To donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wch/wchtri11/aspiraq31y
Below, is an email that I put together with the help of Robert Friedman, one of the captains of Skippy's Team, and the late Matt Fenster (Matt didn't help me outright, nor did he or does he know about this blog post, but I borrowed his wisdom, courage and words). I hope that you find Matt's words inspiring and that the preface to his words does not diminish the power of what he wrote as the final blog post of his all-too-short life.
Here is my email to the Westchester Jarden Team In Training:
Hi all,
While most of my emails and blog posts are on the humorous side of the world, I want to pass along some news and, I hope, inspiration for this Team In Training. Unfortunately, a most incredible man, named Matt Fenster, passed away, yesterday, after a long, brave battle against AML. A number people in the TNT group knew Matt and his children and have been impacted by his bravery and inspiring personality. I hope that his bravery (see his email below) can serve to inspire our team.
Many of us in our TNT group have put in a good amount of time and effort into improving our speed and technique in particular triathlon disciplines. The results have really been amazing and we will all benefit from the longer-term health benefits of being in better shape, and the short-term benefits of faster tri times. However, it is important to keep an eye on what is really important. Matt Fenster's passing was a blinding reminder, to me, why we are all on TNT and not just running triathlons on our own; we are TNTers because we are raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
I hope that Matt's final blog post and Rob Friedman's introduction to Matt, below, serve to inspire all of us to take a few more minutes out of training and add a few more minutes into fundraising. You never know which dollar will be the one that will prevent families and friends from experiencing the excruciating loss of a loved one.
Thank you for your time and for reading on. - Avi
[Written by Rob Friedman]:
Matt Fenster was a father of four young children, a husband, a son, and a brother. He was a friend to many and worked endlessly to help his community in Riverdale, NY and beyond. Matt was diagnosed with AML in April 2010. Bone marrow drives were held in communities in the US and Israel, resulting in matches not just for Matt, but for 19 other people as well. Matt's transplant was initially successful, but the disease returned and months ago he required a second transplant. In April of this year Matt and his family learned that the second transplant failed and that that there were no other treatment options under consideration. Matt Fenster passed away yesterday.
While I did not know Matt or his family, their tragedy is one we unfortunately have seen too often. As a group, we have decided to do what we can to help prevent others from experiencing this kind of tragedy. We have each committed to train for an Olympic distance triathlon and raise a minimum of $2,300 to fund research and find a cure for AML. We are five-six weeks away from race day. We all have work to do for training and fundraising. Now let's get it done!
For more inspiration and insight into the kind of person Matt was, please read through his words, below.
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The following few paragraphs were written by Matt a few weeks ago--he asked Jen to send this out on Caring Bridge as his final post:
Hi, all. Just to mix things up a bit, for what will probably be my last post, here are some thoughts from a man walking with his God.
Psalm 23, a psalm of David.
God is my shepherd, I shall not lack. [I never have lacked.] In lush meadows He lays me down, beside tranquil waters He leads me. [This year I have been able to feel a peace that I had not previously known -- in Hebrew, "nachat ruach." ] He restores my soul [which I believe is eternal]. He leads me on paths of justice for His name's sake. [I can only hope that I have followed these paths more often than I have shunned them.] Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. [Throughout this ordeal, I have never been afraid. Perhaps it is because I am a person of faith? Or maybe I am too simpleminded to recognize the magnitude of the loss that I am facing?] Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. [I interpret God's "rod" and "staff" to be my family and friends, respectively.] You prepare a table before me in view of my tormentors. [I think about the tables in my life. . . my childhood dinner table . . . breakfast before school with my kids at a cafe table . . . the seder table . . . the table from which I read the Torah in synagogue.] You anointed my head with oil [I was brought up to believe I was special and could accomplish anything that I wanted], my cup overflows [a phrase I have uttered to myself each Friday night before the words of Kiddush]. May only goodness and kindness pursue me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of God for eternity. [Although I am saddened by what I will miss, the days with which I have been blessed have been full.]
A final thought: Walk with your God. Identify what is most important to you, go after it, and when you have tasted success, be thankful for it.
Shalom.
Matt
