Hello friends and family!
This is my 12th year raising money to help find a cure for cystic fibrosis. I do this in memory of my friend, Tara, who passed away on November 18, 2017.
Tara was full of positivity, throughout her life - throughout her illnesses, hospital stays, medications, pain and discomfort. She made the world feel a little brighter - a little more full of hope. When really great things happen in my day, I feel her presence. It's her reminder that life is precious - life is short - and everything is going to be OK ... have hope.
Thank you for those that have made generous donations in the past! None of you have ever met Tara. But she knew about you. She appreciated that my friends, who didn't know her, wanted to help her. She appreciated that you cared about her.
Today I am asking for:
1) Please consider making a donation to the Tara K Telford Graduate Student Award for Cystic Fibrosis Research at UC Davis (this is where I donate every year). You can do this online from the following link. Please let me know that you have donated to this fund so I can properly thank you. I will not receive a notification that you donated.https://give.ucdavis.edu/GRAD/150006
or Consider donating to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through our Great Strides walk (my 12th year participating - will take place in San Jose on May 19) using this link (I will get a notification). You can also sign up to walk with us from this link. It would be great to have some company this year.
http://fightcf.cff.org/site/TR/GreatStrides/98_Northern_California_San_Francisco?px=1388364&pg=personal&fr_id=7188
2) Become an organ donor. Become a blood donor. Save a life. Who knows .... it could be yours one day.
3) If you are healthy, and I hope you are, make good choices about your body. We owe it to those who can't control their health to appreciate ours.
4) LIVE, LOVE, ENJOY life, LAUGH, SMILE and be KIND.
This is an update that Tara wrote two years ago. I think it makes sense to share it again.
To say we had a challenging year in this household could be an understatement. It started off with so much hope as I got the call for my double lung transplant on January 1, 2016. What was supposed to be a 2-3 week recovery turned into months of hard work and uncertainty. I survived 5 months on life support followed by battles of viruses, lung infections, lung rejection, heart failure and now kidney failure. By my side through it all has been my family.My donor’s name was Becky. She was 29 years old and she had an 8 year old daughter. Without her family’s selfless gift I wouldn’t be here writing to you today. Becky and her family will forever be my heroes as they saved my life this last year.Cystic Fibrosis still affects many parts of my body, but I am breathing clear, free of CF in my lungs. Professor Kurth and his team at UC Davis are still providing important research for Cystic Fibrosis. With your help they can continue this important research year after year. Please consider making a donation so they can continue to fight CF.
Thank you to all of my donors - and especially to my "Honor Roll of Donors."
11 years Vivian Hui Erin Haley Gina Piper 10 years Marilyn Perry Corey McIntyre Annie Chang Julie and Joe Pierron Michelle and Fran Coen Joy and Jared Goor 6 years 9 years Kristin Perkins Jean Kelley Loy and Marge Hayes Bill and Sharon McKee Rick Long Hassan Mahmoud Raul Tiansay 8 years John and Janine Loconsolo Ryan Long 5 years 7 years Becky and Cordell Baanhofman Bhaskar and Veera Mantha Michelle Nystrom Lauren and Tom Mensch Aruna Paritala Audrey and Bryan Gillette
A list of this year's donors can be found here (thanks to Hassan for already donating):
What is CF?
Cystic Fibrosis is a hereditary disorder that causes the production of abnormally thick mucous that leads to blockage and severe infection of the lungs. It also affects the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down food and absorb vital nutrients. In the 1950s, children with CF rarely lived long enough to attend elementary school. Today, because of advances in research and care the median predicted age of survival is about 40.
- More than 30,000 people are living with cystic fibrosis (70,000 worldwide).
- CF causes persistent lung infections and complications to other organs.
- Some people with CF say it feels like breathing through a straw.
- About one in every 30 Americans are symptomless carriers of the defective CF gene.
THANK YOU for your continued support and donations! After the walk I'll send our donors some pictures of us walking, thanks to your support.
Christina
Post with list of last year's donors
Post from last year's walk
More information about CF
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