Homecoming :
Stories of Living in God's Way
Aine McCarthy: The Practice of Body Caring
When my friend Hannah was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, it was Labor Day weekend in 2007, a weekend she was supposed to come visit me in DC. I felt frustrated and upset for the pain that she was suffering and the knowledge of struggle that lay ahead. But worst of all, miles away from her, I felt terribly helpless.
We are good friends from attending and teaching at our summer camp together; a place where helping someone is often a physical act, literally lending a hand, a pair of legs or a voice. So, in my state of helplessness after Hannah’s initial diagnosis, I took on a physical endeavor in her honor. I joined Team in Training, a part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma society, to train for an Olympic distance triathlon.
I met a lot of other people through the program, some racing in honor or memory of friends with cancer and many just out exercising for a great cause. Surrounded by so many motivated people, it was easy for me to enjoy the team practices, dramatically improving my swimming, biking and running. It felt good to have a physical way to express my support for Hannah, and some sort of justification to jumping into icy waters at 5:30am.
I knew that our group of camp friends is a dedicated community, but I was astounded by the influx of support and donations I received from extended camp families and friends. I raised around eleven thousand dollars between the two triathlons I completed for her. And this past Monday, after I finished the Nations Triathlon, Hannah was released from the hospital with a shiny new immune system and negative PET scans.
