With the passing of my mother in 2014, I found myself sifting through some of her personal belongings in an attempt to reconnect with who she was as a person. I wanted to get just one more taste of that heart that always dreamed so big. There were two things that really jumped out at me: a book that I found called, Outlive Your Life, by Max Lucado, and the Bucket List she had created on Pinterest - things that were so simple, yet, encompassed her spirit perfectly.
As far as the book is concerned, the title says it all, and it came as no surprise to me to find that her bucket list, while many of ours may have focused on travel destinations or career goals, consisted of very different goals: pay for a stranger's groceries, become an inspiration, change someone's life, and so on. I told you she dreamed big. Though I was extremely busy at the time, a little one running around the house with another one on the way, these items kept lingering in my mind. I knew that she had already accomplished many of these goals through her relationship with myself and my sister, along with many more that had the opportunity to know her. That's when I realized that she can still change lives, there's no reason for this to stop. She was extremely involved in the RA Online Community, looking to others for support, comfort, and trying to offer her own. Not many people truly understand just how devastating Rheumatoid Arthritis really is, or how bad we all wished for a cure, for a deeper understanding, or even just for something that could help make living with it a bit easier. But, what could we do? We can walk, that's what we can do! We can walk for those who are too crippled to do so. We can walk in honor of those who are no longer here. We can give up a couple hours of our time, and some of our energy, to raise money to help those who need it most. Last year, when I first began this walk, I decided to start by raising money for research. We need to understand more about this disease before we can end it. Following our donation from last year's event, the National Arthritis Research Foundation has continued to provide us with updates as to their progress, current studies, and innovations, and I encourage you to check out the tab regarding last year's walk for more information! That being said, due to my mother's personal struggle, it has always been my desire that this walk would eventually branch out to provide RA patients with the services they so desperately need, and after listening to a friend's personal experience with her 7 year-old son, I have decided to place the focus on juvenile patients because those little hands and feet should never have to feel the pain of this horrific disease. So please, sign up for our walk and help us support Pediatric Rheumatology at John R. Oishei Children's Hospital through their Outpatient Center. This is your opportunity to change a life. |
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