Liver Life Walk 2010

Hello!!!! Can you believe that I am actually updating my blog. Goodness it has been a long time!! It has been a busy summer and I can't believe that school is about to start again.

I actually have a selfish reason for updating. I wanted to let you know that I have created Team Rick again this year for the Liver Life Walk. We are super excited to be doing the walk again this year. Samantha is really looking forward to it again as well. It is September 12, so time is really running out for me to get some donations for our team.

You can visit my personal fundraising page by clicking here. I really appreciate donations. Any amount is great as it all adds up.

We had so much fun last year and we are really looking forward to being there again this year. I am very happy to report that Rick's health has been very stable this year. We don't take that fact for granted however. I know it can change in the blink of an eye. Which is why this fundraiser is so important to me.

Thank you in advance for anyone that is able to make a donation. I will post more information as we get closer to the walk.

Until next time,

Liver Life Walk

We had a great time at the Liver Life Walk on Sunday.  The walk went through Washington Park.  It was so pretty and peaceful.  I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't thinking "how much further?"  Seriously I really need to work out.  But I also was thinking about what Rick goes through and what some of our other PSC friends are currently going through. 

We really did have fun.  Sam did a good job.  She made it the whole way, only complaining about being tired during the last 1/2 mile.  Rick also was able to make it, without even breaking a sweat.  I am proud of him!

So here are the pictures I took at the walk:

Our friend Carl was the walk honoree.  He spoke before the walk kicked off.

See how beautiful it was in the park for the walk.

We also got to finally meet and hang out with our PSC friends Dawn and Carl.  It was so much fun to finally meet them face to face.  I had meant to have Sam take a picture of the four of us together but I totally forgot.  I am really bummed about that.  It was really neat to meet someone that I felt like I had known for a long time.  We had a good time.  There is a certain kind of bond that wives of PSCers seem to have.  There is nobody else that knows exactly how you feel except for another wife going through the same thing.  I have really appreciated all the support that Dawn has given me.  And Carl has been a great support as well.  I don't think I would be in the same place about all of this that I am right now if I had never met Dawn.  She inspired me to meet others and I have developed a great support system online.  Thanks Dawn and Carl for inviting us to your house and for being so supportive.  

Thanks to everyone that donated to Team Rick!  We had a great time and we each earned a walk t-shirt.  Sam wore hers to school today.  She is really proud of the shirt.  And the shirts I made got a lot of looks, and even some questions as we walked around the zoo.

I will post more this week with the pictures and activities we were able to squeeze in this weekend.

Until next time,

Jaime 

Team Rick

Team Rick has surpassed our team goal of raising $450 for the Liver Life Walk.  Yippee!!  Samantha is actually $15 away from her goal of $150, but despite that we are extremely happy and grateful for all of the donations.

I have also completed our team t-shirts.  Our friend Brad, whom we have known since high school, sent me a design for the shirt.  I had to re-work it a bit, but I used the same layout.  I used a printable iron-on transfer paper to make the shirts.  They don't look quite as "professional" as I would have liked, but I still like them.

So here is Sam's Shirt:

The back is a little different for each of us.  This is the back of Sam's shirt:

Rick is number 01, I am 02, and Megan is 04.  I am making Megan a shirt too because I want all of us to have a Team Rick shirt. 

We are very excited for this weekend.  We are leaving friday morning after dropping Megan off at school.  The plan is to make a couple stops along the way, especially at Multnomah Falls.  Sam is really looking forward to that.  Saturday we are going to spend the day at Cannon Beach.  We are staying with family in Portland, that is a huge help so that we don't have to pay for a hotel.  Sunday is the big day.  I am super excited for the walk, and for being able to check out the zoo.  I hope they have monkeys!!

The three of us aren't the only ones having a special weekend.  Megan gets to take a little motorhome trip with Nana and Papa, and cousin Noah.  She is excited for the little trip.  I am glad she gets to do something special too.  I was feeling a little guilty for leaving her behind.

I won't have time to blog again until after we get back.  I am not bringing my computer (sniff, sniff).  But I will use my cellphone to update Twitter and Facebook.  So check back here for my tweets.

Until next time,
Jaime

Liver Life Walk

Only 12 more days until the Liver Life Walk. We have not yet met our goals. I don't feel super comfortable begging for donations. So don't take this as begging. Pretty Please will you donate to our team. Remember that myself, Rick, and Samantha are registered for the walk. You can find the links to our fundraising pages on the sidebar of the blog.

Remember the reason we are doing this?? We are walking so that someday there will be a cure for liver disease. And then maybe Rick won't have a lot more days like this:

Thank you so much for supporting us. Even if you can't donate I would love for you to show your support by just commenting and letting us know that you are rooting for us. But if you can donate we really appreciate any amount. $5, $10, any amount would mean a lot to us.

Until next time,

Jaime

P.S. I am totally bummed that it is September. That means the end of summer. *tears*

Liver Life Walk

Our fundraising efforts are in full swing. We are very excited to be seeing donations coming in on our behalf. It is an amazing feeling to be actually doing something to help in the fight against liver disease.

We are so excited, in fact, that we have added another member to our team. Can you guess who is joining our team??

SAMANTHA

That is correct! Sam will be joining Rick and myself in the 5K walk in the Oregon Zoo. She is so super excited to be doing this for Daddy!! You can donate to her fundraising efforts by clicking here.

We are very proud of her enthusiasm for this event. Never mind that she gets to miss a day of school, spend a weekend alone with Mom and Dad, go to the ocean for the day, and walk around a zoo. I mean really, what kid wouldn't be excited about that?!?!?

So go check out her cute little fundraising page. And check in on Team Rick to see our fantastic donors. We want to say a big Thank You to those that have donated already. We would love to not only meet, but exceed our goals. And with just a little effort, and some generous blog readers (hint, hint), we will be able to achieve success.

Thank you!!!

Until next time,

Jaime

Liver Life Walk

Rick and I are both very excited to be joining the American Liver Foundation's Liver Life Walk in Portland Oregon. The walk is September 13th. At the moment Rick and I are the only members of Team Rick. Our goal is to each raise $150. I am the team captain and my site can be found by clicking here. Rick's site can be found by clicking here. Do you want to help us reach our goal? You can help by donating to Team Rick by sponsoring either one of us. Maybe you know someone in the area that would like to join our team. Or maybe you would like to join our team. You can join and help us raise even more money for the American Liver Foundation. We would both really appreciate any donation amount.

This is obviously a very important cause to us. This is the first time that either one of us has ever done anything like this. We are both looking forward to this walk. We will get to meet Carl and Dawn in person for the first time. Carl has been picked as the honoree for the walk. That is so awesome!

I hope that we are both able to reach our goal before the walk on September 13th. 5K is a long walk for us so hopefully we will both be able to be healthy enough to walk the whole thing. Better start working out I guess.

I will update with more information on our donation status as we start getting donations. Thank you in advance to anyone that donates. We really appreciate it!!

Until next time,
Jaime

You Can Help Make A Difference

I have become passionate about getting the word out about Crohn's and PSC. The only thing I can do to not let these diseases win is fight for a cure. So I have found a couple things from my friend Brandee that I want to pass on to all of my readers in the hopes that you all will help me out.

The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation has a couple things going on right now. The first is a letter writing campaign to local legislators about supporting funding for the new IBD Legislation, The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research and Awareness Act. By clicking here you can send an email to your local legislators urging them to support the bill. You can include a personal story if you have one, or feel free to use Rick's story. It only takes a minute, but it could make a big difference for those suffering with IBD.

The second is the virtual IBD March on the Hill. Shire plc has agreed to donate up to $30,000 for IBD research. By joining the virtual walk Shire plc will donate $1 for every step you take. You can log on everyday and take a step. At the moment there are less than 3,000 steps taken, the goal is 30,000. Please join in the walk and support those with IBD.

These are two very easy things you can do to help make a very big difference. And I have one other thing I am saving for it's very own post. It is the biggest thing I have done and I am very excited about it, so stayed tuned!

Until next time,
Jaime

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

If you didn't know (and you probably didn't because why would you?) Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready is a spokesman for the CCFA (Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America). He has been lobbying for the state of Washington to pass legislation that would make it law to allow people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohns or Ulcerative Colitis) access to private bathrooms in businesses that do not allow for public bathroom use. Some are arguing that it is unfair. I say they must not know what it is like to live with a chronic illness. You can find the article about this legislation by clicking here.

Mike McCready isn't stopping there. He is playing the National Anthem before the Seattle Mariners home game on May 19th which is CCFA night at Safeco Field. $7 from each ticket purchased here will go to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. If we lived closer and it was on a weekend we would definitely be going to the game. But for any of my readers that live in the area we hope that you will consider going to the game and supporting this foundation.

I think it is great to see IBD getting so much attention here in Washington State. And there is even a free informational seminar about IBD next week here in our city. One of the doctors from Rick's doctors office is speaking at the seminar. We are planning on attending. I like to try to be as informed as possible. Sometimes that probably isn't in my best interest, but well, I'm OCD about this stuff.

Until next time,
Jaime