Remembering Scott

  As mentioned in my earlier post, I had the privilege of meeting Jonathan Pascual (JP) last night at the Pheo Para Gala. JP was a lung transplant nurse practitioner at USCF when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 paraganglioma in 2022. Amazingly, he was able to complete the Ironman World Championship 2 years later in Hawaii.   JP has been hosting an ultramarathon/hike event to raise funds for pheo para awareness and research, and the "Final Edition" of this event will take place this weekend in Napa, CA. Thank you JP for so generously sharing your courageous story, your life wisdom, and your time and energy in hosting this special racing event! https://pheopara.org/jps-backyard-ultra-hike-sept-26-2026 

    "Do not wait for a diagnosis to live with urgency. Ask yourself tonight, what would I do differently if time were short? Who would I love harder? How would I serve more deeply? And then begin doing those things now. Running has taught me that every step matters. Nursing has taught me that every interaction matters. Cancer has taught me that every moment matters. And this community has taught me that every person matters. The art of dying is not a surrender of life. It is the understanding that living well and dying well are inseparably connected. It is the decision to live deliberately, love urgently, serve generously and allow ourselves to be carried when our own strength is no longer enough. However much time we have, let us use it well. Let us make the words 'pheochromocytoma' and 'paraganglioma' known. Let us carry one another and be a force for good." - Jonathan Pascual    Four years ago, I attended my first Pheo Para Gala, still overwhelmed with grie...