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Dear family and friends,
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Kaitie's CF diagnosis. Over the years we have seen our beautiful baby grow into a strong and enthusiastic young lady. For the first few years following her diagnosis, we saw steady improvement, her weight, energy and overall health improving. Unfortunately, the past few years have brought on the inevitable decline that comes with CF as it gradually damages her respiratory and digestive systems.
This past year has been difficult for Kaitie and for the entire family. The fall months of her first year in middle school were spent fighting Kaitie's first major lung infection. Multiple rounds of increasingly strong (and increasingly caustic) antibiotics and weekly trips to the CF clinic at Seattle's Children's finally allowed her to slowly recover in the weeks leading up to Christmas. After having missed so much school -- and unsure how the rest of the year would progress -- we decided to give homeschooling a try through a virtual academy (online school). The winter months brought more ups and downs but Kaitie's health continued to improve through the spring months, with so much growth that she no longer fits into any of her clothes from the beginning of the school year!
The Snoqualmie Valley Great Strides is once again gearing up for our fall walk on Saturday, September 26th, with check-in at 10 am and the walk at 11 am. The 2008 walk met our goal of $45,000 so, despite the rough economic times, we're setting this year's goal at $50,000! We hope you'll be able to help us achieve this goal!
This is a really exciting time in CF drug development for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation -- and all of us who have loved ones suffering from this disease. For the first time ever, a drug is being researched which actually treats the core genetic defect of the most common CF gene mutation (delta f508, which is one of the genes Kaitie has)!! It's not a cure but instead of treating the symptoms of the disease, it could help limit the progressive damage done to their bodies.
We know that times are tough for everyone. The CF Foundation has seen a drop in their corporate sponsorship dollars -- but that just means we need to increase the number of smaller donations we collect! Great Strides is one of the Foundations main fundraising avenues and in such an important time of research, we can't afford to have any research funding delayed or cancelled.
So, here's what we're asking: - Make a donation -- whatever you can afford ($20, $50, $100, $1,000... any amount helps!) by clicking on the “Click to Donate” button on this page or sending a check payable to CFF to Kaitie’s Kingdom Great Strides Team, PO Box 669, Snoqualmie, WA 98065.
- Forward this letter -- or the link to our page [http://www.cff.org/great_strides/CathyGallagher] -- to as many people as you can, with a short note explaining how you know us and why you support our cause -- it never hurts to ask!
- Come support us at the walk on Saturday, September 26th! It’s an easy 2-mile circuit along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, followed by a BBQ lunch courtesy of Sherm’s BBQ! Everyone who raises $100 will also receive a SV Great Strides T-shirt.
Thank you so much for your past, current and future support and for making a huge difference in the lives of those who live with this deadly disease!
Cathy, Ray, Trevor, Raymond and Kaitie
PS -- An article, "Living the After," which I wrote about Kaitie's diagnosis was published in the June 2009 issue of Seattle Woman Magazine, in case you're interested in reading it (its at the end of the issue)
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