20 Days, 20 Pictures, 20 Stories: DAY 2

We had an incredible response from just DAY 1 of this 20-day journey that frankly I am feeling some pressure in what to post next!  But we are fortunate that have literally a couple thousand pictures worth sharing.  My challenge is to find the best ones!

Today’s memorable moment comes from the 2010 G2T National ParaTriathlon Training Camp.  We were once again blessed to have spectacular weather.  The three people in the foreground of today’s picture are (left to right), Mike Jenks, Cadie Jessup and Tom Martin.  Mike and Tom are prosthetists from Charlotte, NC and Anderson, SC, respectively.  Cadie is also from Charlotte and works full-time for one of the major financial institutions in the city.  I don’t remember the exact moment when I met her, however.  I believe Mike Jenks had asked me to come up to Charlotte to speak at a program his company was doing for adaptive sports in North Carolina.  Cadie had seen a promotional item on the event and contacted me through our Getting2Tri website.  After a couple emails back and forth, she decided to not only come to the program in Charlotte that Jenks was putting on, but further decided to come to our Atlanta camp a few months down the road.

Cadie lost her left leg due to complications with a blood clot that developed late last year (2009).  She came to the camp literally within a few weeks of receiving her “everyday” prosthetic leg.  The camp was very important to Cadie.  Prior to her injury, Cadie was a very avid runner, mostly at the 10k and half-marathon distance.  She also played co-ed flag football in the very sports-minded community of Charlotte.  So getting back into active lifestyles remains paramount in her mind.  Since the camp, Cadie continues to excel in her rehabilitation.  It’s not easy, I am sure she will tell you.  There are days where she despises the training…..but doesn’t that sound familiar to a lot of us?  She’s already completed one sprint triathlon in Winston-Salem, NC and will be participating in her second one in a few weeks on October 10th just north of Charlotte.

I have another great picture of Cadie that I’ll share in a few days.  But the real point of today’s image was not about the people in the foreground.  Rather it’s of the gentleman in the background, wearing the khaki windbreaker jacket, watching intently to the drills Cadie is doing with Mike Jenks and Tom Martin.  The man is focused on Cadie for that particular moment, just as he was throughout the camp.  You see, the gentleman is Terry Jessup, Cadie’s father.

Time and time again, we find that the impact Getting2Tri makes on the able-bodied community is far more significant that the impact we have on our athletes.  Terry is full testimony to that fact.  Cadie, one of two daughters, is arguably Terry’s “son” that he never had.  Prior to her accident, Cadie was a regular golf partner with her dad.  They would share stories about Wake Forest college basketball scouting analyst reports, or talk about what’s new with the Carolina Panthers.  So when Cadie was temporarily sidelined, I think Terry was sidelined as well.

It has been remarkable to watch from a distance the love and admiration between Cadie and her dad.  Terry wears one of our Getting2Tri yellow dri-fit shirts everywhere, according to Cadie!  We recently sent him a blue polo-styled golf shirt with the G2T emblem on the front.   So Terry now has a little more variety in his G2T wardrobe!  And whenever Cadie is competing, you can bet you’ll see Terry cheering on his daughter wearing some sort of G2T logo-wear.  To Terry, it’s not about any kind of fashion statement.  It’s about an organization that I believe has given his daughter….and him, the opportunity to get back in the game.

I love having athletes like Cadie Jessup putting their sweat and tears into their athletic pursuits.  I am even more fond of champions like Terry Jessup.  In a situation that might be heart-breaking to some, Terry has his heart in the right place.  Thank you, my friend.

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