It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves
So on Thursday night I was able to attend a fundraiser for the Summit Foundation…an organisation in Calgary that raises money for Cystic Fibrosis research.
Ted Henley wrote about it in his blog a little bit, but I will explain again, I was honoured with an unsung hero award. The reason I was honoured is because my girlfriend Melissa suffers from this degenerative disease. Basically the award is for the spouses of those who are suffering from CF.
From physiotherapy to making sure they takes their drugs, the spouses of CF patients do go through quite a bit, but it is nothing compared to what the patients go through. CF is a disease that affects mainly the lungs and digestive system and patients are forced to swallow about 20 pills or so a day just so they can digest food and take a mask around 4 times a day to receive their medicine. You can often hear them coughing like they have a horrible cold, but it is really caused by mucus filling their lungs. This leaves a large portion of their lungs turning into scar tissue.
At the moment there is no known cure for CF but there is hope with new discoveries and research that is happening right here in Calgary. The U of C’s Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation is doing great work at the Foothills Hospital and all of the money raised is going towards research projects.
The keynote speaker at the event was Kelly Hrudey, the hockey player turned analyst for Hockey Night in Canada. Growing up I remember watching Kelly in between the pipes for the Kings with his bandanna always fastened to his head.
Kelly is probably one of the most down to earth celebrities I have ever met and didn’t get in front of the crowd pretending to know what he was talking about. He basically said he doesn’t know CF, he knows hockey and tried to relate some of his stories with what families dealing with CF have to go through. He kept the crowd entertained with stories of Gretzky in the shower (get your mind out of the gutter it wasn’t indecent), coaching problems and even his slumps and low points as a goalie.
But of course the whole point of the evening was not a hockey hero, it was about finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. If I can do anything while I’m around it is to try and help those who have the knowledge to cure the disease that the love of my life is suffering from. I donated money, like many others, because I want Melissa to be free of the pain she has known for every second of her life. I may not have all the cash to give and I may not have the know how to look at the cells in her body but I can support and promote those who do the amazing jobs that help fight the disease. I hope you can get involved and help the hundreds in Calgary and Southern Alberta who are suffering from Cystic Fibrosis…help give the breath of life.
You can watch the gala event on Shaw TV at 1pm on Sunday or you can visit www.summitfoundation.ca or www.cysticfibrosis.ca