David Brown

See Katie run.  See Katie run four miles?  Run Katie, run.

This is just one of the thoughts that might flit through my mind on a run.  Run Katie, run.

But, today was no ordinary run.  Today I ran for David.

David is a fellow Texan, and veteran, who has ALS.   David knew my Charlie from various ALS Facebook groups.  We’ve stayed in touch.  David has his own unique brand of humor.  It’s bound to get him in trouble someday. Also, David has no idea that he is the recipient of a shirt run…this could go very badly…

As much as I love staying connected with all of Charlie’s relatives, hometown friends, Navy buddies, and friends we made as a couple, there’s something very special about maintaining connectivity with those who knew him only from the common denominator of ALS.  Perhaps because it’s such a life altering event, we seek the long reach of a hand who knows what we’re going through, have been through, and will answer an unspoken call to arms. 

Somehow, in that continuum of cyberspace and vacuum of life, they show up, stalwart and brave, to stand shoulder to shoulder, a quiet pride in that march of solidarity into the unknown.  They may have no idea where they’re going, but they will have you pee your pants laughing to get there..every step, wheel, roll, or eye flick of the way.

Anyone who knows David, knows he likes a good cigar, a good scotch, a good ice cream, and probably wouldn’t say no to a good beer. 

But David is also a good guy.  For every meme he shares that pisses at least one person off, he’s probably already donated to someone else’s fundraiser.  Many of these are for ALS, but not always.  And if you can read between the lines of the meme that just pissed you off, you will probably see that he was actually making a good point…and then you would see what David is really trying to do, ultimately, is make the world a better place…for everyone.

That stops me in my tracks sometimes.

When someone is faced with a terminal illness, I doubt there are many who would blame that person for just looking out for number one…living it up, taking what he/she could get in the little to none time ALS seems to give.  But time and time again, I see people with ALS, people like David, who are making the most of the time they have left, to make the world a better place for the people out there too busy complaining about anything and everything, who are more concerned with their own comfort and their own individual rights, to care about anyone else, much less to appreciate that someone like David is why they have the wherewithal to do so.

Sometimes, David has trouble sleeping.  You’ll find a lot of people with ALS, and caregivers as well, up at all kinds of hours of the night for all sorts of different reasons.  There are a lot of reasons things go ‘bump’ in the night.  Not too long ago, David was up at zero dark-thirty, going outside for a smoke and listening to Pink Floyd.  I didn’t say anything at the time, but that took me back to my Navy days…days when we stayed up late playing Spades…listening to Pink Floyd…smoking cigarettes in the immortality of our youth.  For some reason, the album Wish You Were Here was often played over and over again on repeat. 

“How I wish, how I wish you were here…”  It could be the anthem for ALS.

I don’t know what songs David heard that night as he listened to Pink, but I know that I will always think of him when I hear that particular song.

It is a testimony to the imprint you leave on the world to be the kind of person that people will miss.  I can only aspire to live up to the legacy that David is creating…a legacy of caring and integrity.  A legacy that will one day leave the people who ever knew him, wishing he was here.

So, rock on, David.  Rock on.

My four miles today were for you.  Thank you for being a warrior for ALS.   

(Masks are not required to be worn in outdoor spaces where social distancing is easily established.)

I was selected to represent ALS TDI at the TCS New York City Marathon 2020 on November 1st. Due to COVID-19, the marathon has been cancelled. I have made the decision to keep training and to run the marathon on my own, here in Maine. If you would like to support my efforts to help #EndALS, you can donate here, or if you’d like me to run with a custom message, you can donate here.