My Walk With Megan
A Summary
I started my “Walk With Megan” in January 2018 and completed my goal one year later, 100K, in January 2019. This was done during her last ten months alive and ended some three months after her death which occurred on November 14, 2018.
This period of time was the most intense time for Megan and her family. Her ovarian cancer, that had been in remission, returned with a vengeance. She dealt with many tests and treatments, mostly done at the Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital in New York City. After many operations her doctors had to convey to her that further invasive treatments could not be done.
I tried to explore what I could do to deal with this in my own life. Since I had been active in the Columbia Volksmarch Club, an organization that sponsors planned walks, it came to me to consider a pledge to walk 100K in honor of Megan. My first walk, January 2018, was a 5K distance inside the Columbia Mall, Columbia, MD, during a cold, wintry day. I commented on my Blog,https://meganwalk.blogspot.com, that this felt like a “Walk in Prayer.” The walks became a time, not only to enjoy the activity, but also to reflect, in honor or in memory of Megan’s life. The final walk was completed in January 2019, on a walk through Ellicott City, MD. Megan’s brother , RJ, and his girlfriend, Elizabeth, accompanied me. My comment on this last walk was, “we grieve our loss….and remember our Megan to walk forward with her.”
The range of my walks extended throughout the U.S. Most of the walks were located near our residence, but while travelling I took the opportunity to take walks afar from our home. For instance, while in Albuquerque, NM., attending the Balloon Festival, I took time out to Walk With Megan. Also, when visiting my sister, in North Manchester, IN, on her 90th birthday, I completed a walk there. While visiting Megan’s family in Binghamton, NY, I participated in a Volksmarch in that city. On a weekend trip to Ocean City, MD, I walked the boardwalk in Megan's honor.
I created a Blog, writing down my thoughts of each Walk With Megan, trying to relate some of the sights along my way, but also adding some comments of my thinking as it related to Megan’s life. Here is a collection of some comments I recorded:
—”sunshine and natural beauty uplifts us from our normal cares” (Greenbelt, MD)
—”the trail is on ahead and I (We) will walk with her” (Patuxent Wildlife Refuge, Md)
__ “Megan experienced ….a confluence of many medical contents...medicines, operations exams, etc” (Binghamton, NY)
__”hope she (Megan) enjoys the wonders of Spring and the colors of growth” (Columbia, MD)
__”it was good to include in my ventures an actual path where Megan walked” (Binghamton Univ.)
__”Megan enjoyed the sun and sand here” (Ocean City, MD)
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I tried to include a few pictures on my walk to record some of the sights along my walks. Here are a few gathered to remember my Walk With Megan. Also I included some pictures of Megan from our family archives.
Peggy in Binghamton, NY
Megan and Molly in front of the Maple tree
At the Balloon Festival, Albuquerque, NM
Megan reading to her sister Olivia
Mary, David and Lois (90th Birthday)
David, RJ, Elizabeth on last walk reaching 100K
I am happy to say I have completed my goal of 100K, about 62 mi., for Megan. It has been, not only a pleasant experience to walk the various places, but also it has served as a way to express my loss. I estimated that I took about 140,000 steps to complete my journey, based on a calculation of an average number of steps per kilometer. I don’t think this venture is over. I intend to continue to walk, primarily in sponsored Volksmarches, in the future. My last words to Megan were, “We (Peggy and I) love you and we intend to walk forward with you.”
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