Well people, check your weather app and if it doesn’t say hell has frozen over you better check again.  I just signed up for a 5K.  Yes, the person that gets irritated and winded when she has to walk from Macy’s to JCPenny in the mall is going to exercise.

Before you send out the men with the “little white straight jacket’ let me explain.

On a very average and ordinary day in 2010 a young man named Drew Clayborn attempted back flip in the hall at Walled Lake Central High School.  In a matter of seconds his life changed forever.  I was a bystander to the horror.  Just a parent working on something at the school and waiting for the kids to clear out.  I never suspected that on such a beautiful day that I would be witness to one of the worst tragedies to occur at our school.

The first thing I remember were the screams of Drew’s sister Desirae coming from the upstairs and the next thing I heard were the walkie talkies going off.  I wasn’t sure what had happened but the entire staff became aware of the situation and jumped into action.  911 was called, Desirae was taken to an office and the receptionist was trying to reach Drew’s dad.  It was surreal to watch it all unfold.  I was watching in real life the nightmare of every parent.

Initially they couldn’t reach Drew’s dad because he was at work.  I began to think about how many times I had left my phone at home and wasn’t available for a short time.  All I could think of was somewhere there was a parent sitting innocently in a meeting or just doing his job and his life was changing forever.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.  The teachers attending to Drew were becoming more frantic when they communicated with the office.  They wanted to know when the EMS was arriving, had they spoken to Drew’s dad and  was the elevator unlocked.  Then came to last voice I remember saying ” WE NEED THEM HERE NOW!”  I knew at that point that this was a life and death situation. I believe to this day that if the staff at the school had handled the situation any differently that Drew would not be here today.

As they wheeled Drew by me the paramedics were bagging him and I knew that it was serious.  All I could do was pray for Drew and selfishly in my mind thank God that wasn’t my child.

As the days and weeks went by the seriousness of Drew’s injuries became apparent. He was a football player, a basketball player and a great kid. He was a son, brother and great guy and now he was a quadriplegic.

To say he and his family have been an inspiration to me and everyone in the community would be an understatement. They have shown a courage and grace that I am unsure I would be capable of and that is why I will walk albeit very slowly

That being said all the grace and strength will not ever cover the cost of what it takes to keep Drew alive everyday.  The needs of our children being the latest iPhone and name brand clothes are so incredibly insignificant compared to Drew’s.  Here are just SOME of the costs the family incurs on a monthly basis.

So I will walk and if you want to help Drew you will walk with me.  We will wear pink and be called Drew’s Divas. There will be tiaras involved and champagne at the finish line   We will celebrate Drew’s courage, his families devotion and help in some small way by being there raising money. 

So loosen up, lace up and take a little time Saturday, September 22 to be a part of something to help a family.  See you there! I will be the one wheezing!