bk

There is a wake on Thursday, July 5 from 2-8

at Fagen-Miller Funeral Home,2828 Highway Ave., Highland, IN.

The funeral will be 10 am Friday morning

at the Fagen Miller Funeral Home

and proceed to Our Lady of Grace Cemetery.

(Highland, IN is in the central time zone.)

The cyclists who are going will be wearing their team jerseys.

. . .

[from donnie miller]

Brooke Schuman, who rides for Kenda, was there

and held Beth's hand as she died.

Brooke is new to cycling and the QCA.

She was at the DICE tent with us on Memorial Day.

This was the first bike crash Brooke has ever seen.

She sent a very touching account to the Kenda group,

and I thought I would share it here...

Hi Everyone,

While sitting in the waiting room at the hospital around

a bunch of XXX people, there was no division of teams.

We were one cycling family with acommon interest of racing,

wind in our helmets, and bugs in our teeth.

Beth's two sisters told us a story about how earlier that year

they went to a funeral for a relative. Beth began to talk about her funeral

and how shewanted everyone to drive in separate cars.

She wanted her funeral precession to be so long that spectators

would wonder who that person was...stop and say

wow that is a really long line of cars, they must be important!!

Beth'stwo sisters were marathon runners.

Beth was a triathelete that got into cycling early this year.

She is a year older than me and started her cycling career

around the same time as I did.

Her mom told us a story about how her sisters would pull her in a wagon

when she was younger and Beth would pretend like she was surfing.

One year for her birthday all Beth wanted was rollerblades.

As Beth pulled up behind me in her car at Cobb Park in Kankakee, IL

last saturday, it was pouring rain out.

Beth grabbed her bike and walked with attitude and confidence

along side two of her friends to sign up for the cat4 race that day.

The rain did not stop her, Beth was hard core.

There were five of us in the race.

I had never finished with the pack before but did that race.

Beth was a real team player in that race.

We all worked together, pulling our weight.

I am glad I was able to stay with the pack, meet Beth,

get to see her win that race by a close sprint.

Beth was a kind anddetermined person.

After the race three of us hung out and talked about racing

and how we got interested in it.

The morning of the proctor road race there was music playing

near the startfinish that was putting everyone to sleep

(not good at 8 in the morning).

A couple cars down from me someone turned on

some really good rock music ontheir car radio.

I was standing at my car saying yes, thank god, someone has good taste.

I think everyone was grateful that they were not going to

fall asleep at the start line.

Come to find out Beth came to the rescue with her fun,

care free personality and good music.

The events that weekend keep playing over in my head.

I was in the pack thewhole race, up near the front,

except for the last minute.

I was dropped, going 30+mph down the hill to catch up.

I was halfway up the hill while the rest of the pack was at the top.

I saw the truck. I saw the trailer.

I saw a bike fly and a girl go under.

This was all one big accident.

It was like a scene in a movie where you're like,

"that's so Hollywood...that would neverhappen".

Well, it did happen.

Things happen for a reason or many reasons.

I yelled at the truck to stop.

He had no idea.

When the driver got out I yelled at him to call an ambulance.

He was shook up.

I yelled for the other girls to not move her or touch her neck.

I grabbed her wrist, she had a pulse.

Everyone was very strong. Everyone keep their heads,

Marie, Beth C., the other xxx girl, and the girl in the red shirt.

It took forever for the EMT's to arrive.

We kept yelling at Beth to breath...and she did, somehow.

Beth's race was not over.

The neurologist said she was brain dead when she hit the truck but,

somehow kept breathing irregularly.

She was an organ donor.

After they took her to the hospital, while on life support

her organs stabilized a little more.

She was able to make it until her mother arrived from California.

A California vacation Beth sent her onto relax.

One thing is for sure. No one is to blame for this accident.

An accident,that's exactly what it was, a bunch of unforeseen events.

Things happen for a reason.

I called Deb Wood before the race but she had overslept.

I am glad she overslept and was not at the race.

Marie was meant to be there tocomfort Beth.

Other people will survive

because Beth was thoughtful and donated her organs.

I raced sunday morning at 8.

I went balls to the wall for 9 minutes rightfrom the start, in the drops,

one big sprint until I could not emotionallystay in the race.

We (~80 people) road a silent lap in Beth's memory at noon that day.

The only sound were the local church bells ringing.

This affects alot more people than xXx and Beth's close family and friends.

We are all racers, cyclists, human beings.

It affects us all.

Things like this don't normally happen in a race,

even though there is always that possibility.

When a person's time is up, it is up.

Beth's life continues in all of us from the organs that she donated

to the memories she helped make.

Beth's sisters, grandma, and mother hugged

everyone of us in the waiting room

and thanked us for being there.

If Kenda or people from any other team showed up,

I know the family would not look badly upon it...they will get it.

I believe that it would be very respectful to attend the services

on thursdayand/or friday. I will be at both.

I have to do what Beth wanted and add my car

to her "wow that's a long" procession line.

Tonight I went for a ride around my neighborhood, in the dark.

It waspeaceful, then started to rain which reminded me of Cobb Park.

I am glad I got to meet Beth (aka BK) and race with her.

I will never forget her confident strut.

This only makes me push harder.

I love racing and can'twait to get stronger!!

Race Smart and Be Safe,

Brooke