Choosing Gratitude

Selected as the 2019-2020 National Ski Patrol/ Subaru Ambassador

"Grateful people don't focus on what they are lacking, they make sure they see the good in what they have." -Dr. Robert Emmons

I'm a little late with my Thanksgiving post. I don't even have a good excuse.  I  didn't have to cook, since I was a guest at my brother's house in Madison.  I didn't even make anything homemade. I bought the pies I took to dinner this year.

I didn't even run a race on Thanksgiving day. I was supposed to do a 5K, but skipped it when I didn't sleep much the night before and woke up with a headache.  The race did not matter and was just going to do it for fun so it didn't matter much if I decided to skip it.  I'm not really needing another race medal.  This time of year is my time to rest and recover.  So I was not too upset about not doing the race.

I was thinking back on the year as I drove to Madison for Thanksgiving dinner.  I was driving there in my NSP Subaru.  I have the use of the car for the next year, due to being selected as an ambassador.
I applied for the ambassador position, not thinking I would get it.  In my application I talked about my work using races to raise awareness of CMT.   There were 400 applicants and 10 of us were chosen.

I was told by the ambassador coordinator, the reason I was chosen for two reasons. The first was the social media presence I've developed in my CMT work. The second was because of my CMT.  The committee felt that someone doing ski patrol with CMT was really unusual. They were really interested for me to tell my story to a wider audience.  That is the reason I made the application. It gives me a chance to take my story to a whole new audience.

I've been a member of a local Ski Patrol for over 30 years. At times it has been a challenge.  I've always struggled with chronically cold hands and feet. That meant having to warm up in the patrol room or lodge quite a bit.  But patrollers are a social group and I usually have company while I warm up.  Sometimes fatigue is an issue.  The role of the patrol is to be out on the ski hill. Our job is to help keep skiers safe and to provide emergency first aid to those that get hurt.  Sometimes I have to do a patrol shift when I'm really tired. 

I'm grateful I still have the ability to ski. Part of our duties are transferring injured skiers in a toboggan that we control by skiing.   We also have to be able to evacuate the lift via ropes and rescue device if it stops working. I get tested on these skills every year and I've been able to keep up with any requirements. 

I'm grateful for the friends I've had since I started on patrol.  It is ski patrol where I got my start as a professional trainer.  We work as a team to train and take care of injured skiers.  It makes me feel really good to help someone that's hurt.

Shortly after I joined patrol, I took the certification class to become a first aid instructor.  I got great feedback on my teaching and looked for ways to do more and more training at work.  I went back to school to get a graduate degree in Adult Learning and became a professional trainer.

Being on patrol has not been easy.  It takes me much longer than a non CMT person to learn skills like skiing and running a toboggan. It took me three times to pass my skiing and toboggan test to become a full patroller.  Like anything athletic in my life, it did not come easy. It took lots of effort and determination.  I'm thankful God blessed me with lots of determination.

I never expected any of this when I joined patrol 30 years ago. My parents were getting older and I thought knowing CPR and first aid skills might come in handy.  Life is like that.  You just never know what twists and turns will happen in life. There were times when I failed tests that I wanted to quit and I almost did. I'm glad I hung in there.

I've  decided to be positive and choose gratitude each day.  I know it has made all the difference. I'm able to see the positive in any situation and make the most of what I have.  I hope I remembered for that. I want that to be my real legacy, not the races I've done and the places I've earned.  Living with CMT is not easy, even with a mild case.  Being positive helps me to focus on what is good in my life despite the CMT.

Because while not everyone can swim, bike and run, we can all choose gratitude. If you do so it will change your life, even if facing something like CMT.  I hope everyone with CMT chooses the same.

So many have. I 've seen great changes in the the community since I started raising awarness after my diagnosis. I credit the work of  Team CMT members.  It seems like every week I see pictures of our members raising awareness at races and other events. We've grown to over 200 members.  I am so thank ful for them.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

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Chris Wodke

Founder & Manager Team CMT

www.run4cmt.com

Chris is a triathlete and long distance runner. She is a three time participant of the Boston Marathon.  In 2012 she finished 2nd at Boston in the Mobility Impaired Division. She was on the course in 2013 when the bombs exploded.

She has appeared three times at the Paratriathlon National Triathlon Sprint Championship. She was the 2012 and 2014 National Champion Paratriathlon Open Division Champion.

In 2014 she was the PC Open Champion at the Duathlon National Championship and at the Aqua bike National Championship in 2016. She represented Team USA at the Aquathon ITU World Championship in Chicago in 2015i, Cozumel in 2016 and Denmark in 2018. In 2018 finishing 5^th in the 60 to 64 age group.

 In 2014 she represented the U.S. as a paratriathlete at the Pan-American Triathlon Championship in Dallas, Texas.  She has won state championships in cycling and triathlon as a senior Olympian. In 2017 she placed 2^nd in her age group at the Winter Triathlon National Championship, earning a spot on Team USA for the World Championship.

She travels around the country raising awareness of CMT.

She is the author of the book, “Running for My Life” that details her experience as a CMT affected athlete and the book “Soup Sundays, A Journey Toward Healthy Eating”.

http://www.henschelhausbooks.com/catalog/memoir-biography/215-running-for-my-life-winning-for-cmt-9781595982827.html

You may visit her author page at:
http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Wodke/e/B00IJ02HX6

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMTWe currently have 228 athletes in 41 states. We also have members in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Vietnam, Iran, Scotland, France, Turkey, Poland, Norway, Mexico and Sweden!. If you wish to join us visit our web site; www.run4cmt.com or www.hnf-cure.org

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.

Additional Link

Follow CMT affected Paratriathlete Timmy Dixon
http://cmtamputee.wordpress.com/

Follow CMT Author Chris Steinke
https://cmtandmesite.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/what-is-charcot-marie-tooth-disease/

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