In this Olympic summer, I have watched a few relay races, marveling at the speed of the runners and the graceful baton handoffs. One of the announcers caught my attention 

recently when he said that the race is about the baton, not the runners. The objective is to keep the baton moving at maximum speed at all times throughout the race. The baton must always remain the fastest member of the squad. I found this interesting as it applied to the race on the tv, but I found it even more applicable in a baton passing I have been watching all summer long.  

Relentless Positivity was a mantra for Arnav Krishna as he battled a disease called osteosarcoma. The mantra guided him through many hospital stays and countless treatments. The mantra was placed on wrist bands, magnets and t-shirts worn proudly by his friends and family. They clung to it when Arnav passed away 2.5 years ago, willing themselves to live life with his outlook, even if he wasn’t by their side.

Relentless positivity is the baton in the race of a lifetime. In his wisdom, Arnav understood not just that he would need a mantra to see him through, but that his friends and family would need it more. Arnav knew that his time with the baton was limited as the lead runner. It was up to him to burst out of the gates at lightning speed gaining the attention of the crowd, but he knew that to win the race, he needed other runners to pick it up.

This summer I have watched Dhruv, Arnav’s twin brother, gracefully take the hand off and move forward at lightning speed with relentless positivity in his hand. Ahead of him on the race track, he has 11 other team leaders, ready for the handoff. Together, they have built an amazing virtual event and 5K and scheduled for July 24. 

These young men and women all met at the Swain School Campus many years ago. Some of them are classmates from preschool and kindergarten; all of them met Arnav and Dhruv during their formative years, building friendships that have lasted a lifetime.  Swain is known to its current families and its alumni as a tight knit community. Never has that connection been more apparent than in watching the support that has been given to the Krishna family over the last few years.

It was Swain faculty who decorated the lawn of Arnav in the wee dark hours of the December morning when he was making his last trip home. It was classmates and families who were the first in line to share stories and memories on his last morning on this earth.  And it is now Swain alums, many of whom went on with Arnav and Dhruv to Moravian Academy Upper School, who are spending their summer taking the baton of relentless positivity and making it the fastest member of the squad.

As a parent who has watched these young women and men grow, it is overwhelming to me to see them now, as young adults, demonstrating this level of leadership and commitment. They have spent every Sunday evening gathered in the Krishna residence brainstorming everything from corporate sponsorships to t-shirt designs. In the week between our meetings, they have hung posters, cold-called sponsors, created social media posts, texted friends and family encouraging registrations, and so much more. They are building professional skills as they go, but in my observation these skills pale in comparison to the life skills they are exhibiting.  

Relentless positivity is a life skill, as well as a mantra. It was one Arnav created and utilized to see him through his journey. We thought he had created it for himself, but in his wisdom, he knew he was actually creating it for others to carry on in his absence. Arnav knew that the race was about the baton. He knew he could place it gracefully in the capable hands of his brother, his parents, his friends and his Swain and Moravian communities to carry it forward. This summer, it has been my greatest pleasure to watch the baton of #RelentlessPositivity become the fastest member of the squad. I can’t wait to see the races it wins and the records it breaks, all because of a group of classmates who met many years ago at a special place on 24th Street.