This morning as I read the Michigan papers online, I was forced to pause, and be consumed by a story that literally took my breath away.
The headline from the Detroit News reads: Hundreds log on to teen's blog as he battles cancer and I read it again, and again and again and I cried.
We all go through our days time and time again, set on auto-pilot doing what we need to do each day. How many times do we really stop to reflect, to really think about things?
I'm probably a lot more sensitive to stories like these because I see myself and my story so clearly in theirs. It's the reflection of what I've been through, what I've overcome and what could still happen to me, or to any of us.
It's because of my story that I sit here at this computer and share some of the deepest, most personal things that have happened to me. I believe like Miles, that by sharing my story and being honest and open about it, that my story will help others. How else can I explain my life and the fact that I'm still alive besides believing in a greater purpose than just being sick and not dying, even though all of the doctors tell me I should have, time and time again.
My journey into advocacy, politics, blogging, and now biking has always been about reaching out and sharing. For the same reasons Miles shares in this story, this world is too small and life too short not to come together as a community and grow as a community. This world is not about how you live or how I live - it is about how we live, and what we do together to change our world.
Here's to Miles, and to the millions others out there who are truly living by example for all of us.