Joy, not suffering, motivates this mother from So-Cal...

<-Cat, Wendy and Lisa!

From Cat Udell, as dictated to Lisa R., as sisters are preparing to go to dinner Sunday night:

A mother from Team So-Cal sat down beside me at swimming yesterday and told me the most amazing story. Can I share it with you? She was waiting for her 13-year-old daughter to swim at the competition and told me that she had two sons who are older -- one just graduated from college AND the other just returned from Iraq! Imagine that!

Her daughter who was swimming had had a heart transplant when she was 6; before that, she'd been perfectly healthy, so what a shock, right?.... Well, come to find out that girl's younger sister, now 10 years old, ALSO had a transplant at age 6. And so the younger sister was cheering the older sister right in front of me, and the mom said the 13-year-old had actually died on the surgical table (!!), but they resuscitated her after a minute.

Because of some logistical problems, she and her family had to register late for the Games, and so organizers put the 13-year-old in one of today's first events for her to qualify. But that meant she swam with men! Didn't phase her a bit; she was excited, not scared. So incredibly, genuinely excited.... So notable and noble in every way!