Back from a serious bout with cancer, Kelly's toughness rubs off on Dad, and Ironman 25 becomes a family celebration.
A couple years ago,
all those things were a dream. Diagnosed with cancer on Jan. 16, 2002,
having undergone chemotherapy and radiation treatments for 11 months,
forced to be home-schooled because her immune system was so fragile she
couldn't risk being exposed to other kids, Purcell has an unusual
perspective for a teen-ager. Now a junior at San Diego's Scripps Ranch
High, Purcell read Lance Armstrong's “It's Not About the Bike” when she
was undergoing chemotherapy. “It was inspiring,” says Purcell. “I loved it. It made me feel so much stronger and have a positive outlook.” Near the end of the
book, Armstrong says that cancer patients are the lucky ones. Lucky
because they have a different outlook on life. They don't fret the
small stuff. And they appreciate the little things, like a sunset or
the touch of a loved one's hand. “I feel that way,” says Purcell. “I've learned so much and matured through it.” Last week, nearly
13 months after her last chemotherapy treatment, an MRI of Purcell's
right forearm, where the cancer was located, came back negative. “Oh, that was awesome,” says Kelly. “That was soooo good.” On Christmas Eve,
Purcell will undergo a CAT scan of her lungs. She will undergo similar
exams for five years before doctors can say her cancer is in remission. Says Kelly's father, Kevin: “Things are as good now they possibly could be.” Kevin is an 11-time
Ironman triathlon finisher. In October, despite suffering a bike crash
13 days before the race that left him with torn cartilage and cracked
ribs, the pain so severe it hurt to breathe, Kevin finished Ironman
Hawaii for the first time, in 11 hours, 48 minutes. It was the
culmination of a nearly 25-year dream. Father and daughter
both fed off each other the past two years, a father gaining strength
and wisdom from watching his teen-age daughter fight for her life. And
a daughter watching her father set an example for perseverance. “My dad definitely
taught me about setting goals, achieving them and pursuing what you
want in life, no matter what it is,” says Kelly. You would need enough pages for a Michener novel to chronicle all Kevin has learned from Kelly. “She taught me
never to underestimate children,” Kevin says. “I still see her as this
fragile child, but she's one tough (cookie). When I was scared to death
she was going to die, she looked me right in the eye and said, ‘I'm
going to be OK. I promise you.'” The triathlon
community has played a role in Kelly's recovery. Kevin is a USAT
certified coach with triathlon contacts throughout the world.
Children's Hospital in San Diego set up a Web site so that friends and
family could stay in touch with Kelly's progress. After ironmanlive.com
posted a story in May 2002 detailing Kelly's plight, her Web site
became flooded with encouragement from triathletes. To date, she has
received more than 20,000 messages from throughout the world. “It was awesome,”
says Kelly. “I had people write me, ‘I know you've never met me before,
but I'm thinking of you.' … ‘You don't know who I am, but I know your
dad. He's a great guy, and know we're all pulling for you.' All that
support, it felt great.” Two-time and
current Ironman Hawaii champion Lori Bowden was one of Kelly's biggest
supporters. Bowden communicated frequently with Kelly and at the 2002
Ironman Canada, Bowden gave Kevin a ring she had bought in Hawaii to
pass along to Kelly. It was to serve as a good-luck memento. Kevin, 48, first
became enamored with Ironman Hawaii all the way back in 1980 when a
fellow student attending chiropractic school completed the race. “I
just figured I could do that,” says Purcell. “I wanted to do it
sometime.” “Sometime” turned
out to be 23 years later. At 6-foot-3, Purcell's athletic background,
like Kelly's current pursuit, came in basketball. He played in high
school in Carpenteria, a small town south of Santa Barbara, and as a
walk-on at the University of Pacific. Post-college he leaned toward
becoming a different kind of gym rat, hitting the weights, bulking up
to 230 pounds. “I could bench press a lot,” he says, “but I couldn't
run three miles.” The Ironman Hawaii
lure, though, never disappeared. Late in 1998, he began training in
earnest. Despite never racing at the half Ironman distance, Purcell
finished Ironman Australia in May 1999 in 13 hours, 2 minutes. “I just wanted to prove I could do it,” he says. “Nothing more than that.” Turns out there
would be much more than that. Enamored with triathlon, Purcell was
determined to find a way to work in the industry. “I wasn't sure if it
was going to be through coaching, chiropractics and sports medicine or
writing, but I knew I wanted to move in that direction,” he says. A full-time
chiropractor at the time, Purcell closed his office, moved to another
chiropractor's office and gradually shifted gears toward coaching.
Today, about 75 percent of his income is generated from coaching, the
balance from chiropractics. Then came Kelly's battle with cancer, which altered the benefits of training for Kevin. “Part of my sanity
was to punish myself and train,” he says. “We always tried to show a
real strong unity with her. But (alone with his wife) at 3 a.m., we
came unglued. That was a daily occurrence.” Kevin preached to
Kelly that maintaining a positive attitude was crucial. “We're going to
stay positive,” he told her. “You're going to eat perfectly. You're
going to come through this.” And like the movie
“Pay It Forward,” Kevin told Kelly that she had to help others battling
cancer, so Kelly counseled a 50-year-old woman with breast cancer,
helping calm the woman's fears. In November, 2002,
near the end of Kelly's chemotherapy, Kevin qualified for Kona at
Ironman Florida. Because of the bike crash 13 days before this year's
Ironman Hawaii and the pain in his ribs, Kevin wasn't sure he'd be able
to handle the swim. “We were going to Hawaii whether I raced or not,”
he says. “And we were going to have some fun.” The Purcells' daughters,
Kelly and 13-year-old Colleen, had never been to Hawaii. Days before the
race, Kevin swam 100 meters. The next day he pushed it to 200 meters.
Then 300 meters. “By that time,” he says, “I felt I could make it out
there and back.” Seeing her father
run across the finish line touched Kelly. “It was almost a feeling like
we both accomplished our goal,” she says. “Finally, I finished my
treatment. And he finished the race.” He would not wish
the pain on anyone, but Kevin says the ordeal has tightened the
family's bond. Knowing the pain and danger her sister was in, Colleen
didn't complain about the attention Kelly was receiving. And Kelly's
mother, Laurie, provided the kind of love only a mother could, sleeping
in Kelly's room at Children's Hospital and staying at her bedside in
the middle of the night at home. Looking back, Kevin says, “It brought us all closer together.” You may contact Don Norcross at dnorcross@ironmanlive.com
Editor's Note: The holidays are all about family, so a holiday tip of
the hat to Kevin, Laurie, Kelly and Colleen for an uplifting example of
love and support. The Ironmanlive.com staff will also be spending some
special time with their families these next few day, so will be back
next week. Happy Holidays to you all.
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