The Next Challenge

The Next Challenge:

 

Sometimes not knowing how to get through something leads you to do something amazing…to challenge yourself…and to do great things that you never thought you’d be able to do before.

 

2014 will begin the first year I have to conquer without my dad.  I was that little girl who sat on top of his foot when he had to leave to go somewhere screeching that I was going with him.  I was that little girl standing alongside the sidelines of sport practices/games repeating everything he was yelling at his players.  I was that girl who had the basketball shooting form just like her dad.  I was that girl that went to college and played sports…just like her dad.  I was that girl who was inducted into the Mid-Ohio Valley Hall of Fame…….just like her dad.  I’ve followed in my dad’s footsteps for so long; I’m not sure where to go now that he’s gone. You see I lost my dad November 30th, 2013 to Parkinson’s disease.  A disease that took the toughest, strongest, most inspirational man I knew too early.  

 

Through Team Fox I have developed a 2nd family.  I have to say, it’s a pretty awesome family.  They will convince you to just about do anything (trust me they are good), and you’ll have more support than you ever knew you’d need. 

 

I have ran the Vancouver Marathon and the NYC Marathon in 2013 for Team Fox and now I am beyond excited for this new challenge for 2014 to continue my dad’s legacy and fight to find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease.

 

The Next Challenge:

Grand Canyon Challenge…… hiking 24 miles and 6,000 vertical feet Rim to Rim of the Grand Canyon in one day.  May 18th.   People ask if I’m crazy.  I’ve started to debate how to actually answer that because the no limits attitude I feel with Team Fox may have highlighted this characteristic within me.  

Our donation website we will be utilizing for Team Spangler this year is:

http://www2.michaeljfox.org/goto/teamspangler22

 

The best part about this journey this year is I will have my fiancé joining me in this challenge, through my struggle with my dad’s illness he has been right there beside me and we are doing this together for him and our Team Fox Family.  

A New Battle Against Parkinson's Disease

Well…I promised myself I’d do better at blogging as part of my New Year’s Resolutions with everything that has gone on …..Well, here it is January 28th and I’m just now doing a new blog entry…I hope better late than never.  I have so many reasons to keep this blog going, and I want to do better at it.  I’ve found every excuse in the book to stop typing on many days once the words started to become difficult to type.

 

Truth be told, I’ve started the blog post a few times…got past the first sentence and had too many tears in my eyes to want to continue the typing.  I realize everything is going to be a process…but it’s a “process” I don’t want to accept.  I ran across this Michael J Fox quote yesterday, “Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; it means understanding that something is what it is and there’s got to be a way through it”  I’d ran across that quote before during the struggle of dad’s fight with Parkinson’s…accepting the diagnoses and finding a way through it…. Now the struggle is accepting the passing of my father and finding a way through it.  For those of you whom may not know, my father passed away losing his battle to Parkinson’s Disease on November 30^th. 

 

That’s the day I wanted to scream, punch, yell, and kick a lot of people for no apparent reason (well a few can cross my mind can be for apparent reasons).  I suppose years of frustration was releasing itself at the question of “why”….why do bad things happen to good people, and so many bad people are “fine”.   I’m not turning it into a judgment statement, I’m just purely expressing my frustration at this god awful disease that took the life of my father entirely too early.  I still had so many things I wanted to share with him, to show him, to do for him, and get through this battle together.  There had been moments of being scared before for example, when dad got phenomena and we just “weren’t sure” he would be able to push through, and I just kept thinking…this is one of those moments, it isn’t real….he’s fought this too long, there can’t be an end!  I felt like a zombie ….it just didn’t seem “real”.  To be honest it still doesn’t seem “real”.  The outpour of support was more helpful than I could ever express.  Knowing how many people you are surrounded by during a difficult time helps with the “process” as it’s referred to.  Just knowing dad touched so many lives, influenced so many people, and hearing all the stories helps make the awful days easier.  Everything does happen for a reason, and I’m blessed to know those reasons have led me exactly where I am now.

 

At dad’s services I just kept feeling like everything was “OK”, different, but “OK”…it was a celebration of dad no longer suffering but giving a chance for so many to come together.  Many I hadn’t seen in years.  Everyone was telling stories, funny things, hilarious moments, laughs, (stories I probably wasn’t allowed to know as a kid have now surfaced to share a few good adult laughs) and so forth that it was ok to be happy he was no longer suffering.  God knows I missed him being there, but it was “OK”….

We had asked people (mom’s idea) to wear a shirt that may have been related to a memory they had with dad, shared in common with dad, etc.  It turned out better than we had expected, and a fun idea!  Many were in “Team Spangler” shirts, a shirt we created a few years back when we started to be very active in Team Fox and the activities we do raising money for Parkinson’s Disease Research fighting for dad.  Many wore their Sunday FunDay 5K shirts from this past year’s first 5K we hosted raising money for Parkinson’s Research. Dad coached many sports teams, different sports, different schools, different areas, teams, you name it, he probably tried it out at some point.  The cutest thing was a friend wore a Pennsboro High School jersey his dad wore when he played for my dad.  We got a good laugh now with curiosity how his dad could fit in it, but it was so neat to see.  One of dad’s former runners wore a shirt dad had wrote his “motivation” on for her, that she still had.  Many of dad’s friends from high school/college wore their Sherman Tide Pride and Glenville State pride.  It was so nice to see all of them there, and to meet several I’d never gotten to meet before.  But I assured them I had some good stories on them. 

 

I never want to feel “needy”…nor will I ever probably admit I need anything.  I am so fortunate to have surrounded myself in my life with the people I have.  I have friends I know I can count on without even having to ask (that’s a good thing, because I’m not good at asking).  Some were there all along helping pull together details to make dad’s Celebration of Life perfect. I had folks from my new job come, high school friends, and so many others that I know traveled a good ways, and gave up time in their day to stop, send notes, sends messages, cards, food, supplies and I just can’t express how much that means..  I was surrounded with surprises from New Jersey and Pittsburgh (might I add, It truly got a smile out of me that the baby wore the camo outfit I got as a joke for the “city” baby, in case he ever needed to come to WV) J to be there for me, and one who is horrible at keeping secrets and pulled a surprise coming from Dayton even wearing WV gear.  I am surrounded by an extended family thanks to Brock that has always been there and supported me through this journey.  Best of all I get to stand next to the best guy a girl could ask for.  Given, there are moments I am sure he’s clueless how to deal with me, I am too independent sometimes to a point I’m not good at allowing myself to need anyone, and he knows how to cross that boundary through my stubbornness and be everything I need him to be.  He has had some pretty high standards set to live up to as an example set by my dad, and I laugh at many moments at how much he reminds me of him, especially the food………ok..a lot with food. J

 

I have been in debate at what I want to do this year to honor my dad, and continue the fight against Parkinson’s Disease.  My dad has created a legacy and it is up to us to carry it on, influence others, motivate others, and continue to do amazing things.  I have really really really really (do you get the idea?) been debating doing the Rim to Rim challenge with Team Fox at the Grand Canyon…it has just really been on my mind.  My dad always wanted to go to the Grand Canyon and it just seems fitting.  I’m just debating if all my dreams and “to dos” are a little “irresponsible” financially with everything else I have planned to do this year. (Not to burst another blog entry sometime, but a wedding will be happening this year)  Mom and I will be making another trip to NYC this year for the Team Fox MVP dinner and get to spend an awesome weekend with our Team Fox Family after a difficult year; I think it’s important to surround ourselves with a reminder of what we are all about.  I’m still going to let myself debate it out a little bit, but maybe the Grand Canyon is still an option.  We will definitely be hosting our “2^nd” annual Sunday Fun Day event this year again for Team Fox and hoping to make it 100 times bigger than last year.  We also will be joining in on The Fox Trot to be held in March Here in Charleston again that has been a huge asset to Team Fox thanks to another Parkinson’s friend.

 

I promise to keep better with the blogging, this was probably just the hardest one I Needed to get out there….I will often reflect on this more I’m sure….but “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”…and sometimes the first step is the toughest.

 

Thanks for all your support….we are going to make 2014 an amazing year! 

Run... Forrest.... Run...

If all of us runners of dad had $1 for every time someone yelled that phrase (Run Forrest Run) to us while running when the movie “Forest Gump” was at its peak, I think we’d be at our fundraising goal by now plus some. (Also it makes me laugh when my cousin Jim signs off his positive emails I look forward to receiving saying Run Missy Run) I was flipping through the channels this weekend and saw this movie on, when I turned to it he was just at the moment of running across the country and I couldn’t help but laugh.  The quote “I just kept running…..” seems to be a response I give sarcastically sometimes when someone asks “How do you do it” during the long distance days.  I’ve yet to develop a group of followers on my little country road, but I have to say at least people wave most days and I’ve learned who’s dog belongs where when I look back and discover I’m being followed.

Friday I did the usual 5 ½ mile up and back loop up and back…but I tried to challenge myself a little bit to struggle at breathing for this run (meaning I’m pushing myself effort wise).  I’ve been very timid on any sort of speed to avoid being discouraged at “where” I’m at training wise, and it felt nice to not feel like I was going to die every step of the way.  I’m sure when I decided to do this going down a hill helped with the turnover of my stride but it felt good to push myself a little bit. 

Saturday:  We spend the day running around working on some projects without a lot of time to run because of the weather.  Our little youth basketball team had their season celebration party, and I’m proud to say Blue Thunder took home first place trophies.  I didn’t realize they would give out places for the league, so I was happy though to go home with 1^st place honors.  (To think I was all worried about being to competitive…well finishing 1^st probably doesn’t help my argument  I wasn’t too competitive)  for those who know me J  It was a fun filled evening, the gym was filled with inflatable party kits and the cafeteria was filled with pizza and team themed chocolate chip cookie cakes along with homemade ice cream.  It was good to see the kids again too and a few of them hear they miss basketball. 

Sunday:  I was off to get a long run in and enjoy the weather and make up for not running yesterday.  I ran for about 10 miles (I think/hope) going a little further then the last long distance run I ran on this road, and clocking time around an hour 15 minutes.  I really felt like I could just keep on running after I started back up the hill to head home, but I guess I better not get to wild too soon.  I pretty much talked to mom the entire run this day.  

Kelly shared a picture yesterday that I wanted to share on this blog.  You hear me speak about my sisters and mom a lot.  We have a “not technically” adopted brother, Andy, who has fit in well with the family over the last few years and has helped a lot with dad (him being a nursing major has been a blessing).  If he fits in well I suppose that must mean he’s crazy too J  I love that dad is laughing in this picture with Andy because those who know dad know he’s usually cracking up about something (or giving someone else a hard time).  So for those who are getting to know dad through this blog you can see what we all mean.  When we met with Dad’s Parkinson’s Support group, we had spoken about humor many times and to make the best of a situation by laughing.  I mentioned to Larry how a previous blog I noted “laughter is the best medicine”.  Dad has always been a jokester. 

Dad has his good days and bad days with this fight against Parkinson’s.  The last few days I’ve found myself “friending” a few other Parkinson’s advocates and reading their story, and how they are in this race against Parkinson’s as well.  It’s amazing how many people approach this  battle to make a bad situation positive by fighting together towards finding a cure.  Prior to dad’s progression with Parkinson’s he was one of the most mobile people anyone had ever seen, I’m not even sure if he even knew that a chair was used for sitting down because he was always on the go.  Rather it be standing on the sideline (because if he was sitting it probably meant trouble), Walking up and down the sidelines of a football game, running our normal training route along Route 50 to the Ellenboro bridge and back, running circles in gym class with the kids, or trekking through the woods hunting.  Dad was always “doing something”.  The longest he’s probably ever actually sat down was when he was cutting grass on the riding lawn mower, where he’d enjoy mowing for hours at a time.  I guess I try to touch on the positives so much because that’s what I want to think about.  However, to keep this blog “real” I suppose I need to focus on the negatives as well to educate others many of the reasons to find a cure. 

Dollars for Dad Upate:

We've added Alaska and Connecticut on Friday!!!  We now have: WV, OH, CT, AK, and CO... we need to keep these coming!!  Don't forget to pass along to friends and help us with this!

When Michael J. Fox started his foundation, he made a comment about hoping to write an unsuccessful business plan, because if his plan failed it means they found a cure.  There are different advances and stages of Parkinson’s and through that there are still so many things to research and discover.  Some effects are faster than others, some stages are more progressive then others, some tremors are more noticeable, some are more active…some medicines have been the hardest to overcome where you have to see if the risks and side effects of the medicine are worth the benefits.  That is a struggle dad discovered all too well.  From falling asleep randomly during everyday events, to swollen muscles that created broken bones, to impaired decision making effects and more, it was all about determining if the slower tremors or the assistance in being able to speak was worth the change due to the side effects.  Parkinson’s isn’t just about a shaking hand or fingers…it consumes so much more than that. 

For today though, we’ll smile about what we do have as opposed to what we don’t or wish were different and embrace the moments we are blessed with.  We all have become better people from it and others have been influenced by who dad is.  I challenge everyone to do something to make a difference today either in your own life or someone else’s because there isn’t really a reason not to.

"Dollars For Dad" ****Please Share!

I seperated this Blog so you can share it individually...please tweet, post on facebook, re-post on your blog....however you can to spread the word!  We are making flyers to distribute and be able to graphically place in an Email to forward as well as pass out at events.  If you would like a copy of that flyer once complete please Email me at: MissySpangler22@yahoo.com.  Thank you so much!

"Dollars for Dad"

--Help Spread His Inspiration Across the Nation

We are raising money together to honor our father who was diagnosed with Parkinson's at the age of 39 in 2001 and has had a very progressive battle with it. We also do this to honor our mother who has been a supportive caregiver during this difficult time. We are from a small community in Ritchie County, WV where my dad has been a devoted dad, teacher, mentor, and coach to hundreds of students and athletes. We seek to share his story and give back to the Michael J Fox Foundation which is the Foundation for Parkinson’s Research by being a member of Team Fox where I will be running for them at the New York City marathon on November 4th, 2012 …you can accomplish more in life as a Team and we’ve all come together to be a member of my dad’s team...TEAM SPANGLER.

This campaign for "Dollars for Dad" is to show the power of just $1 and if we come together as a team the extraordinary difference it will make. Dad has inspired so many and we hope to show him just how far his inspiration has reached (We would REALLY love to get all 50 states and as many cities/towns as possible in between). I have a large map of the U.S. and I am going to keep track of where the dollars come from and mark them on the map, so help us spread his story and inspiration. When I visit dad I plan on taking the map and continuing to show him just where his story has reached and continues to reach until the race in November.

**We would truly appreciate your support and would love for you to pass this along and help us embellish the value of just a single $1.

Please Mail to:

Team Spangler

Attention: Missy Spangler

P.O. Box 403

Ripley, WV 25271

You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.- Winston Churchill

We sincerely Thank You!

Let's Get this Challenge Started

(Just a FYI warning…if you find yourself annoyed by miss-spellings, grammar, and random thought changes this blog may not be for you…I tend to express things without being attentive to some of those things, I’m a marketing major…not the English Teacher my grandma was) J

If you are new to me….my dad…my family, my hometown, my community, my state, etc I welcome you to follow along and learn about a wonderful inspirational person who I just so happen to be lucky enough to call Dad …For the newcomers; my dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease the summer I was going off to college in 2001.  He has had a rather progressive battle with this disease from having brain stem surgery with little success to now being confined to bed with very limited speaking capabilities…..We may not have the cure for every heartbreaking disease but together we can work to honor those people who continue to fight those battles everyday and hope that today brings a better day than yesterday and better hope for tomorrow.


Now let’s get this challenge going.....


Since the news came that I could be on “Team Fox” (Michael J Fox's Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research) for the NYC marathon I’ve had a mix of emotions.  From highs to lows…to emotional doubts…to knowing this is what I’m supposed to do and it’s going to be a positive exciting adventure.  “This is for you Dad” 

I’ve never been the empathetic daughter of the bunch (the boy dad never actually had I suppose)…I have far too much of dad’s stubbornness and no excuse mentality in me to even let a broken bone stop me from playing anything.  For those who have known me growing up we can reflect on the Little Cardinal basketball days of dad wrapping my casts with knee pads and having to make up stories to tell mom that they mis-printed my name in the paper and I DID NOT have 6 points.  We still laugh about that story because how we ever pulled it off for as long as we did without mom finding out being a grade school teacher is beyond me.

            Sometimes I don’t feel like I’m there as much for dad as I wish I could be, sometimes I don’t know how to make any of “this” better from a caregiver’s perspective.  This marathon is so much of who dad helped me to be…and that’s why I’m doing it.  When our cross country team was about to lose the volunteer coach we had, dad stepped in with all of his football coaching knowledge to be a running coach (no he didn’t make us wear pads out of confusion the first practice)…and I’m not sure he ever thought he’d love that as much as he did.  He’d always told me to “get my run in” and usually ran some on his own….but the world of running was a new concept at that point (to most it seems rather silly I’m sure…but that’s what I wanted to do….so dad wanted to make sure the opportunity for kids was there).  That’s why another new adventure of running a marathon is just what we need to do together again.  I’ve ran half marathons, long runs, circles around tracks, over the river and throw the woods many times….but this….this is OUR first marathon…and where else more perfect to do that then NYC.  (Ok the NYC part probably wouldn’t be dad’s first choice but hey… he’s use to not getting his way with a house filled with 4 women).    

            I’ve always pushed through some hardships with working hard at something else.  As a runner you find your solutions to life and find yourself during a long run day and you’re miles from home with just the scenic views around you and it’s easy to escape to reflect.  I think there are days I struggle more with my best friend having something that none of us can make any better right at this given second then anything.  I miss his voice full of advice, his handwritten inspiration notes, and even the typed items that had words so badly misspelled that even spell check didn’t figure out.  (Now please take note where my bad spelling comes from, at least that’s what I blame it on) J  I look forward to these future days of training and running to allow myself to reflect on so many of these things and help me deal with this in some way. 

      When I was home this past weekend I went walking with my mom.  Which might I add in the midst of this first blog …my mother is an amazing individual.  I have always been daddy’s little girl and through the struggle of some of this it has given me the opportunity to become close to my mom.  I told mom, given the hard days I know that will come with being sore, legs hurting, and so forth I will always be able to tell myself no matter how hard a run, a day, or something might be I realize things are much worse for dad. If he has had the strength to battle so much, without question I will be able to do this and I will. 

I’ve randomly been running, but since news of the marathon it’s given me a new meaning to run and a new goal as well. I’m going to do something for this event every day…every single day…no excuses, because neither my mom nor dad gets a day off from this.  I look forward to being able to update dad on how the running is going and all the activities going on to help raise money for this event.  I’m looking forward to going to NYC and running this marathon and sharing “our story” along the way and making people aware of our small town and everything people like my dad do for so many others every day.

I wanted to start this blog to share in this adventure and hopefully reach others who are struggling with the same type of situation.  I want to express the importance to the awareness for Parkinson’s along with Team Fox and embrace the contagious optimism that Michael J. Fox has given to this disease.  There was a lot unknown about this disease when we were first told of the prognoses and we scrambled to try to understand it all.  I usually don’t discuss emotions much, but I look forward to sharing the thoughts I have while running, training updates, and the random “remember when’s”.  I will update on the fundraising efforts, projects we plan to do, and welcome anyone who wants to contribute, has ideas, wants to assist with a fundraiser to let me know.  I have set the goal of money to raise at $10,000….but if we’ve learned anything from dad it is to always do better then what we once hoped…so I do hope through this my goal increases and we are able to make a big impact from a small community.    

Dad Along with Tara, Me, Mom, and Kelly <3