally amazing. There is so much love in the world. So much hope. So much goodness.
As the dust begins to settle, I just wanted to thank all of you who have participated, donated and run wherever you are. I wanted to thank the amazing volunteers who have made significant sacrifices in time and their own money to help make this run a success. 100% of the proceeds will be going directly to our goals found on Miles for Mitchell: MDA Summer Camp activities, PPMD Scholarships, Ramps, Assist Devices and other forms of help for families in need.
Nothing quite helps a broken heart as to set sorrow aside and serve and love another. At least that's what I've discovered. And though I still carry the weight of grief, when I reach out to love and lift another ... somehow the world feels a little less heavy.
I'll share more about the run in the coming days. We were blessed to have some amazing volunteer photographers help capture the event: thank you Lindasy Ross, Jake Garn and Jace LeRoy for helping to capture the spirit of this event. As I get those photos, I'll be sure to share them with all of you.
Today, the world moved an inch closer to heaven. Thank you!
I remember taking this photo of Mitch on the diving board as he bravely released his iron-clad grip of the hand rail and edged toward the deep end. He was just barely diagnosed with DMD and I was still dizzy with grief over what was to come. I loved my little son with all of my heart ... and, as his father, I was pained that he was in peril and I could not stop the inevitable. I have wept enough tears over my son to fill the oceans to overflowing.
Although Mitch was already weakened by muscle wasting - he never let his limitations stop him from trying something new. I admired that about my little boy and decided to follow his example.
This same photo hangs in my office at work and home and serves as a reminder to take chances. That little boy on the diving board, who mustered the courage to step outside his comfort zone had no idea the impact he had on me from that day, to this day.
So tonight, almost on the eve of our 3rd annual run, I am taking a chance. In so many ways, I feel like I'm that little boy on the edge of the diving board ... my heart is pounding and I'm afraid of the deep.
The deep end for me was not knowing if people would get behind us to try to help others. Like Mitch, I have held my breath and inched toward the water's edge.
With the help of some of the most amazing donors, volunteers, and many of you ... this virtual/global run seems to be on the right track. I've jumped off the diving board, like little Mitch, anxious to experience life. What is life? To me, life (a life worth living) is found in loving and serving others. That is what this page is all about. Love. Love for my son. Love for all of you.
As the sun was about to set this evening, I drove to the cemetery to visit my son. I knew he wasn't there ... but my heart was there. My heart will always be there. I took some photos of one of the run medals that just arrived today - I didn't think they would come in time and was planning on having them for next year's run. That same image of Mitch on the diving board wrapped in gold is a symbol within a symbol. Though Mitch was never one to vie for attention, he would have thought this medal pretty neat.
I am grateful to all of you who have taken a chance on Mitchell's Journey and supported us. I promise to pay your goodness forward. I promise to try and help others who hurt; to be a candle in the wilderness of grief ... for I know those dark and terrible woods. I promise to help other boys who suffer with DMD.
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IF YOU ARE IN UTAH, COME JOIN US IN PERSON
Saturday, April 25, 2015 @ 9:00AM
Herriman Main Street Park - 13000 South 5900 West, Herriman, Utah
IF YOU WANT TO RUN VIRTUALLY
www.raceentry.com/race-reviews/miles-for-mitchell
(Please note that these run medals are reserved for registrants. Yet, if you cannot run or walk, you can still register. You can go to the edge of your diving board ... to your deep end and take a chance doing something that stretches you.)
If you have already registered and received your packets, we will reach out to you about your medals.
IF YOU JUST WANT A SHIRT OR TO DONATE
www.raceentry.com/races/miles-for-mitchell/2015/shopping
OUR GOALS CAN BE FOUND HERE:
http://tinyurl.com/mtj84pb
Other ways to follow:
Follow the run on Instagram: instagram.com/milesformitchell
Mitchell's Journey on Instagram: instagram.com/mitchells_journey
Twitter: twitter.com/MitchelsJourney
Our annual Mitchell's Journey charity run is in two weeks; I can't believe how fast time goes by.
If you plan on running virtually and want to get your run shirt on time, you will need to register before midnight, April 14th, 2015 (tomorrow).
Here is a link to purchase the shirt: https://www.raceentry.com/races/miles-for-mitchell/2015/shopping
To join our virtual run:
https://www.raceentry.com/races/miles-for-mitchell/2015/register
We will still accept virtual registrations and shirt orders - but we will not be able to guarantee you'll get them on time the closer we get to the day of the run. We just want to be sure those who want them for our global run get them in time.
I'll post a world map of all the places around the world we have people running (or walking) in honor of little Mitch. Also, I have posted some goals Miles for Mitchell here: http://tinyurl.com/mtj84pb
I am so grateful for our Miles for Mitchell committee who has volunteered their time and talents to help this run be a success.
There are so many layers to Mitchell’s Journey … so many stories to share.
I remember taking our young family to the family ranch in southern Utah. I had nicknamed it, “The Other Side of Narnia” because there was something magical about ranch’s relative isolation from the world. At first I used to get frustrated cell signals are spotty at best – most of the time I don’t get one. But then, in a moment of sanity, I realized what a blessing it is to be cut off from the rest of the mad world so I could focus on the things that truly mattered.
One summer afternoon, just before the sun was about to set, I found Mitch, tiny Wyatt and my step-father sitting on a bench by a pond talking as only grandparents and grandchildren know to do. My heart swelled with gratitude to see this good man love my children. There sat a man who didn’t raise me and had every reason to be about other things that day. For that seems to be the work of men … to be busy building, chasing or collecting things. Instead, he choose to stay with my boys and spend time with them.
In 1931, William Lyon Phelps wrote, “The final test of a gentleman is his attitude toward children. I wonder if all men remember as vividly as I do [how] grown-up people treated us …” I thought of that statement as I watched Garth … I was so grateful to see this good man spend loving time with my boys. He wanted them to know they were important and loved. That he invested time was good, but he invested his love and attention and that was greater. There is a difference.
My mother and Garth drove to our home the night Mitch passed away. I remember them both entering my son’s room, long after the sky became dark. They sat reverently at the foot of my little boy’s bed and seemed to peer upon him with sorrow, reverence and compassion. I don’t know what crossed Garth’s mind that night. Perhaps he thought of his own son he lost a few years prior. A son he loved dearly and misses so. As I looked at my step-father peer upon my dying son, I remembered this photo and tender moment between him and Mitch. To this day, I don’t think Garth knows what this singular moment meant to my son and how often Mitch reflected on it. I will forever be grateful for this moment.
I am just like every man that ever was. I am flawed and sometimes unsure of myself – and perhaps I’m more transparent than I should be. But I believe what you get should be what you see. I am also prone to build, chase and collect things. Any more, I am trying to build my family, chase my children around the couch in laughter and collect moments that matter. For in the end, those are the things that last. Those are the things that shape tomorrow and protect our hearts from a deeper form of grief and sorrow.
These are the moments that matter most. When I die and see my Father and Son, they won’t care about the cars I drove or the depth and size of my treasure trove. Instead, they’ll care more about things one cannot see … the love in my heart and whether I gave to others in need generously.
No matter how brilliant or carefully our lives are planned, if we don’t give mind to the little things, we will miss life’s magic moments. Best to catch these little moments ... catch them while you can.
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Note: Mitch loved fishing with all of his heart. This summer, Mitchell’s Journey is sponsoring an MDA Summer Camp activity named after our son. We want to help other young boys go fishing and make memories that matter. If you haven’t signed up for our Miles for Mitchell run, please do. This is the run that will help fund this activity and other things that matter.
Here’s the link to our charity run:
www.raceentry.com/race-reviews/miles-for-mitchell