Congratulations to all of the Louie Bing Invitational participants. I could not participate this year due to prior commitments. However, I was able to see some of the finals on Saturday afternoon. Way to go South Florida track and field athletes!
I thought about that track meet all last week. On a few occasions, I even imagined myself running in my events. I’d hope for great finishes and low times. Then, I started thinking more about my cousin who lives in Orlando and suffers from Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA). He was recently hospitalized because of a pain crisis. SCA is a blood disorder that turns normal, round blood cells into cells that are crescent shaped. Normal red blood cells move quickly through your blood vessels. However, sickled cells get stuck in the vessels and cause a lot of pain.
Thankfully, my cousin lives a normal life. He is a college student, works and has fun with his friends. After my track meets he calls to find out how well I performed. When he is ill I call to check on him too. Lately, I have thought about starting a non-profit organization that would increase the awareness of SCA. Through the non-profit I will host fundraisers to benefit research. The physical pain this disease causes is unbearable at times. No one should have to endure such pain.
I will return to the track world this week at the Sam Burley InvitationaI. This meet should be exciting. I am very eager to begin my season. I’ve been training for a while and I am ready to see how well I will perform.
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