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| Friends Libby & Viktor Vejins |
"One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives."-Euripides
I flew into Boston Friday morning just in case there were any media or fundraising things I needed to do before the marathon. Since there wasn't, I had some time to connect with a college friend from UWM engineering school.
I hadn't been to Boston in over 20 years so the last time I saw my friend Viktor was right before he got married. We kept in touch and exchanged Christmas cards, but I hadn't seen him in ages.
Vik has always been like a big brother so I was really looking forward to catching up.
He works for a company called Nano Technology and since I once worked in the semiconductor field I wanted a tour. His companies technology is used to make touch screens and other high tech application's. Touring the company brought back lots of memories of my work as a Chem tech and research engineer. I have been out of the field so long I did not understand all the technical stuff I was told as part of the tour, but I think I got the high points.
Next up on the agenda was dinner with Viktor and his wife. First though we stopped at Walden Pond and saw the Henry David Thoreau cabin. We walked along the pond and had a nice chance to catch up. I found out both he and his daughters are certified divers, so it was fun to hear about is Caribbean experiences. He and his whole family are also skiers, which his how and he and I became friends.
Then home for dinner. It was a true pleasure meeting Libby. She has such a warm heart and an open and inviting personality. I wish I lived in Boston because I felt like we would be best friends. She likes to hike and ski and even has her own kayak. My kind of woman. The best part was seeing how happy she makes my friend and what a wonderful family they have made. I got to meet their youngest daughter Amanda. Older daughter Alice was in Thailand doing marine research on reefs.
The evening ended much too soon and I was soon on my way back to my hotel. Thanks Libby and Viktor for a great evening. See you next year!
Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com
Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have almost 100 members in 17 states. If you wish to join us visit our web site.
CMT or Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS). It is a disease of the nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of normal function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.
Symptoms include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual dexterity.
Structural foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.
Poor tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold hands and feet.
Additional symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing loss.
Running, triathlons, impaired athlete, paratriathlon, USAT, running and CMT
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