When I think of Michael, many of the images I have of him are often frozen in the seventh grade. That school year, by some stroke of luck, he, Bridget and I all had lockers next to each other. Everyday when I got to my locker, I could always count on Michael to greet me with a friendly, “Hi Meredith! How’s your day going!?”
If you didn’t look at him, with his small tough of blonde hair starting to grow back or his thin body,
you would have never been able to tell he had a horrible disease because
his voice carried such an enthusiasm and love for life.
He refused to let cancer hold him back from being a normal kid.
So like any other normal kid his age, Michael decided to join the cross country team that year. One day after school, Bridget and I stayed to watch the home meet since many of our girl friends were on the team. We made a poster that said, “Run Fast Girls!”. When Bridget told me Michael would be competing too in the boys’ race, I added “& Michael!!” underneath it.
When we walked outside, the boys’ race had started. I watched as packs of them looped at one end of the field for the halfway mark and looked for Michael so we could cheer for him. More and more boys ran by. Then, we finally saw Michael coming towards us, his patch of blonde hair bouncing as he ran. He was one of the last runners to make the loop. He looked exhausted but determined to finish. We held up the poster and cheered for him to keep going and he cracked a small smile in between panting breaths. I was in awe. He continued to fall more and more behind as the race went on but he kept going until he reached the finish line. Everyone cheered and his teammates congratulated him as he bent over and grabbed his knees trying to catch his breath.
This memory is synonymous to me with words like courage and fearlessness. A healthy kid like myself wouldn’t even think to join the cross country team and there was Michael, fighting a battle with his own body, running mile after mile. I thank God everyday for that year of us being locker neighbors. This small portion of time I had with him is something I cherish and it continues to shape my life today. Even though seventh grade was years ago, every time I need a little extra determination and courage to do something, I still always think of Michael running that race.
Meredith is a member of our Swifty Foundation Junior Board. Meredith comes to Swifty as a great friend of Bridget and Michael’s, having gone to school with them since kindergarten.
