Andrea Lytle Peet: The Embodiment of Perseverance

Here's something remarkable and not in a good way. Disengaged employees cost US companies almost $1.9 trillion a year. That's a lot of zeros. Why? Because when teams lack the right skills, productivity declines, turnover increases, and strategies stagnate. But it doesn't have to be that way. At Project Management Institute, home of the PMP and globally recognized certifications, your people can learn to collaborate, deliver on time, and actually get things the cost of not upskilling way higher than the investment. Project Management Institute. Find the answers@pmi.org thank you to all.

Our regular podcast listeners. It's our pleasure and honor to make the show for you. Knowing that you like our podcast makes all the difference to us. Please follow the show in your favorite podcast app or find the latest episode every Wednesday@remarkablepeople.com Foreign. I'm Geicawasaki and this is Remarkable People. We're on a mission to make you remarkable. Helping me in this episode is the remarkable Andrea Lytle Peet. She was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 33. She quickly went from competing in marathons and triathlons to walking with a cane. While 80% of ALS patients die in two to five years, Andrea has lived with ALS for over eight years. She has participated in marathons all over the country using a recumbent bike and she is raising money for ALS research. At the same time, she has also created the Team Drea Foundation. This supports innovative research to help find the cure or effective treatment for ALS. Andrea has completed a marathon in all 50 states. Her last one was in Alaska on May 28, 2022. Hers is a story of remarkable perseverance. This interview occurred in October 2022. I'm Guy Kawasaki. This is remarkable people. And now here is a remarkable Andrea Lyto Pete. I have great admiration for runners because I just can't handle the pain myself and the pecking order sort of runner. And then people who run half marathons and then people who run marathons and then people who run multiple marathons and then there are people who run in all 50 states and then there's you who run in all 50 states with ALS which basically means you are the big kahuna. You are on top of the stack.

Thank you.

Tell everybody what you did.

Sure. I became the first person with ALS. Did you a marathon in all 50 estates he used an arbor common attract three wheels and pedal with my upbeat and yeah it was an amazing humbling experience.

And which was your favorite race of the 50 states?

I have to Say Alaska which was a number of 50. It was not an easy I race to ride. I get two involved flights in a three hour ferry and an hour drive reached this very small town about great Alaska population like a thousand. But the whole community comes out for the iris And I had a 50 of my friends and our family there with me and which is an amazing journey that I never really thought that I would actually accomplish.

And now what are you gonna do 50 countries or what's next?

So we have completed a documentary, I'm writing a memoir. And the only creative thing I cannot think of to us in my mind to achieve is a cure for Alice in my time. So that is what I am leisure focus on raising money.

If people want to support you, how can they do that?

So our foundation is team dream.org we were bold innovative research too by name occur for ALS. When I was our first dynast I wanted to challenge my friends and family to take on a race that they were assured that they can finish and raise money for a less Harvey we now worth a million dollars. In addition all our volunteers we all just do it out of the appreciation of the time that we have. Wow.

Wow.

If.

I could come out of this interview with the answer to this next question I would declare victory and call it a day. How's that for a build up for a question. So the question is how do you persevere with a condition like als?

So I als I kill people in two to five years on average. I. I've been living with Melas for eight years now. And I was diagnosed at the age of 33. I never thought that I would live to see my 40th birthday and here I am. So I guess I would say I persevere as I realized that I have been given the gift of time. We never know what is coming next. And I am so grateful to be able to be here, let alone doing marathons. Then I approach every I challenge with gratitude.

Wow. Do you have advice for others dealing with such challenges?

I remember just after my diagnosis I was sitting in the car crying. I sort of depressed and I looked up and I just realized that I could be depressed or I could live my life now time would pass the same either way. So I think that whatever challenge that you are facing find some hope in that. And that does that catch me a going. You never know how when tomorrow will bring a good or bad. But I am just had the most amazing incredible experience. And I hope that others no matter what you are facing just appreciate the time that you have. Now.

Have you found any sources of information particularly useful? And let me give you a little background on this question. So I have Meniere's disease. Meniere's disease is basically when you have vertigo, tinnitus, and hearing loss, which, trust me, it's not the worst thing in the world to happen to you. Okay, Nobody ever died from Meniere's disease. But I have been very public about having Meniere's, and inevitably people send me emails, and these are well meaning people, and they send me emails saying, well, if you took niacin or if you ate sweet and sour lobster or if you had more turmeric, or if you. I mean, they come up with these, like, you know, go get shots of whatever. And I bet something like this probably happens to you. So have you found any good source of information online?

No, Truly, I have learned that with a list and with every disease, probably let me stick to als. Everyone is so different. The sources, the causes are different. Everyone progresses at a different rate. ALS is probably like cancer. Like, it's probably an umbrella that we are like trying to find a pill that will solve it. But I have come to believe this, and you have to trust yourself and your body and your experience and just do what works for you. You know, I have Leighton, obviously to exercise, but isn't just doing marathons. I swim, I do Pilates. And what I do is focus on telling my brain, do I connect to my muscles? And I apparently I forgot how do I do that on its own, but I specifically think about moving my foot and moving my finger and what it will take. Do I do that? And yeah, that was a long answer, but I think you just have to learn what works for you and ignore the rest. You could spend a lifetime trying niacin and things that people recommend.

My last question for you is, what's your advice to the friends and family of people dealing with challenges of your magnitude? How can they best help?

For me, the best way to help that I have found is to help others. So we are raising money for research to finding a cure. And that is the only way that no one will have to go through this disease. And so I have turned my perspective the other way. And how can I help? I am so lucky with this disease and so many other families are. So try to be a sort of hope, be a friend, be a resource, or just listen. Whatever you can do to get out of your own head and give back, I think it's better than the alternative of staying stuck.

You want to make any kind of closing statement or anything. You don't have to. I'm just giving you the stage.

First of all, I just really appreciate you for just. Reaching out and you are so positive in what you do and the way that you talk to people. And I think when we take the time to get to know one another, we realize that we're also different. And it is really appreciate you.

Thank you. And to put it mildly, I appreciate you and your remarkable story. So a week after I conducted this interview, I came to the realization, because of Peg Fitzpatrick, that Andrea's episode was coming out just before Thanksgiving. And I thought, who could give a better Thanksgiving message than Andrea Lido. Pete. So here it is.

Hello.

Hello, Andrea. Thank you for letting me contact you yet another time. We looked at our schedule and your episode is coming right out. About the Thanksgiving time, I wanted to know if you want to offer a Thanksgiving message to my listeners.

I ask listeners just to be thankful for the gift of being alive. Everything from the way that your brain tells your muscles to move to your mouth, being able to tell the people that you love, thank you for all that they do. I know that I am so thankful for my family, for my husband, and just to us. So dear.

That's a great message, Andrea. But I am thankful that I discovered you. You have been a remarkable guest and friend.

Thank you so much. Happy Thanksgiving.

Oh my God. Andrea is such a remarkable person. I hope you enjoyed this interview. If there was ever a Remarkable People interview that personified perseverance, this is it. If you'd like to support Andrea and her research efforts to cure and treat ALS, go to teamdrea.org T E A M D R E A dot org I'm Guy Kawasaki. This is Remarkable People. A great Thanksgiving to you all. And if you're in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving right now, well, celebrate anyway. You can never give too much thanks. And speaking of thanks, my thanks to the Remarkable People team. That would be Peg Fitzpatrick, Jeff C. Shannon Hernandez, Alexis Nishimura, Luis Magana, and the drop in Queen of Santa Cruz, Madison Nessmer. Until next time, mahalo and aloha. Want to know when there's a new episode of remarkable people? Simply text 831-609-0628. If you live in the US or Canada, don't miss upcoming shows. Take a moment to follow Remarkable People in your app or podcast player. This is Remarkable People.