Walking in Susan's shoes in Okeeheelee Park

Part of the SpenWen team walking through Okeeheelee Park.

I'd like to think it was my doing as captain of the SpenWen team that attracted more than 75 adults, kids and dogs to join us Saturday morning for a 2-mile stroll through Okeeheelee Park.

But it was the smiling and inspirational Susan Spencer-Wendel who drew the crowds and the money, over $50,000 raised so far, in the fight to Defeat ALS.




Susan has ALS, but it does not have her. Since diagnosed with the always-fatal neuromuscular disease in June 2011, she's had to give up her beloved job as a courts reporter at The Palm Beach Post. She chose to rise above the limitations of her illness and focus on making memories with her family and friends.

Susan gets help from her husband John Wendel and their
younger son Wes to cut the ribbon to start the Walk.

For SpenWen team members, she and her husband John bought the snazzy lime T-shirts with a logo designed by artist friend AJ Brockman. She even ordered goody cartons for the team members. Each one contained a granola bar, Granny Smith apple, green hand-sanitizer, mini green ball, pack of Doublemint Gum, green-and-white striped candy sticks, green-and-white striped lollipop, small green fan and pack of Kleenex tissues. Tissues? Yes, tissues. They would come in handy when the Women's Room ran out of toilet paper.

Susan amazes me in how she thinks of everything. Her hairdresser-friend Kerri Olah-Brennan and her wife Pamela Olah-Brennan assembled the goody cartons with Susan's birth mother Ellen Swenson. The trio also pasted new labels on water bottles for SpenWen team members.

The Olah-Brennan women were big money raisers when they sold bottled water in February at the Lake Worth Street Painting Festival. It was an extremely hot weekend.

The In-Nae TaeKwonDo instructor of Susan's son Aubrey held a "Break-a-board" event in early March, raising another chunk of cash for the SpenWen team. Instructor Bridget Hammond also presented Susan with an honorary black belt for the fearless way she has faced her disease.

Her masseuse-friend Liz Camp Nowacki created the cape
for Susan's French bulldog in the arms of her older son Aubrey.

Lenny was the hit of the day. Everyone wanted to pet or hold him. Here is Susan's dad Tom Spencer holding the French bulldog close while Aubrey reaches up to pet Lenny's leg:

You can really see Lenny's expressive face in this photo as a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office videographer zooms in to focus on Susan:

Susan and John were honorary co-chairs of the Walk, held in suburban West Palm Beach. Before it started, she received an engraved crystal plaque from the Florida ALSA for bringing awareness to the disease. She wrote a best-selling memoir, Until I Say Goodbye, using only her right thumb and her iPhone. She did it in six months -- amazing.

The Walk went so well this year because it was chaired this year by the uber-organized Dorothy Bradshaw and her husband Ric, who happens to be the Palm Beach County Sheriff.

Nancy Maass Kinnally, Susan's BFF, and Liz Camp
Nowacki before the Walk.

Everyone should have a big sister like Stephanie Harwood-Parlamento. She often spends the night to give John a break from taking care of Susan. And each weekday, she stops by to give Susan a foot massage. Such sisterly love!

Steph after the Walk.

John's friend, Steve Sylvester who is also Susan's physical therapist, took a turn at rolling Susan around Okeeheelee Park. He's an assistant professor of exercise science at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Susan with Lenny as her hood ornament/protector.

Of course, Susan could not disappoint her fans. After the Walk, she and John headed over to the Barnes & Noble tent to sign paperback versions of her memoir. It contains an extra chapter.

John holds up Susan's right hand, her thumb covered
in purple ink.

There is still time to donate to the SpenWen team. Please choose Susan as your recipient. Click here.

And now, for my numbers

I have two weeks' worth of walking to report. 

For the week ending March 15, 2014, I had my best walking day on Saturday, March 15, 2014, when I walked:

Steps: 10,621

Miles: 5.3

For the week ending March 22, 2014, I had my best walking day on Saturday, March 22, 2014, when I walked:

Steps: 10,838

Miles: 5.4