2003/04 XTERRA Triathlon European champion
2004 XTERRA Triathlon World Champion
2007 XTERRA Triathlon USA Champion...
It took skill, strength, determination and faith to win these titles. And it will be these same traits that will pull
Jaime through her recovery from tumors that were removed from her pelvis earlier this year.
However, she and her husband, Courtney, also need our support and prayers. It's time to give back - back for the thrill and excitement she has given to the sport over the years as she became a champion and raised the bar for other athletes. But more than thrills and excitement - she's given us part of herself, as well as her support when needed and asked. This I know personally...
I first met Jaime at the
Wildflower Triathlon in May 2008. There we were with our booth trying to get people to try Action Wipes. This was our first time out and no one had a clue of who we were, or what we were about. So I wasn't surprised as this man and woman walked slowly past the booth, with their heads turned toward our sign and her mouthing the words "
Action Wipes - The Ultimate Wet Wipes; what are those?" So I waved them over and asked if they would please stop and try them. They both looked at each other, shrugged and came over.
As she tried the wipes, the smile on her face spread from ear to ear. She told the man to try them. All he could say was "ah-hhhh" as he cleaned off the sweat from his face and neck (it was in the 90's that day!). They both loved them. YES! So we continued to talk - them asking questions about how I came up with the idea and me telling about the struggles of getting them launched and getting people to try them.
As always, I told them I was very appreciative that they had taken the time to stop and try Action Wipes. And as always, I said "ACTION WIPES - SPREAD THE WORD!" Her reply was, "I will, I'll blog about them. I blog, so I'll be sure to tell people." Oh. A blogger, cool. Again, thankful. The man looked at me with a quizzical look on his face and asked "don't you know who this is?" Apologetically, I said "no". "This is triathlete pro Jaime Whitmore, I'm Courtney."
I then had the quizzical look on my face as I looked down at her leg, which was in a brace, and her walking cane. I guess they could tell I was wondering what had happened to her as she immediately told me "I've just had surgery to remove a tumor from my pelvis and am starting cancer treatments". Well, at that moment, my eyes teared up, I choked on my words and all I could say was "oh". You see, my mother's passing from cancer treatments was, and still is, painful for me. At that moment, all I wanted to do was hug her.
But Jaime didn't want my sympathy, or anyone else's. She just wanted my prayers. She was confident, and remains so, that she would get through all this, because - she has the power of God.
True to her words, when Jaime returned to her home from Wildflower, she spoke of Action Wipes in her blog. With everything else that she was dealing with, she was thoughtful enough to remember us. How selfless. How giving.
That's Jaime with the Action Wipes on her head walking around Wildflower - spreading the word.
So how can we help?? First, if you're going to the
Xterra U.S. Finals in Lake Tahoe, October 5, please be sure to participate in the Silent Auction to Support Jaime Whitmore. There will be a lot of cool items, including a years supply of Action Wipes, that you can bid on.
Click here for more info. Second, you can do one of the following:
- Buy a gift card for any of the following: Gas, Grocery Cards such as Safeway, Trader Joes or Raleys, Petco (their dogs get a specific brand of food, Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Fish Dry Dog Food, available only at Petco), Jamba Juice (both Jamie and Courtney love their Jamba Juices!) Mastercard, American Express or Visa cards are also great as they can be used on any number of items to help them out during this difficult time.
- Send money via Paypal to help Jamie and Courtney cover all the huge, unexpected medical and extra living expenses they have suddenly been hit with. If you don't have a Paypal account yet, it's very easy to open one here and then just send what you can. Jamie's Paypal address is gutzytrigirl@hotmail.com
- Send a card or an email to let Jamie know you’re thinking about her
- If you live near their area, run an errand for them.
- Send some current magazines and books. Jamie likes to read about kitchen and bathroom remodeling, and storage solutions, so books and magazines like Simple, Remodeling and others like that would be great.
- Send a card or an email to let Jamie know you’re thinking about her
Please send letters, cards and gift cards to: Jamie Whitmore, P.O. Box 339, Mount Aukum, CA 95656
Feel free to call Janet Soule at (530) 220-2522 or call Cliff Millemann at (530) 220-0344 if you have specific questions on how you can help.
