2015 Royals Celebration

Yep!!!

It's been an exciting year if you are a Royals Baseball fan! The Royals came from behind to win game 5 of the World Series to become the World Series Champions. It is hard not to like the Royals. They are group of down to earth guys who give back to their community.

I have been a baseball fan all my life. When I was a kid I collected baseball cards and played baseball as often as I could with the neighborhood kids. As I grew older I lost my desire to play the game. I was never good at ball sports so running became my thing. Anyhoo... long story short I have always been and will always be a Royals fan. Making it to the World Series last year was awesome but oh what a let down it was for the boys in blue to not win the Series. So can you image the excitement in KC this year when the good guys returned to the series again? It just felt like it was "Our Time" and the boys in blue came through with a thrilling playoff run finished off with the crown. Thanks for a great season Royals!

I was lucky enough to be able to take time away from work to attend the Royals Parade and Celebration. Here are some pics from the event. Admittedly, I didn't get close enough to the players so I am sharing some pics friends were able to get. Even though I wasn't able to get up close and personal with the players, it was still a great atmosphere to be in and an experience I will cherish!

I was one of the thousands in the crowd at Union Station!

Here come the players....

You knew the players were near when you saw the giant baseball!

Slugger!

Crown on parade route.

Replica of World Series Trophy inside Union Station

2 Heroes Lost

Kansas City Fire Department lost 2 brave heroes in an apartment fire last night when a wall collapsed trapping 4 firefighters. 2 were pronounced dead at the hospital and 2 others suffered non-life threatening injuries. Fire Chief Paul Berardi identified the deceased firefighters as 17-year department veteran Larry J. Leggio and 13-year veteran John V. Mesh. The firefiighters had entered the building to rescue 2 residents trapped by the fire. These firefighters died heroes. How many people run in to burning buildings while the rest of us run out? My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of these Kansas City heroes. 

True definition of a hero!

I don't know if I have adequate words to express how I feel right now. As a Red Cross volunteer I witness first hand how wonderful our firefiighters and first responders are! Our first responders are incredible people! The firefighters are always great to work with. Always helping on scene with information about the families we are there to help and staying on scene when they can to keep Red Cross volunteers safe (if police aren't on scene). We couldn't do what we do without such a great relationship with the local fire departments.

I wasn't dispatched to last nights fire. That was likely intentional. Apartment fires are still emotional for me. I guess that's something you never get over. I know the volunteers that were dispatched to the fire and they are wonderful people. I know they did a great job taking care of the residents displaced by the fire. 

Red Cross assisted residents displaced by the apartment fire.

 I am lucky enough to call many first responders friends. It takes a special heart to do what you do! Thank you to all first responders! Prayers to KCFD! RIP to the 2 lost heroes last night. I know our KC community is supporting you today. 

Love and support you KCFD!

There are no words that can describe the pain these firefighters are experiencing after losing 2 of their own. 

  

RIP Larry J. Leggio and John V. Mesh Thank you for your service! 

MCM Deferred

Well unfortunately due to an injury I have had to make the decision to defer my entry for the Marine Corps Marathon to next year. I have a torn hamstring tendon. Had it been the muscle injured instead of the tendon I might have been able to train through it. A tendon injury is more serious than a muscle injury and mine is being slow to respond to treatment. I have missed nearly 2 weeks of running so far and the projected time off from running is 4-6 weeks. With the MCM being only 8 weeks away, it is unrealistic that I could recover and train appropriately for it.

Injuries are frustrating. This one is frustrating to me for so many reasons. Running is my coping mechanism. I have been grumpy lately and I know it's a result of not being able to run. Mostly though, I think I am frustrated more because I was running the MCM to raise awareness for suicide prevention for first responders. I will have to discontinue the campaign now that I won't be able to run. I am very disappointed about that. Suicide is such a hard topic to talk about. Running the MCM gave me a platform to talk about suicide prevention.

The media doesn't publicize first responder suicides nearly as often as they occur. Every year we hear about how many Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters are killed in the line of duty. Would it surprise you that nearly double that take their lives each year by suicide? I bet most people don't know the devastating toll of the job on first responders. I was an EMT for only a short bit so I can't say I know all they go through but I have an idea. There is one call I ran while an EMT that I will never forget and it has to do with fire. It's part of the reason why I struggled so much after my fire a few years ago. My fire brought back a memory I thought I had put away forever. And that's only one call, how many calls haunt first responders in their dreams? I bet it's well more than one. Whether a firefighter, EMT, paramedic or police officer, they all experience things that most of us never could imagine. And because most of us can't relate to what they see and experience, first responders find it hard to reach out to others who are not first responders. So what do they do? They bury it. They don't want to burden their family or friends with the emotional things they see on the job. The problem with not talking about it is it leads to coping mechanisms that may not be safe such as drinking, drugs and other risky behaviors that help distract from the nightmares.

This year alone 71 firefighter suicides have been confirmed including the recent suicide of a firefighter while on duty in Katy, Texas. It's very possible the number of suicides is higher than that as not all suicides are reported as suicides. EMS suicides are generally included in firefighter suicide statistics. It's harder to track LEO suicides because oftentimes the death is not reported as a suicide. And that's too bad. In order for officers, firefighters and EMS to be more likely to get help, they need to know there is a support system in place. If law enforcement won't acknowledge that a suicide has happened, it is less likely for an officer to reach out to someone if they are struggling. For example, Johnson County (KS) Sheriff's Office had a deputy lose his life to suicide earlier this year. It was not reported as a suicide and therefor the opportunity to help others who may be struggling was missed. The more we talk about suicide out in the open, the better chance we have of saving someone who may need help but is too afraid to ask for it. Suicide needs to be talked about openly in order to break down the stigma associated with it. Until that happens, people will continue to be afraid to ask for help. I speak from experience here.  Fire and EMS have gotten a little further than law enforcement in regards to suicide prevention. Suicides are now being tracked as much as possible in Fire/EMS and workshops are being put in place to help departments when they lose one of their own to suicide. The organization I was raising funds for is one of those organizations that provides workshops for LEO/Fire/EMS to help with suicide prevention as well as grief after a suicide.  To learn more about it visit the Sweeney Alliance at http://sweeneyalliance.net/ or the Grieving Behind the Badge blog at http://grievingbehindthebadgeblog.net/.

I may not be able to run the Marine Corps Marathon this year but my desire to talk about suicide prevention has not diminished. It's a difficult topic but one that's worth having a conversation about. You might just save someone's life.

If you or someone you know is struggling there is help. Reach out to a friend, family member, coworker, partner, spouse, counselor, priest.... just reach out. Where there is help, there is hope.

Running the Marine Corps Marathon to Raise Awareness for Suicide Prevention in First Responders

Hi all! I am running the Marine Corps Marathon in October to raise awareness for suicide prevention for first responders.

Why do I want to raise awareness for suicide prevention? Because one suicide is one too many!

Why do I want to focus on raising awareness for suicide prevention for first responders? Because they are the helpers. Who are they supposed to call when they need help?

The stigma for suicide is very real. People are afraid to ask for help because they don't know how others will view them when they say they need help. Having been there I know this issue all too well. People don't want to talk about suicide because of the stigma associated with it. It's time to start a conversation worth having.

What makes suicide so difficult to prevent is that it is not a condition or disorder, but rather an outcome that may result from the presence (or accumulation) of many risk factors. What makes suicide in first responders even more difficult to prevent is that they are the helpers. Those who work in Fire/EMS/Law Enforcement face the risk of my behavioral concerns such as anxiety, depression, burnout, ptsd to name a few. But the problem is that they don't talk about behavioral health when it comes to each other. The often mentioned mantra in first responders is "We help others but never ourselves." 

Why is it so difficult for someone in Fire/EMS/Law Enforcement to ask for help? Risk of losing their peer’s respect, fear of being viewed as weak and unable to perform their jobs, fear of confidentiality, fear of losing their career? It’s no wonder so many of the helpers suffer in silence. Why do I want to raise awareness for suicide prevention for first responders? For Nico and TJ and all other first responders who ended their life too soon because they couldn’t ask for help.

Nicholas “Nico” Cruz passed away on July 27, 2014. He was a firefighter with more than 20 years on the job. He received numerous accolades for saving lives. When he wasn’t at work he gave his time to many charitable organizations including MDA, BACA and Brotherhood for Children. Nico was a firefighter, a husband, a father and so much more. What might have been the greatest hurdle for Nico was the loss of his wife to suicide nearly a year prior to his suicide. After her death Nico made it a mission to educate others about suicide prevention. Those of us who knew Nico knew the anniversary of Carli’s death was difficult and may have been too much for him to endure. Someone who ends their life by suicide doesn’t necessarily want to die; they just want their pain to end. Nico was struggling with the loss of Carli and didn’t know how to make the pain end.

Timothy J. “TJ” Shavers passed away December 8, 2012. TJ was a detective who spent a good portion of his career in cyber-crimes investigating online sexual predators, identity theft, email scams, internet theft, etc. He was trained specifically to focus on investigate crimes against children and spent nearly the last 7 years of his career catching these predators. TJ was a law enforcement officer, a husband and a father. He, like many law enforcement officers, struggled with the pressures of undercover work vs personal life balance. 

Was it the constant exposure to horror at work or something going on at home that proved too much for Nico or TJ to handle? We may never know. All we do know is they wanted the pain to end. For whatever reason, neither reached out for help. I can’t say I know what it’s like to walk in the shoes of first responders but I have many friends who do and if I can help even one of them get help when they need it, it is worth the effort. Asking for help is hard. I should know; it was the bravest thing I ever did!

I am running the Marine Corps Marathon to support the groundbreaking collaboration of The Sweeney Alliance and Rethink The Conversation to develop national programs to educate first responders about suicide prevention and coping with the aftermath of a suicide.

Will you support my cause? Here's a link to my campaign:  http://www.gofundme.com/suicidehelp
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog entry! This cause has my heart, I hope it has yours too!

If you or someone you know is struggling please ask for help. Where there is help, there is hope!

Volunteering at Fur Ball

For the 5th year in a row, I got the opportunity to volunteer at Wayside Waifs annual fundraiser Fur Ball. This year's Fur Ball theme was "The Wizard of Paws"... it was held on May 9, 2015.

The event was held at the Overland Park Convention Center where the ballroom was transformed into a Land of Oz party. More than 1000 attendees spent the evening bidding on auction items, feasting on dinner and satisfying their thirst with an open bar all to help the animals at Wayside Waifs.

This year's Emcee was Gary Lezak, Emmy Award Winning Meteorologist for KSHB 41 News. Long time supporters David and Dalia Morris and Chris and Susan Wally served as Chairpersons for the event.

Volunteers and Staff spent many hours preparing and helping out on event night. Here are some pics of staff and volunteers in action:

I worked the check in station again this year. It's the first point of interaction with the guests who attended. I always enjoy meeting everyone and wishing them a great time at the event.

 

 It was a great time for a great cause! Look forward to next year's Fur Ball! Hope to see you there!