Become Aware

            May is Cystic Fibrosis awareness month, so, since I’m part of a fundraiser for it next weekend, I thought I had better spread some awareness.

            At first, I was planning to do a whole write-up about Cystic Fibrosis, but I changed my mind because I can just send you over here where you can hear about it from the experts.

            In case that version is too long for you, basically Cystic Fibrosis is a fatal genetic disease that currently has no cure. It causes a variety of digestive and respiratory problems that, through persistent damage, almost always lead to death. The average lifespan for someone with CF is 42-50 years; before research started, it was 6 months.

            Cystic Fibrosis spreads through defective copies of the gene – basically, if both parents have a copy of this defective gene, there’s a 25% chance their child will be born with CF (and a 50% chance the child will be a carrier of the gene). An estimated 4% of Canadians carry a defective copy of the gene (that may not look like a lot, but it really is).

            I, myself, was quite unaware of Cystic Fibrosis before I met Jeremy, who runs the Dungeons and Dragons games Colleen and I have been playing at our local board game cafe. Jeremy’s daughter, Avril (3 years old), has CF. When Jeremy mentioned he was planning a 12 hour D&D marathon to help raise money for CF, I was happy to volunteer to help out (running one of the game tables and donating some chainmaille prizes).

            When I subsequently met Avril and the rest of the family, my desire to help only grew. These are wonderful people who are incredibly strong. Avril spent the first six months of her life in a hospital, and her parents managed (between work and two older children) to visit every day – something I think most people would like to think they would do, but I suspect few could actually achieve. On top of that, while I didn’t interact with them all that much, I got the impression that Avril’s older brothers are not only completely on board with helping their sister get better, but they don’t seem to resent the extra time and effort Avril’s condition demands from their patents. In children that age, I find this remarkable. This is a family that very much deserves to have this struggle removed from their lives, and that alone makes the fight against Cystic Fibrosis worth the funding.

            So, with all that said, if you’re interested in helping in the fight against Cystic Fibrosis, please don’t hesitate to donate (every little bit helps). Let either Colleen or myself know if you want to sponsor Colleen as a player in the marathon – but do so before this Friday, because the event is this Saturday (May 13th)! The more money Colleen raises, the more benefits she will gain to help her team make it through the marathon.

            Or, if you’re running late for that, you could always donate directly to Avril’s Angels – Jeremy’s team that will be participating in the Cystic Fibrosis walk on May 28th. Colleen’s character doesn’t get cool new gear, but the money gets where it needs to, which is far more important.

            You are now as aware of Cystic Fibrosis as I am. What you choose to do with this knowledge... I leave to you.

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her website.


If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.