HEROES

"Heroism is an act of utter selflessness and it is only through heroic acts that I believe one becomes truly great. While you may never have the opportunity of jumping into a swift river to pull out a small child or running into a blazing building to drag out a trapped family, you do on a daily basis have the opportunity of practicing the same form of selflessness as front-page heroes. -The Biology of Success, Dr. Bob Arnot

I consider the countless volunteers and participants of Team In Training among my heroes. They raise money for cancer research and services by participating in endurace events such as a marathons, triathlons, or bike century rides, many of them first-timers. Here's a letter I sent to the team.

October 2005

Hey SF/Marin Team!

This is Roman Seguerre, we may have met at the Honoree Breakfast or heard me speak at Kick Off about my battle with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), a cancer of the blood where the white blood cells mutate and escalate out of control.

SHOUT OUT
I wanted to give you an update on how I’m doing and say thank you to all you endurance athletes. Yes, I’m talking to ALL of you! Whether you view yourself as one or not, you are. I’m proud to call you Team In Training Teammates, and stunned by the work you do training and raising money for the Cause.

You really do make a difference in my life. The money you raise helps fund the continuing research of Gleevec, the drug treatment that is keeping me alive.

I’ve enjoyed talking to many of you and sharing your stories, why you became involved with TNT. Some are so kind to view my journey with Leukemia as ‘heroic,’ but I must say we all have a heroic journey we must travel. The admiration is mutual.

OUCH! WHEW!
I’m finally recovered from my biannual Bone Marrow Biopsy, a little procedure where they extract a sample bone chip and marrow from my hipbone to test the efficacy of the drug. It’s more accurate and sophisticated than a simple blood test.

The tests results came back as normal(!), meaning that there were no cancer cells discovered in the blood and that my current treatment is keeping the cancer under ‘control.’ It’s not considered a cure, but delaying the progression of the disease.

BEAUTY
Cancer has given me a different perspective on life, counting everyday as a privilege. I often tell others to not wait until they face a life-threatening illness to finally cause them to live the life they’ve always wanted. Do what you love, with the people you love. Life is so short, so precious, even in difficult, numbing times.

Life is seldom easy. In fact, if you’re breathing, life can be undeniably painful at times. I know first hand. I’ve decided to never live in denial, but to allow myself to feel life deeply, truthfully, as it is. Even with the daily fact of cancer, I’ve found that there’s always beauty in the mess and chaos of life. Life is good.

DISNEYLAND LESSONS
I recently returned from a family trip to Disneyland, a favorite of my 4-½ year old daughter. On her first trip there about a year ago, upon entering the park, she was mesmerized by the ubiquitous souvenir stand there at the front entrance. As I excitedly hurried toward Main Street, pass the stand, she screamed, ‘No Daddy, Stop! Toys! I want a toy!” “Later Honey, we’re at Disneyland!” A very public mini-tantrum ensues. Of all places, weren’t we supposed to be at the “Happiest Place on Earth”? She didn’t understand that just a few feet farther opened up all the wonders of the Magic Kingdom, experiences etched in my childhood memories.

How often in life do we ‘settle’ for just loitering at the souvenir stand? In our diminished view of a life taken for granted, we’re content with the uninspired, unimportant trinkets of a routine, predictable life, when if we just pushed pass our fears, out of our comfort zone, we’d find the adventurous joy and wonder of a life we were meant to live, the life of our dreams.

Don’t settle. If you don’t love what you do, where you live, where you work, how you look, where you’re heading, how you’re growing, then make a change. Your time is limited. Don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Follow your heart. After all, it’s your life-you’re only life-that we’re talking about.

GO TEAM!
So congratulations! These past months you’ve all pushed passed your fears and self-doubt to train for your event. Last month I cheered and raced along with many of our fellow TNT-ers at the Pacific Grove Triathlon. The energy, excitement and spirit were overwhelming. Definitely felt the TNT Love.

You’ll find that same spirit at your race as well, something you’ll remember for the rest of your lives. Thanks for letting me share part of my story. I’ll see many of you at the Nike Halfers Send-Off Party and will be at the Nike Women’s Marathon Pasta Party in SF to cheer you on and to say thank you. Please come and say hello.

“When the morning’s freshness has been replaced by the weariness of midday, when the leg muscles quiver under the strain, the climb seems endless, and, suddenly, nothing will go quite as you wish-it is then that you must not hesitate.” –Dag Hammarskjold, U.N. Secretary General, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Stay well. Go Team!

Roman Seguerre

Me and a very happy princess. Disneyland Sept. 2005