Posted on 12/08/2018 8:07:11 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
On November 18, 37-year-old José Garcia reached the finish line of the Bakersfield Marathon—but he didn’t cross alone.
Before the end, Garcia went up to the sidelines to take hold of his 76-year-old mother-in-law, Odilia Esparza, who is battling late-stage Alzheimer’s disease, so she could finish the race with him.
Esparza was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2010, and the disease has progressed to the point she can no longer walk, talk, or recognize her family members. But Esparza’s daughter, Daniela, fondly remembers the days before her adopted mother’s illness.
While she was not a runner, she was a big believer in an active lifestyle. Esparza would often encourage Daniela to get up, get out, and go walk for miles and miles.
Esparza can no longer walk 5Ks, hike, or kayak like she used to, but Daniela wants to keep her involved in those active family activities, and return the same kindness that Odilia showed her when she was adopted.
“She could have left me there, and I consider her giving me a second chance,” Daniela said. “At this point, when she needs somebody, why can’t I give her that second chance?”
(Excerpt) Read more at runnersworld.com ...
What a nice gesture.
That’s both sad and sweet at once.
This is a good lesson for the children, to see their Dad making an effort, making the time to be with this Lady.
My father was that way when his father-in-law; my maternal Grandad fell into a similar state of mind. He acted almost like a son would have been.
My dad did not take Grandad’s occasional rudeness personally, and he was always respectful to the elder man. We kids would never, ever have spoken to my father like that. Nor did we ever want to. We witnessed lessons in empathy, patience and generosity. I have to remind myself of these lessons from time to time. Open my heart a little bit.
Beautiful! Thanks for posting this. I loved the picture in the article. Every member of this (presumably) Mexican American family is decked out in full stars-and-stripes regalia. I love it. God bless them.
Altro non e che mozzafiatto.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.