Gratitude

Today was a beautiful day and I went on a bike ride on the back side of the Columbia Triathlon course.  I was hoping that Dan Alderman could go with me to get ready for the Columbia Tri in May, but he was scheduled to have his mediport removed today.  This is a medical device that is placed under the skin so that IV medications such as chemotherapy can be given more safely.  So while I was riding, a recurrent thought came to me.  People often ask me why I get up even earlier on my days off to go to cycle class, or run, or swim  and my answer is because I can!  In a BIG WAY - BECAUSE I CAN - AND I'M VERY GRATEFUL!  I don't have to worry about a mediport or clinic appointments for blood work or chemo. I don't have to stay in the hospital for days or weeks at a time.  I get to leave the hospital at the end of the day. While I'm grateful for that, sometimes it's difficult...to leave when someone else cannot.  But I shake off the sadness and the worry for myself and my patients because we have things to do, and I'm blessed to be able to replenish myself and bring that good energy back to my patients until they are able to do that more easily for themselves.I think our patients would agree that all of our nurses and caregivers do that in their own way and we are all blessed to be on this journey together.

Facing Challenges: Fighting cancer and training for triathlons!

We are 20 weeks out from the Columbia Triathlon and that means official training has begun. Yeah! Dan Alderman, who is one of our patients at UMMC, will make his triathlon debut at Columbia! This is quite impressive since Dan is still receiving chemotherapy for the lymphoma he was diagnosed with in December, 2008. Last year, my sons, Ben and Ryan raced on our team in honor of Dan since all of them are lacrosse players. This year Ben and Ryan will be on our relay team and Dan will take on all three events of this Olympic distance triathlon! Dan and I cycled together last fall as I was getting ready for Ironman Arizona and I discovered very quickly that he is not going to back down from his goals regardless of the challenges that may arise. You see our training rides were sandwiched between his cycles of very aggressive chemotherapy and he started from ground zero as far as cycling endurance. On our first ride, he chose the route since I was in unfamiliar territory. I told him we should take it easy since one of the side effects of his chemotherapy is a significant loss in oxygen carrying red blood cells. That didn’t stop him from choosing a route with more than one significant climb that left both of sucking for air, but he refused to back down to the challenge of the climb! I know I’m going to be in trouble this spring when his red blood cell counts get back to normal and he resumes his lacrosse training at McDaniel College! We’ll keep you posted!

Anything is Possible: The Road to Kona and Beyond

Is it possible to qualify for Kona by carrying 140 people with you on the swim, bike and run? In preparation for Ironman Arizona on November 22, 2009, I realized that it was going to be a challenging event and I was going to need a lot of support. I’m an oncology nurse at the University of Maryland Medical Center, and my patients are a very big part of my triathlon life. My passion for triathlon and helping those facing cancer has led to the creation of TEAM INSPIRATION. Our mission is to facilitate healing and improve the quality of life for individuals with cancer. I decided to carry my beloved patients and others who have been affected by cancer with me during Ironman Arizona. I wore 140 LIVESTRONG bracelets with the name of our cancer patients written on them, as well as others who have survived or passed because of cancer. I wore 2 bracelets on my wrists for the swim, 112 attached to my bike, and carried 26 in my hands during the run.

I spend a lot of time with my patients discussing what it takes to navigate the difficult challenges when diagnosed with cancer. From them, I’ve learned that we are meant to face these challenges together. As I tell my patients, most of my inspiration for training and racing comes from them. I’m blessed to be able to leave the hospital and replenish my body, mind and spirit with swimming, cycling and running, and I try to bring that joyful energy back to my patients and inspire them with hope!

Race day was an extraordinary experience. I had so many wonderful people with me. Not only those whose names were on the bracelets, but those who cheered me on from wherever they were race day. I needed everyone’s support. The mass start of an Ironman swim was made more challenging by the cold water temperature and tight quarters of the Tempe Town Lake. But I was reminded with each stroke, as I saw the bracelets on my wrists, that I wasn’t alone! During the ride, one fellow triathlete asked the significance of the 112 bracelets. I related to him my story. He told me his mom had just been diagnosed with cancer and he was dedicating his Ironman race to her. I told him his mom was now on board with us, too! With about 10 miles left to go on the bike, I became overwhelmed with gratitude at the honor of having so many wonderful people in my life, and I must admit I cried, as I often do during a triathlon, because it’s such an incredible experience! On to the run and the plan was to wear 26 bracelets on my race belt, but this quickly proved to be awkward so I carried the 26 bracelets in my hands. It was a wonderful experience to "hold" everyone as I ran and they pushed me through the long run!

The blue-sky dream of every triathlete is to compete at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. I know it was only with the energy, hope, love, and support of so many that I achieved this magnificent honor. My second place age group finish qualified me for Kona 2010! As my triathlete friend stated, “Super-congratulations on an accomplishment that people try all their lives for and never reach. Sounds like the people you are carrying around with you pushed you all the way through to a victory.”

This is absolutely true and the ultimate blue-sky dream is a world that is cancer free. The Ironman motto is “Anything is Possible”, so let’s go for the ultimate “victory” together!

So now it’s on to Kona and I would like to invite everyone to be a part of this journey with me. Together we can realize our dreams. Please contact me through our website at www.TeamInspiration.org or on Facebook so that we can continue to achieve our victories together! Thanks and Aloha! Roseann

Iron Girl Triathlon, August 23, 2009

What a beautiful day for triathlon!













Team Inspiration was on the water and at the bike transition to help make sure all the Iron Girls had a fun, safe, and succesful triathlon.


The Iron Girls did an awesome job on the swim. The countdown to the last bouys always seems to be the toughest part...and then there's the bike!



Wow! Gotta be on the lookout for the wanna be's! Sorry it's a girl thing, but nice try and cute outfit! I hear there is going to be a new sprint distance next season - just cuz we don't want to leave the guys out completely!

North East Triathlon, August 16, 2009

Tiffany Desantis finished her very first triathlon at North East! She will post her experience to share with those who are thinking of taking on the challenge and thrill of triathlon - stay tuned!

Xterra EX2 Off Road Triathlon, July 12, 2009

This was an awesome race from start to finish! The lake swim was fast and fun, the mountain biking was so much fun you didn't even realize how hard you were working and the run was beautiful, but very challenging and extremely technical; especially the rock climb! Excellent post race celebration with lots of great pizza! Can't wait until next year and look forward to introducing some new teammates to this one!

Eagleman 70.3 Triathlon, June 14, 2009

Fortunately Eagleman 2009 was not has blistering hot as 2008. The notorious headwinds were a part of the bike course, although they didn't become brutal until the last 15 miles of ride! Those of us who were lucky enough to be in the early waves were blessed with some cloud cover on the run which made the 13.1 miles much more bearable. Overall I think everyone had some fast times this year. Team Inspiration's fundraising efforts were dedicated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.