Minnewashta Teacher Training for Twin Cities Marathon Gets Help from her Kindergartners

What an amazing, but very exhausting week! I was determined to make it a low key week, but that didn't so much work out. I was all over the place and every day when I got home I would lay on the couch and before I knew it I was fast asleep. My students were especially great this week. I feel so blessed to be their teacher...I love them so very much! Not only have my students been filling up my heart this week, but also there has been a huge outpour of support from family and friends. God is so amazing! My class is now famous because not only is the article below posted on the school's website, but also in the Chanhassen Voyager Newspaper (Thurs. Oct2) and the Star Tribune (Wed. Oct8). The students screamed in excitement when they saw their picture in the newspaper. I actually found out about this article on the school website from a parent when I called to thank her for a donation. Since then, the support just came rolling in. A special thanks to the Gammill Family, Keri Freienmuth, The Johnson Family, Ryan Waibel, KC Kolstad and Julia Antonsen. Your support and love means so much. OH MY GOSH!! I just check my dad's account because I want to post what the total amount raised would be after these donations and my mouth dropped when I saw the balance. One generous person donated a total of $300 and the other $100!!! Wow! I'm in shock! I can't tell you how much all of this support lifts my spirits. I'm in tears! From the bottom of my heart....Thank you!!I continue to ask for your prayers. I'm excited to run, but I don't think the reality of it all has hit me yet and it probably won't until Sunday morning. When I do have time to stop and think about it, I do start to get nervous. I pray that God will bless all of those running on Sunday, including myself, with nice weather and motivation to finish the race with a smile.
Much love,
Lacy

Minnewashta Teacher Training for Twin Cities Marathon Gets Help from her Kindergartners
On Oct. 5, Minnewashta Elementary teacher Lacy Hladky will lace up her shoes for the Twin Cities Marathon.

It will be Hladky’s first full 26.2-mile marathon. She is running in memory of her father Larry Hladky who died nearly one year ago.

Hladky is training hard and she’s recruited her Spanish immersion kindergarten class to help! Each day, during math, Hladky’s students get together in teams of four. Each team runs a one-mile relay (one quarter-mile each).

"On the first day of the ‘kid’s marathon’, I explained to my students that we would be running 26 miles for my dad," said Hladky. "I shared my dad’s story with them and then we counted to 26 together. They were so supportive and excited to do this with me."

Hladky’s students will train during math class until they have completed 26 miles.

"It’s a great way to help them learn math," said Hladky. "Each day, we mark off how many miles we’ve run and then count how many we have left. They are also learning about distances and we compare their race times each day, adding and subtracting for longer and shorter times."

Hladky will run her own 26 miles at the Twin Cities Marathon on Oct. 5. She runs for her father, Larry, who was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a rare and fatal brain disorder just over one year ago. Very little is known about this disease and it is extremely hard to diagnose, so many cases go unknown. Hladky’s father passed away on Oct. 6, 2007.

Hladky’s kindergarteners are supportive and inspire her each day.

"They are so proud of themselves when they finish one more mile. After each relay, we put our hands together and shout, ‘Corremos por Larry’ (we run for Larry)."


As she trains for the Twin Cities Marathon, Hladky is raising money to help raise awareness of this disease and to help find a cure. The money will go to the CJD Foundation and the CJD Surveillance Center. So far, she has raised nearly $600.

If you are interested in supporting Hladky’s run you can send a donation to:

TCF Bank
Lawrence Hladky CJD Benefit Account #6439197637
7800 Penn Ave S
Bloomington, MN 55431

or:

Lacy Hladky
5148 Lyndale Ave S #2
Minneapolis, MN 55419

Make all checks payable to: Lawrence Hladky CJD Benefit Account.
Please write the account # in the memo section: 6439197637

Here is the article I wrote for the September CJD Newsletter

Run, Lacy Run for CJD
By: Lacy Hladky

Just about one year ago, my father was a
healthy, active and happy 57 year old man
making the most of his retired life. However,
CJD crept out of nowhere and in less
than three months, brutally robbed him of
his life.

Lawrence “Larry” Hladky was truly an
amazing man. There are no words to describe
just how special he was to me and
many others. He was easy going and always
aimed to have fun with each and
every day. He was young at heart and
loved to bring joy to everyone around him.
My dad is my inspiration and I thank God
every day for the honor of being his daughter.
Throughout his suffering, he was so
patient, so humble, so strong and so full of
love for God. He made the most of the
situation, brought smiles to our faces either
by making weird looks or saying something funny out of the blue. He was such a light of the comfort
that God's love brings because even as he cried and we quickly rushed to be by his side and hold him,
he instead comforted us by saying, 'I'm happy.'

Even though it still haunts me every day to have witnessed CJD quickly take my father’s every ability
down to his last breath, the memories of his humility and love calm my heart. I will never completely
jump over this hurdle of missing my dad, but I'm slowly coming out of the stage of unconsciousness.
Before it was all just a bad dream, but now the dark clouds are starting to clear and I feel this tug at my
heart to take action by educating myself and others about CJD. I am a first-hand witness of this disease
and all its horrors, but I couldn't seem to find words to explain it to people when they asked. I often
feel that I'm alone and trapped behind all of the unknown and conflicting information out there about
CJD. Our family has been given the run around with this disease and the more I talk to others affected
by CJD, the more they recount the same experience.

Because I don’t want my dad to be lost between the cracks, I have decided to run a marathon in his
honor and all the while raise awareness and funds for CJD. I started a blog where I post messages
about my running adventures and information about CJD. It can’t be denied that CJD is increasing in
force and even more so, it is hiding from us the root of its indestructible power. We are walking around
blind to CJD and this puts us all at risk. We need to know more to protect ourselves and others from
being attacked by this horrible disease. It is time to take action. Please help me to spread the word
about CJD. I need your help because I definitely can’t fight this battle by myself. I greatly appreciate
your support!

Donations received will be split in half between the CJD Foundation to help spread more awareness
and to the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center to help with more research to find a
cure.

www.runlacyrunforcjd.blogspot.com

A special thanks to Iren Hunter and Jodi Hanson for contacting me to share your stories. Even though we have never met, we are joined as sisters through tragedy. We've lived through something that not many have or will ever experienced. It is a trial, but together we will remain pillars of strength for others who will be strickened by CJD. It is a lot closer than you may think. This is proven to me every day. Thanks for your support and love!

1 week from today....

I will be running a marathon!! Oh my goodness!! I can't believe it is already next weekend. Time sure does fly. When I started the training back in June I was thinking that it would be a long summer of running, but it truly wasn't that bad. Being consistent with the training really does allow you to move forward through the miles. I still can't believe where I'm at now. Three months ago I was thinking that it was an insurmountable task, but God continues to show me that anything is possible with Him by my side. Even though I'm really excited for the marathon, I'm also quite nervous. I was thinking my short runs this past week would be a piece of cake, but for some reason my legs have been feeling really heavy. This places doubt in my mind that I will be able to accomplish 20+ more miles. Please pray for me that this week is low key and I feel refreshed and energized to shine God's light through the marathon. I'm definitely going to look up the massage schools around the area and get in for a massage at a decent price. I think that my body would really like that! I'll probably even get one after the marathon as well. Heck...I deserve it!

Just an FYI. If you are interested in watching me run the marathon, I have some good news for you. The run actually goes right by my house so I was thinking that all family and friends could bring their lawn chairs to the end of my driveway and hang out there. It should work out well, because there is plenty of space and people can even use the bathroom in the house and not have to venture a Biff experience. I was also thinking that people could bring food, drinks and meat to girl and we could all have lunch together when I come back from the race to celebrate. Doesn't that sound great? My house is at mile 8 on the course so I won't be that far a long, but that doesn't matter. I just want to make it easier for people to come. The support will be so awesome! The race starts at 8am so if you want to see me pass by my house I would make sure to be there no later than 9am. It would be wise to plan ahead, because I'm sure several streets to directly get to my house will be closed so I'm thinking you might have to do some run around. If you are interested in joining in on the fun, please shoot me an email to let me know and I can give you more information. Thank you for your continued love and support!
Have a great Monday!
-Lacy
Here is more info on road closings for that day:
Area around Metrodome:
From 5th Avenue to 11th Avenue and from 6th Street to 3rd Street will be closed at 5:00am for start line setup and will reopen at approximately 9:00am.
Course: Traffic turning onto the course will be shutdown at 7:30am. Cross traffic will be allowed to flow until the wheel chair athletes begin to approach. Once cross traffic is closed, please refer to the chart below for crossings.
Mile Crossing Points
Miles 0-1 - Use side streets to I-94 or 35W
- Head south and cross racecourse intermittently at Lake Street
Miles 3-8 - Head south and cross course intermittently at 50th
- Head to Nicollet and cross racecourse there
Miles 8-12 - If you are East of Parkway: Cross via 54th/ Diamond Lake Road
- If you are South of racecourse: Cross at 54th Street
- If you are North of racecourse: Go South to 50th, and East to Nicollet to cross racecourse
*Nicollet and 35W are North/South Crossings
Miles 12-15 - If you are North of racecourse: Cross at 46th or
42nd
- If you are South of racecourse: Cross at 56th Street
Miles 15-21 - Take nearest thru street to freeways
- Lake Street crosses the racecourse without delays


Saint Paul Road Closures:
Area around State Capitol:
Northbound John Ireland Blvd will close Thursday, October 2nd at 9:00am.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Aurora Avenue will close Friday, October 3rd at 9:00am.
12th Street from Wabasha to John Ireland Blvd. will be closed Saturday, October 4th from 7:00am to noon and on Sunday, October 5th from 6:30am to 6:00pm
Course - Saturday: John Ireland Blvd. and Summit Avenue (to Grotto) will be closed at approx. 8:20am until approx. 11:30am.


Course - Sunday: Traffic turning onto the course will be shutdown at 6:50am with intermittent traffic allowed to cross between approx. 8:30am and 9:00am. After 9:00am, cross traffic will again be closed until approx. 2:00pm. Please refer to the chart below for available crossings.


Miles 20-21 - Take nearest thru street to freeways
- Lake Street crosses the racecourse without delays
Miles 21-26 - Take Ayd Mill or Grand Avenue into downtown St. Paul and head around Capitol area
- Ford Parkway crosses the racecourse without delays

Link to Twin Cities Marathon Spectator Guide:
http://www.mtcmarathon.org/Upload/documents/039%2D1362k%5FSpctr%5FGuid08%5Fd6rdrs.pdf

Link to Twin Cities Marathon Course Route:
http://www.mtcmarathon.org/PDFs/08StartLineMap.pdf

God...you amaze me!!

Yesterday was truly a day blessed by God's mercy and I want to tell you all about it. So I went for a run after school and fall was defintely in the air. It was a great run, but also a very emotional one. The smell in the air instantly brought me back to my life last year and how outside was so beautiful and refreshing, but inside was dark and suffocating. I praised God for bringing me through the storm and giving me the light of his mercy in my life right now. As soon as I got back to school I went to my dad's caring bridge site and it happened to be that day that I wrote my first posting. My words hit so close to my heart and tears just rolled down my cheeks. It was for that reason that I decided to post that message on this blog to bring you all back to my life just one year ago. When I got home my phone just started ringing and ringing, which is kind of unusual because I rarely get calls late in the evening. At 9pm when I finally got my pijamas on and went to go lay down on the couch to watch the news, my phone starting ringing again. I was confused thinking who in the world would be calling me at 9pm at night. I looked at my caller ID and it was an unknown number, but my curiousity wouldn't let me miss the call. The shaky voice on the other line, came from a young woman who said "Hi Lacy, this is_______ and you gave your contact info to the CJD foundation and I've been meaning to call you because my dad too is dying from CJD as we speak". The disparity in her voice instantly opened my ears to listen to her story. As I sat there taking in all that she needed to get out, a feeling of dejavu came over me. It was so eary how her story coincided so much with mine. Her dad too started showing symptoms in late July. She is an only child, but in her early 20's just as well and trying to make sense of it all. She would talk about how they would take her dad out for walks and how much that consoled them all. I also took my dad on many walks in his wheelchair and for that moment it seemed like he had come back to us. The birds chirping and the cool breeze lifted his spirits so much. She also talked about the trial and hardship of deciding to place her father in a nursing home/hospice care. She too wanted to do it all for her dad and didn't want to let go. She also talked about how she couldn't believe the outpour of support that her family has received during this time. She too had people coming to her house with food and open arms to help around the house. She even commented to me how honored she felt to be her father's daughter. She too couldn't believe how many lives her dad has touched and how many others were suffering along with her. My mouth was dropped open during the whole conversation...I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. I didn't think I'd find anybody who'd know exactly what I've been through. I was her only one short year ago. I hope I was able to give her some solace as she spilled out all she was feeling. This phone call was equally a blessing for me. Eventhough we are states apart, I felt instantly bonded to her...like sisters. Her dad was just admitted to hospice care so she knows the dark road ahead of her. I just ask that you all pray along with me for her and her family. She is having many of the same scared, hopeless, empty, lost and confused feelings. I pray that God may open her eyes to his loving purpose for her dad and that in that, she may feel calmed by his passing. I pray that her family is there for her dad and for one another with compassion, but also that they may not forget about themselves. Fortunately or unfortunately, their lives will continue on so I pray that God works within their hearts to overcome this hurdle and rejoice in his mercy together. May they all be blessed with peace and love.

Thank you Lord!

-Lacy

P.s. I think this just shows how CJD keeps on popping up in this world. A few days ago a woman stopped by my classroom and mentioned that her father-in-law also passed away from CJD and that she'd like to share stories. Unfortunately, my students were still in class so I couldn't set aside the time right then and there. I pray that she visits me again some day soon. CJD is definitely more prevalent than we all want to believe. Please reach out your hands in support!

1 year ago from today.....

Here is what I wrote on my dad's caring bridge site one year ago from today. I still can't believe that this all truly happened. I miss my dad so much.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2007 06:57 PM, CDT
Wow...I was blown away to see that already 116 people have visited my dad's site and 13 people had written wonderful words of encouragement in the guestbook. Thank you so much for spreading the word to others about this site and I hope this can bring us all together in prayer to uplift my dad.

Today seemed to be a good day for my dad. This morning I read him the article in the sherburne newspaper that featured the tennis girl's dedication mural to my dad. It was a very touching article and written so well. My dad was instantly brought to tears and myself as well. It was comforting to see his tears because that just ensures that he still hears and understands us somewhat. Those girls definitely hold a special place in my dad's heart and I know that he so wishes he could be out there playing with them. They have dedicated their season to my dad so I pray that his strong spirit guides them to many victories.

I thank God today for bringing smiles to our faces with my dad's sense of humor. When my sister Ellie was trying to help him sit up she said, 'C'mon dad, C'mon' and my dad replied, 'C'mon C'mon'. It was funny! Then later today when my sister and I were trying to slide him on his butt to sit up against the couch on the floor, he blurted out 'wedgie, wedgie'. Hilarious! If you know my dad that should comfort your heart, because that is definitely his personality shining through!

I asked my dad before I went for a walk today if he would like to join me in his wheelchair and he said, 'yeah'. So the neighbor, Rick came over to help us and we got him in his wheelchair and down the ramp fairly quickly and easily. It works out quite well and he really enjoys the walks. He is such an outdoors guy and hearing the leaves fall from the trees and the birds chirp brings him peace. So after Ellie and I came back from our little walk with dad he was pretty tired and dozed off for a little while on the couch.

Soon after a nurse came to give him a massage to help release the tension in his hands from being clenched so much and in his legs from being so stiff. You could tell that he really enjoyed the massage because he had a huge smile on his face the whole time.

My Auntie Marcia came to visit my dad for several hours this afternoon and her presence not only warmed my dad's heart, but also mine and my sister's as well. She has such a sweet spirit, just like my dad, and she definitely brings light to the situation. I love you Auntie Marcia!

I praise God for today and how he so lives with in my dad and gives us so much hope. Eventhough today was a good day for my dad, our family feels a little overwhelmed especially my step-mom Jenifer. There are usually 2-3 people here helping with my dad and we try to rotate so that everybody gets a break here and there, but Jenifer usually leaves the house to go in and work for a few hours. She also tends to be the one that we call on to help us when dad needs to be changed and that happens several times per day. Jenifer does like to get out and we do encourage her to go, but I think it is hard for her to leave because she feels like she has to be here and there is so much to do around the house. We are all trying to help one another to ease our stress, but our minds tend to get the best of us even when we are away from home. So I ask that all of you pray for my family, especially Jenifer that we may turn to God during these overwhelming times, surrender our burdens to him and trust in his love to give us strength. We need to know that we are not alone and that we definitely don’t have to do this all by ourselves

I'm still alive...

well, barely! I have not been doing a good job with updating my blog and I'm sorry for all my readers out there. I hope you were not too worried about me. J/k. There is always one more thing to do when you are a teacher. I'm just trying to stay one step ahead of the kids and that takes time! No really, I couldn't have asked for a better kindergarten class. I truly look forward to every day and enjoy working with all of them. I'm just so worn out at the end of the day that the last thing I want to do is get on the computer. It kind of feels like homework and I was not being a good student by putting it off. However, I still have been keeping up to date with my training so no worries there. Recently I haven't gotten all my short runs in, but I definitely don't avoid my long runs. Today I was supposed to run 10 miles, but I decided to go above and beyond and run 12! I know....what's another 2 miles? I actually spent the night at my sister's house and she lives in Montrose, MN. I ran from her house to the next town, Buffalo which when you mention that to people from around here they really think it was a long way. It actually wasn't that bad. I couldn't believe that I was out in the middle of nowhere, basically all farmland, and there was a gravel trail almost the entire way. It was great!! I don't think the people around that area are too happy though, especially the farmers, because there were several big signs that said "condemned farmland" and "this trail represents hunger". I really don't understand their madness since the trail takes up so little space of their 20+ acres. Oh well....I'm not even going to try to understand. Anyway, it was a good run and perfect weather as well. I was a little worried about me knee, because on Wednesday when I ran 5 miles it hurt so bad but God answered my prayers and it really didn't bug me that bad.

The run was actually the easy part of the day, because after my sister and I headed off to my dad's house to meet the family and clean out his garage. I haven't been to my dad's house in quite awhile and when we pulled up the driveway and saw all of his stuff displayed like for a garage sale, I just couldn't hold back the tears....it took my breath away. That was just another hit in the face that my dad is really not here and thinking about getting rid of his things gives me a feeling of abandonment from him. It was a very emotional and difficult day for all of us. The question of the day was "why did he keep this?" or "I wonder what he used this for". My dad basically kept everything and accumulated a lot because he loved to go to auctions. What I don't understand is that he always lectured me about having too much junk, especially when he'd help to move me in during my college years. I never heard the end of it. However, he definitely didn't practice what he preached and I can see him just laughing at all of us now. We basically took all the stuff out of the garage, sorted it and organized it back into the garage. By the time we were done, we were full of dust from head to toe and it was getting dark. My sister and I didn't leave with much since were not big fans of tools, fishing stuff, snowmobiles, car parts, and other man stuff. I know that things are just things and my dad would tell me not to be attached to them, but it helps to fill up a void inside when they are close.
Anyway, so it was a VERY long day! Now it is time for bed and I'm definitely going to sleep like a baby!
Take care,
Lacy

We had several fallers today!

I got many notes from the parents saying how much their children loved the running and didn't stop talking about it. God never ceases to answer my prayers! When it was time for math, they all shouted "Yippee time for running"! Eventhough it was a nice day outside, we didn't have such a nice run today. One of the first students up to run for her team fell in the beginning and her teammate had to take the place for her. He ended up coming around the last corner absolutely sobbing and saying, "I didn't want to run first". It took him quite awhile to calm down. He is quite the competitive one and doesn't like to lose. Then, one of the last students to run fell down half way around the track and scrapped up her knee and hand. She was a trooper though and continued to run until the end. The kids are so good at motivating their teammates....it's great! I love this part of the day....it automatically brings a smile to my face to see the kids out there giving it their all for my dad, someone they never knew. We ended again today in circle giving each other around of applause and shouting, "Corremos por Larry". I can feel my dad smiling down from heaven! The winning team got 10:10 so that just goes to show that they are improving. I can't wait to see what their time is at by the last mile! Please pray for my students that they continue to be excited about running and that no serious injuries happen.
Much love,
Lacy