Dear Readers,
What I have long suspected has now been confirmed: my friends and family are the absolute greatest. The reality of having serious health problems is that you sometimes find your back against the wall. Surgeries, transfusions, infections, quarantine, jaundice and scopes and... you get the idea. (read: Ang meet wall.) Well, I came to a startling realization on Sunday morning as I watched my family and friends turn up in the wee hours with picnic deliciousness, Team CrapBag tshirts and all sorts of energy and enthusiasm: I’ve never been against the wall. Because they have stood between me and the very worst experiences of my life, and held me up until I was steady enough to stand on my own. My back wasn’t against the wall; it was against them.
This amazing realization set the tone for the entire day: Team CrapBag came, saw and conquered. Big time. We all participated in the walk, except for Sir Hop who bravely stayed behind to guard our picnic and belongings (there was also the small matter of him having fallen out of a boat and bruised ribs…but that’s an entirely different story that, I’m sure, is worthy of its very own blog.) After completing the actual walk, we pretty much challenged all of the other teams to a battle for physical supremacy and dared them to take us on. Happily, they let it go so we were able to maintain (some) of our dignity. We also won “Wackiest Team/Best T-shirt” (with a HUGE shout out going out to Ali and the fine moves of Zumba. Merci encore… you saved us!) Following that, we dug into an epic picnic that saw us stuffing our faces for a good hour and a half… mmm, food out of a basket.
Some of the nicest parts of the day occurred when other IBD sufferers (and their support teams) approached us and reached out. The main thread of those conversations was that people were impressed by our enthusiasm and our “unity” (it was obvious that we were all in it together). My sister was asked to become further involved in CCFC fundraising and Committee work, while I was somehow asked to be the Honorary Chair for next year. I am not sure precisely what this entails, but I am assured it will probably involve placing my sad, somewhat large face on promotional materials for the CCFC/ Heel ‘n Wheel next year. I’ll have to try and figure out a way to compete with the boys who chaired this year: they were inherently cute because they were 8 and 10. I feel I no longer have the youth/cute vote just because, so I am fielding suggestions on how to win over the crowds. I have had this recurring nightmare all week that I will be on stage next year and people will boo me and throw rotting fruit. Perhaps one solution to this is to lay off watching the Tudors…
Anyway, suffice it to say: I am monumentally pumped. To see so many of “my” people coming out in support, keeping energy levels up, making sure everyone was having a good time and that the kids were enjoying themselves. I can truly say that Sunday was a day that I will never, ever forget. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who came out and supported us along the way. Your generosity will never be forgotten. And remember, mark your calendars for next year.Team CrapBag is going to be back and better than ever!
* In the immortal words of Julius Caesar “I came, I saw, I conquered.” (Or Jay Z as featured in this song.)
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