Times like these...

The archetype big brother has been written about before. To me, it's a mixed feeling of idolatry and comfort...that when he's with you, you feel no fear and an enormous sense of security.

It's camping in the cold, and being asked if you're warm...and when you answer "no", it's your big brother uncovering himself with one of only two blankets, draping you with both, then leaving the tent to find more firewood so he can add to the dwindling fire. I figure he did this without thinking because already his heart was warm enough. I figure too that he inherited his warm heart from our father.

How could I not feel this warm feeling of comfort when we were together, as there are many recollections like this...

Like the time my skin had been scorched by the Texas sun on a June fishing trip, and he of the same fare skin soaked towels in cold water and baking soda and laid them across my back.

Like the time when I was 15 and after violently breaking my ankle he sprinted a 1/2 mile to safety, cradling me in his arms like his own. It was the only time I ever wept in front of him. He never mentioned it.

And like the time he surprised me in CT, after just landing in NYC from France and making the three hour drive just to watch me pitch. It was the only time any of my family watched me play high school baseball. He made it for the first pitch. We won, and he took me to dinner that night where we had a celebratory beer. It was the first beer I'd ever had in a restaurant - he ordered it for himself and covered me (I was underage) as I proudly drank it.

It times like these that I miss about Kieron. He was the brother that people write about.

Kieron Go Bragh 2009

Goals give life more purpose, right? We accomplish some and fail at others. Success sometimes can be measured by those which we accomplish. Just as much, our failures quickly turn into valuable life lessons. Thus, establishing goals and pushing to meet them can only lead to good, even while failing.

My goal for the 2009 KGB 5k is 400 participants. That would be about double the amount of runners this year...very reachable. The long term goal is to find a cure for cognitive brain diseases...a dream of a goal, maybe impossible in my lifetime.

But if the race grows every year there is a chance.

Wanted to write this somewhere....400 4 2009 is the challenge for next year!

Post Race

My family and I created Kieron Go Bragh Foundation and the Kieron Go Bragh 5k for a couple of reasons. First, there needed to be a charity in place to raise funds for Pick's Disease. In the medical world it's a relative unknown. Second, in the face of this God-awful tragedy that our family now knows, we were emotionally compelled to cling to something that might counter our deep sorrow and ensure that Kieron not be forgotten. Thus the name, Kieron Go Bragh, or, Kieron Forever.

Words cannot describe the sadness that one feels when a loved one is stricken with a terminal disease. I didn't know that until now...now, as reality has it, I know it very well and I wish it on no one. Watching the disease progress is hell. But what I witnessed this weekend at the race allowed me to draw a positive out the single most negative occurrence in my life.

We've never established a charitable foundation and so when we set out on this crusade in the summer of 2007 none of us really knew what to expect. We were just trying to make something worthwhile out of this unluckiness.

After the second annual Kieron Go Bragh 5k, I know the true meaning of gratitude, and thankfulness. To sit back and watch a fledgling cause grow into a real, vital, meaningful entity is in a word, fulfilling.

Several participants approached me over the weekend and thanked me and my family for putting on the race. But the real thanks goes to the Center for Brain Health and all its volunteers, Run On Texas who implemented all the logistics, and especially to all the runners and donors who contributed to the Kieron Go Bragh Foundation and "Ran for Research". Without all of you, our cause would still be fledgling.

The race grew by well over 100%, meaning research funds grew by that much too. We've now got momentum and head into the 2009 race with great expectations.

To the returning runners, to the new runners, to all the kind people who travelled from out of town to participate, to all those who sent in donations, the Finnegan family extends a warm thanks and big dose of gratitude. We're overwhelmed.

My brother Kieron was big on kind deeds. He'd think this massive showing of support and fight was something to talk about.

Let's keep the momentum strong and continue to make Kieron Go Bragh a known cause.

Thanks to everyone, and KIERON GO BRAGH-
Michael Finnegan

Kieron's tunes

It's late Thursday night, two eves before the second annual Kieron Go Bragh 5k. For the race this year I made a song list...

Like Kieron I'm not high on cliches but it was bittersweet selecting which songs to blair over the sound system down at Reverchon Park in a few days.

The criteria was easy for me. Kieron was into his music. I'm sure his taste in music was heavily influenced by his high school days in the late 70's and one year of prep school in New England in 1980. So, the song list has a heavy dose of the sign of those times: The Who, Pink Floyd, The Eagles and The Boss, who he became enamored with at the one year of boarding school.

But his taste was also peppered with artists like Sinatra, Neil Diamond, and Willie Nelson. I included singles off soundtracks from his favorite movies. Lastly, selfishly, I added some songs that reminded me of him.

Like most friends, we liked listening to music together. Songs evoke such powerful memories, thus the bitter sweetness of this exercise. Our favorite were old Springsteen songs. We'd set out on a road trip and a constant part of our preparation, other than loading up poles, a cooler, and our dog, was choosing the music for the drive.

Several songs come to mind tonite, but one especially is Springsteen's Fade Away, one of his less popular but all-time greats. Another more popular Boss song I'm reminded of is No Surrender, one we'd sing in awful unison. One verse always gets me, and brings me back to those drives:

"Well, now young faces grow sad and old, And hearts of fire grow cold, We swore blood brothers against the wind, Now I'm ready to grow young again"...

Born to Run was Kieron's favorite and in a way seems fitting for our event the day after tomorrow!

5k

The race is just 10 days away and most everything is in order. Last order of business is getting shirts printed. The design is complete and the printing process has begun. Thanks to Rubber Duck Creative for the great work on the website. Anything relative to creative, or graphics, Rich Harpel produced, and what exceptional work.

Means a good deal to me that lots of friends are coming in from out of town, all of whom knew Kieron well. I consider these friends family. They are sacrificing a weekend at their home in another state to come be a part of Kieron's foundation. Kieron would have thought this was pretty cool, that's for sure.

Emma is 21 months now and will be involved in the race. I'll be pushing her in a jogging stroller...now everyone has a chance to beat me this year, maybe.

MF, out

Kieron

Tonight under a cheap lantern I wish we were sitting on the bank at Hubbard catching catfish...we mastered that. I'm sorry bro.

World Series

We never had the opportunity to see a World Series together, but Kieron and I went to several Ranger games. Like me, he liked all the homer teams - Cowboys, Mavs, and Rangers, and we had some of our most fun at both Arlington Stadium and The Ball Park at Arlington.

In 1995, the second year of the new Ballpark, we went to go see The Rangers play The KC Royals. So Kieron's 34 and I'm 28...too old to be involved in what occurred that night.

The Rangers won that night and we wanted to celebrate (like the win really mattered) at our favorite post-game spot, The Hyatt right near the Ballpark. We liked to go there b/c typically it was where the Ranger's opponents stayed (and drank after the game).

We had an ongoing competition of who could identify lesser-known pro athletes. Kieron was great at pointing out the non-marquis footballers, but sucked at baseball and was even worse at basketball. As I look back, we both knew this and it was one of the few competitions he conceded to me...t became a joke between us...when it came to football though, not only could he point them out, he could also tell you where they were from and where they played college ball.

So we grabbed a beer and started shuffleboard when the first Royal walked in, Vince Coleman. Coleman was winding down on a good (and volatile) career in 1995. He made his mark with the Cardinals as an outfielder and prominent base-stealer. At the time he was probably two or three years older than Kieron.

I immediately identified him...Kieron second-guessed me but I'm pretty sure he knew. So I upped the ante and said let's go to the bar, where Coleman was. It was still very early and there weren't but three or four others at the bar.

To prove to Kieron it was Vince Coleman I said to him, "hey Vince, how did you play tonight?" Again, this guy was a known jerk, and this was his response: "you went to the game, right?" I replied yes but I just wanted to ask his opinion (seriously, I was trying to prove to Kieron this was Vince Coleman). Coleman said, "we lost dumbass, so you tell me."

I'll write it here that I felt impervious when I was Kieron. Not because he was big and yoked, but because I felt a massive sense of security when he was with me. So, naturally I popped off and said, "my bad Mr. Superstar, I was only asking because when we left you were 0-3 and I was just wondering if u managed a hit in the last inning." Coleman became unglued and literally lunged at me from three stools over. A very minor scuffle ensued... Coleman was my size, which was 4 inches shorter and 30lbs lighter than Kieron, so Kieron easily got between us. But it was the typical "you're so lucky there's someone between us" courage.

Coleman, being the MLB player, convinced the place we were in the wrong so they booted us.

On the ride home he lectured me. "Why start s#@* with a pro-athlete? You've got to be smarter than that." I didn't tell him it was because he was there. Nor did I tell him "now you know it was Vince Coleman."

We attended lots of pro baseball games together but this is the one that sticks out.

With the World Series upon us I've got to get down to his place and watch another inning with him on the tube.