Hopes, Prayers and Dreams

Racing is a gift...health is gift....always, always give thanks numerous times for all of it. Jamie Whitmore is a Pro Xterra athlete that for years has been fighting for 1st with Melanie McQuaid, the 3-time World Xterra Champ. The two nearly always finish within seconds of each other, passing each other many times on a course. They always make for an exciting Women's Pro Xterra race. When interviewed, the two never really have friendly feelings for each other, although they respect each other immensely. Jamie tends to be a little more fiesty than Melanie, but its always fun to hear the two "talk" about each other -- until recently -- the tune has changed. Jamie was operated on yesterday to have a baseball-size tumor removed from her butt cheek. The problem is, its intertwined with her nerves at her spine, and there's concerns of nerve damage, walking again, and of course is the tumor malignant or benign. I haven't heard any updates on the surgery. Melanie did a tribute to her on her website -- and it's touching. Between the two, it really makes one think of how precious life is.