Inspired by her patient with locked-in syndrome, Chicago nurse -- who could hardly walk up stairs -- has become a short-distance (and very slow) triathlete

Mary Jo Harte was, by her own account, too fat. She weighed 275 pounds and couldn't get up the stairs at her home after a day of work. But when the longtime nurse began taking care of Patrick Stein, a former athlete who'd been totally paralyzed with locked-in syndrome, her life changed. Inspired by Stein's humor and resolve, she decided to change her life. She's about to complete her third triathon, and the relationship the two have has enriched both their lives. My story for ESPN.com's Endurance Sports section: http://espn.go.com/sports/endurance/story/_/id/11377667/endurance-sports-triathlons-part-nurse-patient-bond-mary-jo-harte-patrick-stein