Cystic Fibrosis Society of Canada Featured Athlete – Caroline
“Running – you either like it or you don’t.” This is the view of Caroline, who is running her first 10K in Victoria this April. Caroline is running the TC10K in memory of her daughter, Ashley, who would have been 32 in March. Getting involved with the TC10K was an interesting fit–Caroline saw the Cystic Fibrosis Society of Canada connection and thought she’d sign up and fundraise at the same time.
Caroline’s connection to Cystic Fibrosis Canada goes back to 1985, to when her daughter was born. After years of struggling, her daughter, Ashley received a double-lung transplant. “For a brief period after Ashley’s transplant, she would use the gym in our building to help rebuild her strength in the long post recovery period. She would run on the treadmill and tell me how she’d have to stop because her legs would give out. She’d never run out of breath, for the first time in her life.”
Caroline’s relationship with running sprung from the freedom of the activity itself. ”I like that I can just go–run. I like how I can just run my own pace.” With little to no equipment needed to run, Caroline just replaces her shoes at least twice a year. “I want to be one of those old ladies, like who’s 80, who’s putting on my shoes and running… I want to be able to do it for a long time.”
With a lot of friends and former colleagues that are very connected to this genetic disease, Caroline knows that they are closer to finding a cure than they ever have been. “I’m running for her because she could never run anywhere without running out of breath. I’m running for all the Ashley’s who can’t.”
