Run like the wind...or not...

Drove hundreds of miles today. Left the house at 6:30 to get Beautiful Daughter to Salem for the ACT Exam. It took 5 hours, so, I dawdled away some time having hot tea and reading The Stateman Journal in a cool little artsy coffee shop called "The Blue Pepper." I headed over to McMinnville to pick up my mom, who I haven't seen since Christmas Day 2006 (it's a long story). I'd invited her to come with us up to Beautiful Daughter's Willamette Falls Invitational Track Meet...

We drove back to Salem, out to Sprague High School, picked up BD, had some lunch, and sped up to Oregon City to Pioneer Stadium. My husband ended up showing up, too, as he was on his way home from Hood River. Then, my dad, from Newberg, came, too! It was a weird, partial family reunion.

BD ran like the wind in the 3000 Meter race...for, oh, about the first 1000 meters. Then, something changed. She began struggling. I was sitting along the rail of the stadium, digitally taping the entire run on my new little camera (it's cool) and watching closely, expecting something to happen. She ran the whole race, but I noted her gait was off and her face was twisted. I "slipped into a dream" (think Beatles) and actually saw her in my mind's eye falling down on the track. When I stepped back into reality, she was still running, but was getting closer and closer to the back. She ended up finishing in about 9 place! I've never seen BD do this before, and it had me a little concerned, no, a LOT concerned. After she crossed the finish line, she, along with all of the other runners, paced about in that area, waiting for the final OK to move on. When she moved on, I watched her walk slowly around the track, clutching her chest. I knew better than to express a concern, so I just watched, even using the digital zoom on the camera to get a little closer look. She was in pain.

You see, BD is not well. This is the next step in what her pediatrician described to me as her slow decline. BD is amazing. BD fights obsessions, especially with perfectionism, which has led to a rapid decline in weight and health, due to an extremely taxed physiology.

I am not going to say anthing to her about it at this point, as I've learned my lesson over and over again. My concerns are stupid, and I overreact to everything. Man, but you can bet I'll be contacting her dr. and coach this week. She commented to all of us after she joined us in the grandstands, "I don't know what's wrong. It's like my lungs and heart wouldn't work. I couldnt' breathe for awhile and my heart hurts now. I wonder what's wrong with me?

Mom just bites her lip...