We were surprised and pleased to learn that the Ferguson Swim Team had arranged to dedicate a tree in Jadzia’s memory at January-Wabash Park. Earlier this summer, they also made a team T-shirt to honor her.
This morning, the Parks and Recreation Department held a short dedication ceremony for three families’ trees at the Ferguson Community Center. Afterward we went with Jadzia’s friends Jossie and Kai to see the tree at January-Wabash. It’s positioned on the hill overlooking the water slide at the pool, not far from where Yoli and I liked to sit with Jadzia when we watched home swim meets. Keep reading to see a short video.
Jadzia wasn’t technically on the swim team. We really wanted her to join — Jadzia wasn’t allowed to participate in contact sports because of her Marfan Syndrome, but her doctor highly recommended swimming as a safe form of exercise. We tried several times to talk her into joining, and she came close when her friend Jossie joined.
Even so, Jadzia became a sort of informal or honorary team member. She was known to sneak into the bullpen to hang out with her siblings and friends during swim meets. And she often cheered her siblings on during their races, like this one at a July 2015 meet in Hazelwood when she ran beside Ludi, who was swimming in the outside lane: