October 2009...
I was a junior in college and thought I had life all figured out.
I was 20 years old, finally had a group of friends for the first time, and was loving life.
I've been working since I was 14 and throughout college was no different.
I would go to class from 7-2 and then work from 3-8.
On the weekends I'd either go home to do a couple shifts at the nursing home where I worked throughout college or work a weekend shift at the gym I was working at during the week.
Well, this fall weekend in October of 2009 was a little different.
I drove home from college and walked into dinner on the table with my parents and brother sitting there waiting for me.
Within seconds, tears rolled down my mom's face, and she blurted out...
"I have cancer."
I didn't know it at the time, but that has been one of the most defining moments of my life to date.
I wasn't really sure what to do.
I went back to college that Monday, went back to work, and back to "normal" things.
Each week I would call home to get updates and every couple I would drive back home to spend time with the family.
The remaining fall semester was a blur.
I failed classes, lost friends, and really was never present in anything.
Over winter break things progressed and I watched my mom struggle to walk up stairs, cry as she had to try a wig on, and eventually get so weak she could barely walk.
That spring semester of 2010 was a repeat of the fall.
I don't really remember much other than I know I failed Chemistry yet again, watched my dad cry for the first time in 20 years, and helped my younger brother grasp the news that mom wasn't going to be able to leave the hospital to watch him graduate high school.
My mom eventually moved from the hospital to the hospice house.
On June 14, 2010, I held my mom's hand as we surrounded her bedside at the hospice house and watched her take her last breath.
She was 52.
Some of you have heard the story before...
Some of you are reading it for the first time...
I share it often because it's a big part of who I am.
It's a big part of who Spurling Fitness is.
Unfortunately, I'm not the only one with a story like this.
I'm sure we all know someone, maybe even yourself, who has had to battle cancer.
Since my mom's passing, I've had this ferocious fire inside me that motivates me more than I can describe.
I choose not to use my mom's passing as a way of feeling sad, but instead, as a way to make an impact, to empower people, to change lives, and to make a difference in the world for the very short time I'm here.
It would mean the world to me if you, your friends, and your family could make it to our Spurling Charity Workout benefiting Maine Cancer Foundation this Saturday, 7/22, @ 8:30 am.
We're asking for a small donation at the door, and we'll host a 45-minute circuit-style workout for all ages and fitness abilities.
I hope to see you there!
===>>> Spurling Charity Workout benefiting Maine Cancer Foundation
1% Better.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Doug Spurling