“A Mother’s Victory: a Husband’s Perspective”

Before the race...starting to feel the competitive edge...between butterflies!





If you know me then you will know that I absolutely love to give credit where credit is due, especially to those that work so hard behind the scenes. If you know me then you may also know that for the past three years, now going on four, I have been in medical school. As I end what has truly been one of the more difficult challenges I have faced in my life I can truly say that there is no way I would have made it this far if it were not for my amazing wife.




For almost four years now she has been patient and sacrificed countless hours and evenings alone with our ever growing family while her husband sat and studied for the nth time for some test or board exam that at the time seemed so consuming. Very few times would Amanda ever complain about my schedule. I have watched her as she has, with determination and patience, tackled all obstacles that have come her way whether it is graduating college while raising two children, making doctor’s appointments or fulfilling her church responsibilities. Many times she has placed her own aspirations and goals on hold in order to support others in need including her children and myself.




Well, just recently at the end of September I was able to witness Amanda do something for herself, something she has wanted to do for a long time. Several months ago Amanda came up to me and asked if I wanted to one day run a 5k race with her. I have to admit, I am NOT a runner. I am not sure if I EVER WILL BE. But the idea of training and doing something together with your spouse is fun no matter how intimidating the task. So we began training but then I had to leave for a month to Houston and do another medical rotation away. In the mean time Amanda dedicated herself to training finding time to run while still meeting the daily demands of three little children all younger than age 5.




As we approached the end of September she told me she had signed up to participate in a 5k at a local park near our house benefiting Melanoma research. I was excited for her and so was she. (You must know that we are both very competitive in nature and Amanda has been involved with competitive sports since she was old enough to walk.) This is not something that Amanda likes to talk about but you must know that she EXCELS at sports; she really does. She set records in power lifting in high school and was recruited for softball by several colleges. (I am not supposed to share that with you, but I think it’s awesome).





So the day of the race came and there was a pretty good turn out of people. Amanda was nervous but as the race was about to start, the adrenaline and excitement of it all kicked in and so did Amanda’s competitive side. The race began and Amanda took off. The kids and I watched as she disappeared over the hill along the premarked course hoping that all would go well. We then retired to the playground to allow the children to expend some energy.




After about 15 minutes I decided to check and see if any of the runners were beginning to come to the finish line. I looked toward the hill and saw Amanda quickly approaching. I gathered the children and we took our positions at the finish line with the camera ready to record the finish. Amanda took the last turn in a sprint for the finish, something I have seen her do before in other track races (remind me to show you her middle school long distance track races). As she came across the finish line the time read 23:41 minutes, a personal best! We were so excited for her and this accomplishment and you could tell she was too as well as exhausted.






As other runners came in to finish the race the award ceremony began. First, the top male and female racers were announced. Then the top finishers were announced by age bracket. And guess who won their age bracket? Yep, Amanda! Not only did she finish first in her age group, she was the 4th girl to finish overall! Words cannot describe how proud of Amanda I was at that moment and how proud I am of her today. She represents so many things that I aspire to be. She has a personal motto, “Fortitude”, which she so perfectly displays. I am grateful for her example and for her humility. She would have bee happy that day just to have completed that race and gone home without a medal because that’s who she is.





So at this time I pay tribute to Amanda, a mother who is a winner not only of a 5k she decided to run in but a winner in so many other areas in life…..as a daughter, a wife, a sister, a friend, a teacher, a leader, etc. I know there are many mothers out there including my own who deserve a lot more credit than they receive and to all of you I say, “Thank You.” Thank you for all that you do no matter how little or insignificant it may seem. You DO NOT go entirely unnoticed, I promise. Keep up the good work and continue running the race. You never know who you may inspire. I love you Amanda and I promise we will run the next 5k together! (I am scared).