SPIRIT

Hard to believe the kids are already heading back to school and Sal is entering his third season of football. Our big event came and went and our tenth year was by far the best yet! No doubt, with each passing year our event grows deeper and our passion stronger.

Shortly after Sal's diagnosis and we decided to enter into the fundraising world, I read a book. The book was titled, The Spirit of Lo. The book was written by a husband and wife, Don and Terry Detrich, who had a child with cystic fibrosis. The book takes you on a journey in the life of a family dealing with chronic disease and all of the affects they have to deal with in addition to raising their young family. I, being a new mother of a child with CF, found extreme comfort that in the face of adversity the family still found time to raise money for The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Lo, their daughter with cystic fibrosis begins to fundraise herself and later becomes the poster child for cystic fibrosis in her native state of Oklahoma and throughout the country. After reading the book I could not help but be empowered and hopeful. So, I found Terry's contact information and asked her if she would come and be a guest speaker at our second annual event. My husband called me crazy, actually stalker might have been the term. But the book was so amazing that I wanted Terry to share her families’ journey with all of Sal's Pals. And she did. Terry flew in all the way from Oklahoma and told her journey to the more than 500 person crowd. At the end of her story everyone was standing with not a dry eye in the room. I don't think Terry understands how much her attending our event changed my life. Her kind words of wisdom and generosity all those years ago have not been forgotten. At that time Lo, her daughter, had been doing well and cystic fibrosis was defiantly not slowing her down! Over the years I have continued to read about their family and their continued success in the fundraising world.

It is with great sadness that I share with you the passing this week of Lo Detrich. Lo was 28 years old. Over the past few years Lo had suffered from two failed lung transplants and a kidney transplant. Terry recently wrote on Lo's Caringbridge page,

"it's the spirit that enables each of us to find the strength to do something we can't believe we can do by ourselves."

Terry defiantly instilled this spirit in her daughter and it was evident throughout her life. Terry also helped me to recognize this spirit when she attended our event all those years ago. For me this same spirit is evident in our family and our friends. In fact, I can't think of a better definition of what they have been to Rick and I.

Eight years after reading the book I finally understand the spirit . Thanks Terry for continuing to be a source of inspiration. And to Lo...May you forever breathe easy.

Until there's a cure,

Jenny