Veni, Vidi, Vici*

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.)   

I have been…

Please note that this entry has been modified from the actual remarks I delivered at the Heel ‘n’ Wheel today. The names have been replaced by nicknames or initials to protect anonymity and privacy. I hope that, in reading this, you know who you are and how very much you mean to me…

I have been poked, I have been prodded, and I have been victim to the euphemisms of “pressure”, “pinch”, and “discomfort”.

I have been diagnosed, I have been labeled “patient”, and I have been contagious.

I have been cut and I have been sewn back together.

I have been infected, I have been disinfected, and I have been heartbroken.

I have been obstructed, I have been transfused, and I have been experimented upon.

I have been tired, I have been sore, and I have been unwilling to move.

I have been warmed, I have been cooled, and I have been washed and dried.

I have been ignored, I have been undermined, and I have been in tears.

I have been championed, I have been acknowledged and I have been comforted.

I have been sick, I have been in pain, and I have been sad. 

I have been frightened, I have been lonely, and I have been lost. 

But…

I have laughter, I have joy and I have family.

I have oatmeal cookies, I have sour keys and I have oxycontin.

I have Thith and Dad, Auntie A and Maytag. I have T&M, P&L. I have Uncle V, and the three K’s. I have N, T, N; I have H, M and E (and Sarah).  I have the Polack and the Gaspesian. I have J&J and Miss M; I have L&D. I have Chris squared and I have Garbage Name. I have J & W, J and Butchy; I have A, D, N, G, K and their families. I have the Timmins contingent; and my wonderful family from la belle province. I have Ms. Helen, Bauche and Goods; I have AEG (now R) and KR. I have my supporters from the Sault, Huntsville and Sudbury. I have all those who simply refer to me as “xxxx’s-sister.” I have J&P, S&D (&A), and J&D. I have Yeovil town and their offspring (and their offspring’s offspring). I have Ferns, Millertime and Chair-el.

I find strength in “Bear” and other survivors. I find sanctuary and understanding with Auntie A, and comfort in the lilac bushes in our backyard. I find solace in the poetry of my favourite music. I have memories; and in them I still have mom. 

And in all of this: I have hope. Thank you for giving me that. I love you and will never forget all that you have done to get me here today. I have hope, and I have tomorrow because I have you. And I hope you know that with all that I am, you have me, too.

(Thank you for such a great day! Pictures and stories to follow later this week…)

Team CrapBag Kicks Colitis Ass!

Just a quick post, dear readers, to say: CONGRATULATIONS to the entire CrapBag team. Our efforts to raise money for the annual Heel 'n' Wheel Crohn's and Colitis fundraiser have paid off. We hit our goal of $5000. That's right, mes amis, five.thousand.dollars!* All of this was made possible through the hard work of so many, but I wanted to do a special shout out to a few very special individuals who have been working diligently over the last few months. Thith: THANK YOU. Without your encouragement and team leadership, we never would have gotten to our goal. Also, your friends and clients with the deep-pockets helped considerably :) Keg (& MS): thank you so much for all of your work with our Team CrapBag t-shirts. They are going to be so great and they will go a long way in identifying all of our giant family as one big purple blob on Sunday. Wackiest Team award - here we come. Thanks also goes to my wonderful Aunt A - without whom we could not do any of this. She is always willing to pitch in and help out, especially in preparation for this weekend's festivities. I hope she knows that she is always appreciated and adored. And lastly, to the other fundraisers in Team CrapBag: my sistah's from other mistah's (and motha's) Sezzie, Tiffy and Annie -- you girls rock my face off. 15-20 years ago, I bet you never thought we'd be here. I sure as hell didn't. I thought I would have dumped the lot of you by now.** Apparently you stuck. So, thanks for that, among everything else. 


Thank you, of course, also goes to everyone who donated. Every dollar raised got us one step closer to our goal, and hopefully, one step closer to a cure. Thank you for your continued support. Also, think of the pay off if you're actually the person who wins the TV. Can you say win-win?

More to come, so watch this space. In the meantime, I just wanted to call attention to our team's fantastic fundraising efforts. (Again, that was a five and three zeros).  Every dollar and cent raised goes directly toward funding research and programming through the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada. Thank you, thank you, thank you on behalf of the hundreds of thousands suffering from these shitty (ha ha) diseases. 

*Said in the same tone as Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman: "threeeeee thoussssand dollars." *stomps foot on the floor of the bathtub for emphasis.* 

** Just kidding! Please don't leave me...but, even if you try, I'll find you. That's a promise.