Surf For A Cure

Yesterday I was a participant in the Marie Becker Surf For A Cure Longboard contest. The contest benefits the American Brain Tumor Association, something that is close my heart. Though my Dad's tumor is benign some people aren't as fortunate, Erich Becker lost his mother. For years now Erich has been running this contest, raising a bunch of money for the ABTA...and along the way, creating a great contest and good vibes. It brings the surf community together, and the OLC really pulls together - everyone contributing somehow to the contest. Every year Jimmy Hyde {of Jim Hyde Wooden Floors} makes BEAUTIFUL, hand-crafted trophies, which make everyone a bit giddy! I was lucky enough this year to take home the 1st place trophy even though the surf conditions were less than desirable.

Anyways, here's a bit that Eric wrote about how the contest came to be:

Marie A. Becker {1937-2000}

Marie A. Becker died of a Brain Tumor in 2000. Married to my father Frederick, they moved from Narberth, Pennsylvania to Ocean City in 1973. My parents decided early that they wanted a large family. With their love for the seashore they felt it would be a great place to raise their children. My mother gave birth to 13 children. In chronological order their children’s names are: Mimi, Fred, Karl, Pauline, Karin, Ernest, Erich (myself), Cheryl, Laura, Kurt, Paul, Louis and Robert. All of their children were born on an average of 18 months apart.

With all the memories I have of my mother one thing was consistent, we all felt her love and calm kindness equally. Mom made sure her children came first and we knew it. She was a very special person.

I still don’t know where my mother got all her energy. Some of my early memories are when my mother would walk us like a flock of ducks down to the 46^thStreet beach. My father, early in the morning before he went to work in Philadelphia, would get everything set up on the beach for my mom. There on the beach waiting for us was everything she needed for he day; playpens, umbrellas, belly boards, chairs, a huge red thermos with ice-tea, and beach toys. My parents did this day after day.

I remember my mother getting us up for school everyday. She would yell up the steps till we finally came down. Our lunches were packed the day before and clearly marked with our names on the bags. Some of us had lunch boxes.

Dinner at our house was a huge job in itself. No matter where you were in the neighborhood you would always hear the dinner bell. The dinner bell was a huge black handle brass bell. My parents insisted that we all ate dinner together as a family and we did. Looking back now that I am older and with four children of my own I had no idea how big a job feeding 15 people everyday really was.

All my mother asked is for you to get your dirty laundry to the laundry room. She would do the rest. I have no idea how she got it all done day after day year after year. I can remember the laundry shoot being filled with cloths in the morning and emptied by the time we came home from school. Four bed wetters did not help her in this daily job.

Early in spring of 1999 everything was great for my mom and dad. All the kids have moved out. Every one of her kids was doing okay. She finally was able to donate most of her time to things she loved to do, gardening and quilting. By this time she moved off shore to Upper Township. My father fenced in this huge garden where my mother could plant flowers and vegetables. The garden was beautiful and life was good.

One sunny day after a doctor’s appointment mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor. We were lucky enough to have a sibling, Laura, which had become a nurse. My sister Laura quit her job and was able to move home with my parents to help. The tumor reduced my mother down to someone who was not able to do anything for herself. She died ten months later. She died in her bed at home with all of her kids standing around her. We watched her take her very last breaths as she finally let go. Please help us in this fight against cancer.

You can make a donation here...and next year, come out for the contest! And if you don't surf, don't worry - there's always a PIE EATING CONTEST!

my non-surfing aunts: sissy and kate.

pie eating participants.

http://www.surfforacure.org/DONATION.htm