NEW 10 OF THE MONTH – Alex Dumas

This may be the first time my New 10 of the Month is a person you’ve never heard of before – or at least someone who isn’t rich or famous.  But when a friend told me about marathon runner Alex Dumas, I knew I had to share her story with you.  Because Alex truly embodies what the true inner beauty and strength of a New 10 can accomplish.  She touched my life, and I think she may touch yours as well.

Alex wasn’t even supposed to be here today – at least not if you believe her doctors.  In 2003, she was diagnosed with a terminal disease that led to drastic weight loss, cost her half of one of her lungs, and forced her to wear gloves, dark glasses and a mask to protect herself from the world around her.   She endured 28 surgeries and was told she might never walk or see again.  By 2006, doctors were advising her to say her goodbyes and wrap up her affairs.  They predicted she would die before the year was half over.

But Alex kept fighting.  “I just don’t think you have a choice,” she explained in a 2007 interview. “I think when you lose everything that you have in your life, like your health, you have to depend only on yourself. You make yourself become a stronger person.”

However, while she definitely learned to depend on herself, Alex didn’t exactly make her journey to wellness alone.  She did it with the help of a Golden Labrador Retriever with the rather prophetic name of Hope.

At first, Alex was reluctant to let a service dog like Hope into her life – she didn’t see herself as disabled, so she felt like she didn’t need anyone or anything to help her.  But after a particularly rough point where she felt like she had no hope, she let Hope in.

Within two months, she was able to begin running again, because Hope helped guide the way.  But what really helped Alex regain her strength was the sudden realization that Hope also needed her – to take care of her and protect her.

And being needed gave Alex the strength she needed to feel whole again.

Together, Alex and Hope went on to make history, running the 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon – the first time a runner with a service dog ever competed in a “regular” marathon.  They competed in the regular field instead of in special divisions for disabled runners.  And together, they proved that anything is truly possible.

The story of Alex and Hope gives me hope, because it has given me a real life example of the power of the human spirit, not to mention to power of love.  I feel I have really learned something from their journey together.  When the little things (or not so little) in life get me down, how can I not push forward toward a better tomorrow.  Alex is real, living proof that that tomorrow is really there.

So I am proud to name her the New 10 of the Month.

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