Its all about perspective!!! We all have challenges - and its up to each of us to move forward, with courage and positive energy. Heres a wonderful, touching, and INSPIRING, Open Letter that Pablo Ferrara, a Mexican architect and former triathlon runner, wrote last week to former New Orleans Saints Steve Gleason, who retired after being diagnosed with ALS in 2011. Pablo had just watched an NFL documentary about Steve. Dear Steve: My name is Pablo, I am 47, and I have been diagnosed whit ALS since December 2010. When I finally understood what was happening, I decided not to look back searching for the why?, instead I prayed, and prayed hard, so God would illuminate my understanding of the purpose, the what for?, and gave me the strength to accomplish it. Since then, my growth in the understanding of friendship, true love and what we are here for, has been some that probably I would not have reached without this detour on my path. And the moment has come to do something with it. Since the beginning, I decided not to suffer an illness but to learn how to play whit these new, ever changing rules of the game as I call this condition. All my life I have been serious about practicing sports, not to watch them, but to live them, and I discovered in triathlon my passion. Having been involved for the last 20 years, with my wife, Yolanda, in many many adventures like climbing the highest picks, descending the deepest caves, scuba diving all over, trekking, Eco adventure competitions, mountain biking, you name it, now I dont hold the same capabilities. But in this process of liberating from my body, one of the most difficult parts, has been letting go all the fun and time with her and my many friends during those incredible experiences. The last big event in which I participated was my third Ironman, the complete 180.4 milles triathlon, held in Cozumel in October 2009. And at his very moment I, whit 3 of my best friends and our wives, are traveling to that same very place to do the exact same competition, but this time I am going to be pulled and pushed on a Kayak and a Trike that they specially constructed for me. I learned several months ago about you and your foundation, NO WHITE FLAGS, and I identified fully whit that motto, because I know, that even if we maybe can not win on this fight, my self as yourself are not willing to give up on anything, nor life, nor family, nor friends, nor passions, nor our happiness and the counting of our blessings. Just yesterday I saw the video that the NFL did about your trip to Machu Pichu, and again I felt we are doing just the same now, me and my friends with these competition. In your message in the video, you said that your purpose on your trip was to show the world that dreams can be conquered even in the most difficult circumstances, and to raise awareness of our condition, in the hope for a cure. And that you wanted that others will join the same attitude, and I was already packing for it. My legs dont work any more, my back, and arms and hands are weak and my speech is hardly understood, but even that we dont know each other, I agree and add my self to the idea, because I assure you that we share the same dream, and that our message that life is worth to be lived every single day, regardless of the obstacles, is going to be heard, seen, and understood. But above everything I would dream in conquering, I want to tell my parents that they raised I good person, and to my wife, my two sons and my daughter to never, no matter the odds I will not ever quit on them, and that we will never, ever, dare to give up. Please read this letter, take our messages to heart, and share it. - Pablo Ferrara
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 20:03:42 +0000
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