Almost six years ago, I decided to embark on the journey of home ownership. I proudly signed the deed to my condo and moved in with the intent on being an amazing neighbor. About a week or so in, right in the middle of a kitchen remodel, I got a knock on my door from a neighbor. She was introducing herself to the new kids across the hall as well as telling us about her role as a trustee. A trustee she said, man she has the authority. A month or two later, this trustee convinced me to run for the vacant slot on the board and to my excitement, I was elected. Years later, I view that knock as a pivotal point in my life. First, if someone wants you to run for trustee after being in the building for a mere month or two, think twice! An amazing friendship was born with that knock.
The lady that knocked on my door over the years has become the support system for the A-hall as we like to call it. The first summer I lived in the A-hall, we all decided to head on down to E's cape home and visit miss A and her sister in their summer abode. This was a big deal as we had never met her sister and had high hopes for how awesome she would be. We trekked on over and were met with grilled pizza and sangria. They had won us over in a few short minutes! Her sister ended up being just as funny as A and we were in awe of how amazing they were. V instantly has become a fixture in the A-hall and we love her almost as much as we love A. We have taken vacations together as a hall, spent weekends down on the cape, laughed until we literally peed our pants, and experienced major life cycle events. In fact, it was during a jaunt to the Met and dinner in NYC that we concocted the plan to set my college roommate up with their nephew. We all proudly attended that wedding a year ago. Where does Kay fit into all of this? One word, Gerta!
Gerta is one of the coolest little dogs around filled with personality and energy galore. Gerta comes with an interesting story in which V's bestie was named Kay. Kay decided to become the mom to Gerta when she was sick knowing that there was a very high likelihood that the dog would outlive her. Kay was sick with cancer and V took it upon herself to be one of her primary caregivers. This was way back before I knew the two lovely sisters, but knowing the generosity and love that they give, I know that Kay was taken care of in a way no one will ever know. Kay passed away in 2001 when our dear dog friend was just a pup. V has now been the "friend" of Gerta's since and is quick to talk about Gerta's mom all the time. From everything I have heard, this woman is nothing short of awesome just like her dear friend.
When deciding to run the Boston Marathon, the choices of charities seemed endless. I could apply for G-Row in honor of my college running career, the Respite Center in memory of my aunt who taught at a similar school, and so on. None of these charities really struck a pain in my heart as Dana-Farber did. It was all or nothing in the application process as I wanted to be part of the DFMC team bad. One of the reasons was in memory of Kay. You see, I came into the A-hall as a kid without direction. I was working a job to work a job, not a career and living like your average party animal 24 year old. These two sisters showed me compassion and what it is to be part of a family without blood lines. They have always been there for me and are my local in case of emergency contacts because as it says I trust them with my life. Both ladies would do anything for a friend and have always made sure I have a home for the holiday and a shoulder to cry on. Through them, I have learned unconditional love apart from a parent. What better way to honor them by honoring their dear departed friend than by running a marathon in her memory? So it is with great pride and sadness that I run in memory of Gerta's Kay.
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