TBT #3

here is another Throwback Thursday pic. these were taken at the Great Strides walk way back in 2003. Nic was only 7. All those little shorties you see are all quite tall now. time flies...

 

TBT #2

here is another "Throwback Thursday" post. this pic was taken 2 months ago today at the Great Strides walk. all of our walkers went to the Walgreen's table and grabbed some crazy clothing accessories and posed for this crazy pic. yes, it is our crazy walkers being a little crazy...

Throwback Thursday

there seems to be a new trend on the internet called "Throwback Thursday". so, i guess i will start doing that here. this pic was taken at the 2008 Great Strides walk. it is one of my favorites because it is Nic with his little sister Somer. they have grown up so much since this was taken 6 years ago...

Walk Day 2014!

On May 3rd, over 300 people took GREAT STRIDES to cure Cystic Fibrosis in Roanoke. It was the 15th time Nic's Team has been there. Unfortunately, our team's namesake, and my son, Nic, and his mom, Erica, could not attend this year because Nic was in the hospital dealing with some breathing problems. Frequent hospital stays are part of life for CF'ers and this stay came as a surprise a few days before the walk. But our walkers still came out strong in support of the CFF (www.cff.org) and the fight to cure this nasty disease.

As of today, the TOTAL AMOUNT raised by Nic's Team this year is over $1600. The overall total for Roanoke's event was at least $51,000.  THAT IS SO GREAT! It might be the biggest amount EVER for this event. LOTS of TOMORROWS can be added with those funds.

This year's turnout of supporters was the BEST EVER at the Roanoke walk. There were 15 NEW teams and a bunch of returning teams. I'm not sure why there are so many new participants but the added support is a very good thing. It is not just about getting money for research, it is also important to raise awareness of this disease and the challenges that CF patients face everyday. A lot of credit goes to the Roanoke walk committee members and the CFF employees who work at the office in Richmond.

  
This was the biggest walk team the we have ever had! BIG THANKS to everyone that came out to walk (especially the CADWELLS) and EVERYONE who sponsored our team.


Here is the 2014 walk team....  from LEFT to RIGHT; TOP ROW: Griffin (not a mythical creature), Somer (Nic's sister), Archie (Nic's step-grandpa), Cody (Nic's cousin), Linda (Cody's grandma); MIDDLE ROW: Joel (Nic's uncle), Melissa (Nic's Aunt), Ree (Nic's grandma), ME (holding sign), Elsie (Nic's other grandma); FRONT ROW: Sierra (not a firefighter), Alicia (Cody's sister)

After the walk, the team went over to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital to visit Nic. Here he is with his cousin Cody. They have been best buds since they could talk.

UPDATE:  Nic got out of the hospital the next day and continued IV's at home for about 2 weeks. He is doing much better now. Next up for Nic, HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION!

why do we walk?

why do we walk?  the CFF put together this video to explain...


see more videos about CF at the CFF YouTube page

me & Nic gone Racin'

on march 30th, me & Nic went to the STP 500 NASCAR race at the Martinsville Speedway. we had a great time!  here are some pics...

Nic's favorite driver is Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#88). Dale had a good run, finishing 3rd that day. Denny Hamlin (#11), who raises money for the CFF every year, finished 19th. the race was won by Kurt Busch (#41).

"I NEED A NEBULIZER"

this is probably the most awesome video i have ever seen about CF.  plus it is a cool take on Billy Joel's "we didn't start the fire".  except this is called 
"I NEED A NEBULIZER" by a guy named Andy Lipman. check it out...

Walk Day 2013: Best Photos, part 1

here are some of the best photos that we took on May 4th at this year's Great Strides walk....

more photos coming up in part 2.....

Great Strides 2013

last saturday was GREAT STRIDES 2013 in Roanoke. a really good crowd came out to Hollins University for the walk. it was a little cool early in the day but the rain held off and the sun came out. everyone had a great time! we raised lots of money for the CF Foundation. here is our team pic:

Nic's Team 2013 walkers...  
(top row, left to right): Storm (not in the X-men); Somer (pink hair, Nic's sister); Nic's Dad (me)
(bottom row, left to right): Erica (Nic's Mom); Granny Ree (my Mom); Nic (skater dude); Bates (big dog)




coming up: more pics from walk day

Great Strides 2004

these pics are from Great Strides 2004...

I took these with my first digital camera. It was a big bulky thing that used floppy discs and it was great at the time. Now, less than ten years later, most cell phones can take better pictures. It is amazing how times flies. This is Nic with a film camera....

 

 

In 2004, Nic was 8 years old. When the news reporter from WDBJ-7 (link) needed someone to interview about the why we were walking, it was Nick. He was a tv star on the news that day. Pretty cool!

That reporter's name is Jennifer Wishon Gilbert. She no longer works in Roanoke but instead works in Washington, DC as the White House correspondent for CBN (link).

This last one is very special. It is my then little daughter Somer who is almost 14 now. This was back when we had to run to keep up with her. She did stand still long enough to wear a crown.

time flies... Great Strides 2013 is this Saturday!