Brother runs for H1N1 victim
in her memory - Tim Raphael of North Van hopes to fulfill his sister’s goal of crossing the finish line at the Florida Ironman.
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Updated: November 04, 2009 4:13 PM
When North Vancouver triathlete Tim Raphael crosses the finish line of the Florida Ironman in Panama City Beach on Saturday he’ll be running under someone else’s number.
As the 49-year-old pushes himself along the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile marathon route, among thousands of competitors, the one person that placed him in the race will not be by his side, but in his thoughts — his sister Karen Hays.
Hays, an oncology nurse in Sacramento, California took up endurance sports in 1998 as a way to raise money for cancer research through her involvement with the charity sports training program Team In Training. After many marathons, ultra marathons, century rides and shorter course triathlons, she wanted to follow her younger brother’s lead in the quest to finish the gruelling challenge of the Ironman.
Hays entered Ironman Coeur d’Alene on a couple occasions, but injury and time cut-offs prevented her from reaching that goal.
She then signed up for the Florida Ironman, but didn’t get the chance to compete. On July 17, less than a week before her 52nd birthday, the single mom of two boys died of H1N1 in the same hospital she had cared for countless cancer patients. She became the first healthcare worker in California to die from the virus.
“Karen had long aspired to finish an Ironman triathlon and picked Florida because of its reputation as a flat, fast course. She registered for this year’s race with the hopes of fulfilling her dream,” Raphael says. “Her tragic death denied her the opportunity.”
In hopes of fulfilling her goal, Raphael contacted race officials in Florida and asked if he could take her place.
“Thankfully, they agreed and therefore, I will attempt to do what Karen was unable to achieve, cross the Ironman finish-line, on her behalf,” Raphael says. “It will be a great honour, and a very personal tribute to her spirit of determination and strength of character.”
But the journey is far from over once the finish line is crossed, Raphael says.
“She (Karen) had much more to accomplish both in her personal life, but also in her professional goals as an oncology nurse at San Juan Mercy Hospital, in Sacramento where she had worked for 22 years,” he says.
During Hays’ 22 years in nursing she rose to the position of administrator on the oncology ward, but more recently returned to nursing to work one on one with cancer patients.
Raphael’s family has established the Karen Hays Commemorative Fund which will provide financial support for nurses who wish to specialize in oncology nursing at San Juan Mercy Hospital. The intention of the fund is to build it to a level where it will exist in perpetuity as a permanent legacy in her name.
“Oncology nursing is a specialized field and requires extra training and resources,” Raphael says. “We would like to ensure those choosing this highly dedicated level of nursing have the opportunity to achieve their goals and dreams.”
The fund will be set up by the Mercy Foundation and all donations will go directly to grants, Raphael says. For more information visit Raphael’s blog at http://khocf.wordpress.com.
-with files from Rebecca Aldous
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