Overcoming Your Inner 'Pouty Bitch' and Finding Motivation - Page 2
Kalama got to know Emily a bit more and found out first-hand how debilitating this disease is to the body; but not necessarily the spirit. With treatment consuming most of her life little time is left for any play time.
Emily, however, had not only confronted her condition with dignity, she exuded an optimism that moved Kalama. “She admitted though there were very tough times, but when she spoke about surfing, her face would gleam like the sun in the morning. The one thing she told me that really stuck was ‘as a CF patient you don’t get to quit. If you want to live you must go through the daily treatments no matter what.”
Fast forward to the Molokai to Oahu race last month. Kalama sees one of his main competitors make a move for the lead and when he goes to counter the move he finds he simply doesn’t have the energy; his flu has taken its toll.
Faced with upwards of three more hours paddling, the futility of racing sinks in and the urge to just paddle back to home and call it a day kicks in. Kalama calls this urge his “pouty little bitch." That’s when the spirit of Emily smacks him with a “CF patients don’t get to quit” upside the head. Despite no chance at being competitive, and a long paddle ahead, Dave goes on to finish the race. Emily Passed away this past May 1, but her spirit lives on.
Read Dave’s Full Blog Entry Here
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