A few days ago, the United States remembered a dark day in our history, when thousands were killed in terrorist attacks on American soil. Among them were more than 300 firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty as they tried to save people inside the World Trade Center.

My partner, Todd, did his part today to honor those heroes by taking part in a memorial stair climb at Lambeau Field. It was not only a way to remember those who give their lives for us every day, but it was also an opportunity for him to step outside his comfort zone and do something he’d never done before.

 

Todd and more than 3,000 people in the Green Bay area walked up and down the stairs in the stadium, the equivalent of the 110 floors in the World Trade Center. The climbers were given a firefighter’s name to clip on their shirts, and when they reached a silver bell, they rang it and said the name of the firefighter. That bell was located at the point in the climb where the 78th floor was, the last place any contact was made by firefighters.

 

 

In the days leading up to the climb, Todd has expressed trepidation about it. He wasn’t worried about whether he was worthy to honor those heroes, but he was concerned whether his body would hold out. Todd has made a lot of effort to lose weight in the last year since topping out at 325 pounds, going to the gym and eating healthier, but he was wondering if his efforts had prepared him enough for this grueling climb.

 

 

Outside the stadium, Todd’s trepidation continued, and he doubted he could do it. I held him by the shoulders and whispered in his ear, “You can do it. I have faith in you,” and I meant it. After almost five years together, I knew Todd was capable of many things, and I knew he could make it.

 

 

Granted, he had several things working against him. While he’d lost 55 pounds, he was still dealing with back and knee pain that could easily debilitate him if he let it.

 

Todd didn’t let his physical issues deter him. He climbed up and down those stairs without stopping until he reached that bell. The couple of flights before, he really started to slow down, but he didn’t stop until he rang the bell. After that, he rested a couple of times before making it to the “top,” where his parents and I were waiting for him.

 

Todd was sore when he reached the end, and he’ll probably really feel the burn in the next couple of days. His shirt was soaked in sweat except for the part where the shirt overlapped with his red shorts. In fact, it was those red shorts that helped me keep track of him and how far along he was. There were hundreds of navy blue shirts traveling up and down the stairs, but hardly anyone was wearing a shirt in combination with red shorts.

 

 

 

 

The stair climb, and others like it across the country, raise money for the Fallen Firefighters Foundation, which helped firefighters’ families after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and continue to help those who have lost a family member in the line of duty fighting fires. Todd climbed for them to honor the fact that they climbed to help those in need 16 years ago and laid their lives down for others.

 

When Todd reached the end of the climb, he told me that he could hardly believe he’d done it. I reminded him again that I had faith in him. He’s already talking about doing it again next year, and I’ll be there in the stands, cheering him on.