tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57560677063341184922024-03-05T07:05:38.704-08:00ClimbingForKariBreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-53897054921560343702024-02-24T06:07:00.000-08:002024-02-24T06:14:12.091-08:00Kari's Klimbers - My 22nd Hustle Climb - 2024<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Steve’s Hustle Link: <a href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=32832" target="_blank">ClickHere</a></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynqKufuU4wNntnxBxNLvfA3Cq2FjSEqZptctaSlf4i3MVJ2STlj-3RyzQHwZxKuXWW4eLQrT4LWsMiT8yJJ11yc7tg_JcSlOtOpUUsZ60iV53SVpGY_U54q9c3laZYLo7R26fvwu398o6EgCI4NheeVATl5NHOxaCYyVTXoMap2BnxgkxLiSgtYU_3NZy/s250/IMG_0009.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="203" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynqKufuU4wNntnxBxNLvfA3Cq2FjSEqZptctaSlf4i3MVJ2STlj-3RyzQHwZxKuXWW4eLQrT4LWsMiT8yJJ11yc7tg_JcSlOtOpUUsZ60iV53SVpGY_U54q9c3laZYLo7R26fvwu398o6EgCI4NheeVATl5NHOxaCYyVTXoMap2BnxgkxLiSgtYU_3NZy/w134-h165/IMG_0009.JPG" width="134" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>24 years ago I was dying</b>.
And then I wasn’t. My lungs were
failing after 39 years struggling with cystic fibrosis. And then they weren’t. 24 years ago, a beautiful 17-year-old girl
from Iowa passed away. Her name was
Kari. Kari had told her family how
strongly she felt about organ donation – she and her family saved my life. I now breathe with Kari’s lungs. Before Kari, I never understood what
breathing well felt like – I never had a frame of reference for how I live now. Breathing with her lungs blows my freaking
mind. This is something I do to keep her
memory alive…<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4MprSKJVpwLw50zrQCNjoTZX6mLxZdIcaJlzLqytTHWlJSunMzfh9A-JA4wxDHEI7_lY1ct907ro-5YinTd5dZSKod06_dhUBGks55YKP4DQlxU0h6UV2w8UUmGbzjtDGLL2WRYMdQDxZTfxg3QNcg_XEOZLaUO5jySP5uKzuElkcA3wEncUGTmk16Kc/s2471/IMG_2092.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; font-family: arial; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2471" data-original-width="1795" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4MprSKJVpwLw50zrQCNjoTZX6mLxZdIcaJlzLqytTHWlJSunMzfh9A-JA4wxDHEI7_lY1ct907ro-5YinTd5dZSKod06_dhUBGks55YKP4DQlxU0h6UV2w8UUmGbzjtDGLL2WRYMdQDxZTfxg3QNcg_XEOZLaUO5jySP5uKzuElkcA3wEncUGTmk16Kc/w104-h143/IMG_2092.jpg" width="104" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span><b>To</b></span><span><b>morrow</b>, on Sunday, February 25, for the 22</span><sup>nd</sup><span>
time, I’ll be taking Kari’s beautiful lungs up a bunch of stairs.</span><span> </span><span>94 floors – 1,600+ steps.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY03tzGalgwO5gvE-ltgyNT3PvFM3VxYhQ5ffu0eVx5KkEA0arRsjLq2LOUL05ZbzQgeOUm1DKZKTNUmnS5IvtEd0qFY36xsffR2UhdfA64m_K1PL1Cp7FXHYRxJzsQUt5XV64Sue7GXM0n6T9z12CUJLHGYjxbjE5QXIRJuEeeQvW0kwnU2e_un7BsvqW/s600/AlexSteveSears.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="600" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY03tzGalgwO5gvE-ltgyNT3PvFM3VxYhQ5ffu0eVx5KkEA0arRsjLq2LOUL05ZbzQgeOUm1DKZKTNUmnS5IvtEd0qFY36xsffR2UhdfA64m_K1PL1Cp7FXHYRxJzsQUt5XV64Sue7GXM0n6T9z12CUJLHGYjxbjE5QXIRJuEeeQvW0kwnU2e_un7BsvqW/w127-h111/AlexSteveSears.JPG" width="127" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b><br />2024</b> will be my 22<sup>nd</sup> climb – And it will
be the 21<sup>st</sup> time our Kari’s Klimbers have taken the stairs for
Hustle Chicago. This climb really means
an awful lot to me and I wouldn't miss it for the world. Can you imagine what it feels like to live
with crappy lungs for 39 years – then receive a gift of new lungs from a
beautiful Iowa girl and her family. And
then to meet that family, and connect with friends and teammates who loved
Kari… And have them come out year after
year to celebrate Kari with you. And
then, when you find yourself in trouble again with my kidneys failing, Kari’s
friend Alex throws you a rope – gives you a kidney – and allows you to climb
for many more years! They’re good
people, and they help me understand who Kari would have become. And, I get to tell people that I’m slowly
being rebuilt into a girl from Iowa.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2c6CUhw4ARrZwwyKFWlg0g9E95q90ZmoEBOzekGjnV2H4MPWgl30AXsEobNao8lTLLn2Q3lUTpntkuZ4Ewu_B6KtnoD5xqCM_GGuZeo-G5ObQ0tbQXPKLB6aDditUM5z7ibRersuU4FJlXyB3KgAGEMW2JoTZu6I0J1Hk5UAbSkqWEz2dHKTBGHP6k-4d/s1080/IMG_1064.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2c6CUhw4ARrZwwyKFWlg0g9E95q90ZmoEBOzekGjnV2H4MPWgl30AXsEobNao8lTLLn2Q3lUTpntkuZ4Ewu_B6KtnoD5xqCM_GGuZeo-G5ObQ0tbQXPKLB6aDditUM5z7ibRersuU4FJlXyB3KgAGEMW2JoTZu6I0J1Hk5UAbSkqWEz2dHKTBGHP6k-4d/w162-h162/IMG_1064.JPG" width="162" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br />For the past 20 years I’ve had Kari’s crazy, lovable
teammates, #15, #12, #8, #7, #4 & #2 in the stairwells with me, and now some of their kids climb with us – in the
past, Kari’s family and several other people Kari grew up with joined us… I love that they still come out and help me
honor her…<o:p></o:p><span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: arial; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="374" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywWyjny86kzIZRw-lobB4k3rxOkf0jOSo5AQKusUL4CG_EsZeTiY50WNbFSXWf5I9Gu9Xn6uEHdf6DLaqdORPJHVeCib9SgLJLF68EES8vPtVV5HpYgG7WtizV13cWCJsF1QpkOzWgJiYbfvkf14vkziTKhbfmItqBTYBxjsQaUvEn2YV_9xwY7uKSg/w149-h200/KariTeamMates.jpg" width="149" /></span></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gnVIrpDXTk-TuXbH-8R526JsMteaJLRQSIOKesGYe7woDMjZwg3XRfllfkgKW9ZoUgvnSEUKL8BNj9fKPihmI3_3lnheIl9dOHVTxwZwJP4iqyZBhlji9CpKJX_nWrv2WjiV8z8ZzwK-yhlkiwJSk5xZan9hKSoRIeQjjr1SYPgwJHryVUPJJtOHNw/s594/SteveSoldierField.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">I do this climb to tell people about Kari – and tell people
about her goodness and the goodness of her family and friends – and I tell
people about Alex and the importance of organ donation. And we also do this for people with crappy
lungs, like I had. <a href="https://resphealth.org/">RHAMC</a> helps people breathe easier – they
fund research in lung disease – they help people stop smoking – they help
people with lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, COPD, asthma and
other respiratory diseases live longer, easier lives. One of RHAMC’s mottos has been, “If you can’t
breathe, nothing else matters…” I lived
through that motto, and I know too many people living it now. The RHAMC and all these crazy people who
climb with me, and you, help people breathe.
We have a very special mission.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPsAwi7tGvUJEINNOEFWKlgUcIIAGVl0UW08bbY13p5oFkGeeKGRnpozl9ZGJT3b3K7hliy_KY7L2aykJCLITRAtAchNVkwXrEPtVmk0sY6avoPghqCyp9Ffju38PXqKZDnlkW2JpS5N5W71_UXG4aWVIALWMCUEGu6SsoM8wUKGUw1clzL9WOkT3zm8M/s508/MomLaura.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="508" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPsAwi7tGvUJEINNOEFWKlgUcIIAGVl0UW08bbY13p5oFkGeeKGRnpozl9ZGJT3b3K7hliy_KY7L2aykJCLITRAtAchNVkwXrEPtVmk0sY6avoPghqCyp9Ffju38PXqKZDnlkW2JpS5N5W71_UXG4aWVIALWMCUEGu6SsoM8wUKGUw1clzL9WOkT3zm8M/w200-h150/MomLaura.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Our cause touched Laura and me another way 8 ½ years
ago...<span> </span><span>My beautiful mom-in-law was
diagnosed with lung cancer in fall of 2015.</span><span>
</span><span>Much to my Laura's dismay, moms and I were partners in mischief and
finding the wrong foods to eat, particularly doughnuts.</span><span> </span><span>When she was diagnosed with lung cancer, mom
and I had some long chats about options, and the strength it takes to fight,
and sometimes not to fight.</span><span> </span><span>She chose to
fight.</span><span> </span><span>Ironically - the chemo had
dramatically shrunk her tumors - it worked.</span><span>
</span><span>But it was too toxic for the rest of mom and she didn't survive.</span><span> </span><span>We do this to fund research so maybe next
time - someone else's mom-in-law has a better chance of hanging around and
sneaking doughnuts with them.</span></span><p></p></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Like so many important causes</b> – Respiratory Health Association needs funding to help others. If you have a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket, I or anyone on my team would be honored to receive a pledge... But more than anything, I'd love it if you would check out my little website and read about the beautiful girl whose lungs I breathe with, as well as the beautiful girl who gave me her kidney - and the people who surrounded them, and surround me now – people who have allowed me to leap tall buildings...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>To see my Hustle page or pledge me: </b><a href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=32832"><b>Click
Here</b></a><b><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>To see my website about Kari, go to </b><a href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/"><b>www.ClimbingForKari.org</b></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>To find someone on my full Kari’s Klimbers team: </b><a href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=7196"><b>Click
Here</b></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Being surrounded by people who knew and loved Kari, and by
people who know and love me, is something that defies description… The support I've received from people like
you has allowed me to tell so many people about Kari… In the past 22 years, our team has raised nearly
a half million dollars - because of people like you… Thank you.
I get to do a fair amount of public speaking and, often enough, when I
walk into a room, more than one person pulls me aside and says, "You're
the one who climbs a hundred stories with your new lungs, and with your donor's
friends!!!" And, often enough, they
already know Kari's beautiful smile… I
am that guy, and I'm proud of that - and more than anything, I want them to
know her smile. I will have had her
beautiful lungs for over 24 years when I climb - and her friend's beautiful
kidney for 12 years in May - and they have and will allow me to do more than
I'd ever dreamed possible…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">And finally, and very important to me - please consider
organ & tissue donation, register to be a donor on your <a href="https://donatelife.net/">state’s donor registry</a>, and tell your family
how you feel. I know a beautiful girl
from Iowa who knew how she felt, and she told her family - I think about her
every single day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Love, Steve</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Steve Ferkau</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Chicago, IL</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Kari's Klimbers</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><a href="mailto:BreathinSteven@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>BreathinSteven@gmail.com</b></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.ClimbingForKari.org&source=gmail&ust=1676404107727000&usg=AOvVaw2LthtKfymkr5vi7UCXGgfC" href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>www.ClimbingForKari.org</b></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyK3C2CNPBf7b0D5MRDVEu43QDUh4x8UBQllLKth8lEQasw0hG1112dyhOqd-oZREG4oZaoNBvJbK3uk_3IEiXxRi-tJvqMuRV3rqNd0RCxnW22t0wj3re6gHUTrkh-GURvqooMNBjo3bsj4gGQijMkL4ulcbLSiJ-gYPFC7x7W0pkexsCq0R7fC2V3w/s597/SteveAndKariHancock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="396" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyK3C2CNPBf7b0D5MRDVEu43QDUh4x8UBQllLKth8lEQasw0hG1112dyhOqd-oZREG4oZaoNBvJbK3uk_3IEiXxRi-tJvqMuRV3rqNd0RCxnW22t0wj3re6gHUTrkh-GURvqooMNBjo3bsj4gGQijMkL4ulcbLSiJ-gYPFC7x7W0pkexsCq0R7fC2V3w/w424-h640/SteveAndKariHancock.jpg" width="424" /></a></span></div><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comJohn Hancock Center, 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, USA41.898883 -87.62315029999999241.505840793838573 -88.172466706249992 42.291925206161423 -87.073833893749992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-18893400759412057542023-02-13T12:00:00.005-08:002024-02-26T12:23:01.393-08:00Kari's Klimbers - My 21st Hustle Climb<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Steve’s Hustle Link: <a href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=32832" target="_blank">ClickHere</a></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTw2tLC7coD4nMN_atq54-t0zgTACjNWYY7yIEb9Dkl4cloLsK-epFygGjIWJ_WF5x5DhByeJ7xvq3-bBgWvv_kyEfbBQdfkJtA35Hdl4Jr_E0F3UmUHpCOYJP6Sp0QNFUJd5Wrx8ymN1SUIsUlA0-g2VDLsbPRE648-xu_OLH3MPvI1pugykXhNyP6A/s323/Kari.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="243" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTw2tLC7coD4nMN_atq54-t0zgTACjNWYY7yIEb9Dkl4cloLsK-epFygGjIWJ_WF5x5DhByeJ7xvq3-bBgWvv_kyEfbBQdfkJtA35Hdl4Jr_E0F3UmUHpCOYJP6Sp0QNFUJd5Wrx8ymN1SUIsUlA0-g2VDLsbPRE648-xu_OLH3MPvI1pugykXhNyP6A/w127-h169/Kari.jpg" width="127" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>23 years ago I was dying</b>. And then I wasn’t. My lungs were failing after 39<span style="font-size: 11pt;">years struggling with cystic fibrosis. And then they weren’t. 23 years ago, a beautiful 17-year-old girl from Iowa passed away. Her name was Kari. Kari had told her family how strongly she felt about organ donation – she and her family saved my life. I now breathe with Kari’s lungs. Before Kari, I never understood what breathing well felt like – I never had a frame of reference for how I live now. This is something I do to keep her memory alive.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In a little over a week, on Sunday, February 26, for the 21st time, I’ll be taking Kari’s beautiful lungs up a bunch of stairs. Because this crazy Covid-19 thing is still dangerous to us immune-suppressed, I'll be extra careful. Instead of Soldier Field, we'll be back climbing 94 floors to the top of the "Hancock" (the 875 North Michigan Avenue Building if you're not a Chicagoan.) This will be the 20th time my Kari's Klimbers have participated in the Hustle event for Respiratory Health Association of Metro Chicago. My team this year will be a little smaller, but still mighty.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywWyjny86kzIZRw-lobB4k3rxOkf0jOSo5AQKusUL4CG_EsZeTiY50WNbFSXWf5I9Gu9Xn6uEHdf6DLaqdORPJHVeCib9SgLJLF68EES8vPtVV5HpYgG7WtizV13cWCJsF1QpkOzWgJiYbfvkf14vkziTKhbfmItqBTYBxjsQaUvEn2YV_9xwY7uKSg/s500/KariTeamMates.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="374" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywWyjny86kzIZRw-lobB4k3rxOkf0jOSo5AQKusUL4CG_EsZeTiY50WNbFSXWf5I9Gu9Xn6uEHdf6DLaqdORPJHVeCib9SgLJLF68EES8vPtVV5HpYgG7WtizV13cWCJsF1QpkOzWgJiYbfvkf14vkziTKhbfmItqBTYBxjsQaUvEn2YV_9xwY7uKSg/w149-h200/KariTeamMates.jpg" width="149" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>For the past 18 years</b> I’ve had Kari’s crazy, lovable teammates, #15, #12, #8, #7, #4 & #2 in the stairwells with me – In the past, Kari's family and several other people she grew up with tagged along… After holding off due to the pandemic, this year a bunch of them are back, and now some of their kids will be climbing with us!!!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>2023 will be my 21st climb</b> – And it will be the 20th time our Kari’s Klimbers have taken the stairs for Hustle Chicago. This climb really means an awful lot to me and I wouldn't miss it for the world. Can you imagine what it feels like to live with crappy lungs for 39 years – then receive a gift of new lungs from a beautiful Iowa girl and her family. And then to meet that family, and connect with friends and teammates who loved Kari… And have them come out year after year to celebrate Kari with me. And then, when you find yourself in trouble again, Kari’s friend Alex throws you a rope – gives you a kidney – and allows you to climb for many more years! I still have Alex's voicemail on my phone from October 2011 when she told me she was a good match to give me a kidney. She ended her message with, "Looks like there's something good about Algona, Iowa, and the girls that come from there." I couldn't agree more. And, now I get to tell people that I’m slowly being rebuilt into a girl from Iowa… This picture is right after our surgery:<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYxMdwTug1Yc1oCGQYCWon9LKqxhEmofXK8RA1EHB9m7BM7i1WxG1MlfAM1gwPZI4LHUMaHBIOOUIxW-ScrulMJKMmJzvUEf3F0x5apDYcxkO8o50y6YVVO7WXLtPPl9tDo7B--ZwtkI6wcg3iogXLcZrOaPkgzLD98kFHs0It0FnUw3TmaHuc0MVEQ/s883/AlexSteve_Kidney2012.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="883" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYxMdwTug1Yc1oCGQYCWon9LKqxhEmofXK8RA1EHB9m7BM7i1WxG1MlfAM1gwPZI4LHUMaHBIOOUIxW-ScrulMJKMmJzvUEf3F0x5apDYcxkO8o50y6YVVO7WXLtPPl9tDo7B--ZwtkI6wcg3iogXLcZrOaPkgzLD98kFHs0It0FnUw3TmaHuc0MVEQ/w181-h200/AlexSteve_Kidney2012.jpg" width="181" /></span></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gnVIrpDXTk-TuXbH-8R526JsMteaJLRQSIOKesGYe7woDMjZwg3XRfllfkgKW9ZoUgvnSEUKL8BNj9fKPihmI3_3lnheIl9dOHVTxwZwJP4iqyZBhlji9CpKJX_nWrv2WjiV8z8ZzwK-yhlkiwJSk5xZan9hKSoRIeQjjr1SYPgwJHryVUPJJtOHNw/s594/SteveSoldierField.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt;"><b>I do this climb to tell people about Kari</b> – and tell people about her goodness and the goodness of her family and friends – and I tell people about Alex and the importance of organ donation. And we also do this for people with crappy lungs, like I had. </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://resphealth.org/&source=gmail&ust=1676404107727000&usg=AOvVaw3clijHYI_56YCYAxBfJoCN" href="https://resphealth.org/" style="background-color: white; color: #0563c1; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt;" target="_blank"><b>RHAMC</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt;"> helps people breathe easier – they fund research in lung disease – they help people stop smoking – they help people with lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, COPD, asthma and other respiratory diseases live longer, easier lives. One of RHAMC’s mottos has been, “If you can’t breathe, nothing else matters…” I lived through that motto, and I know too many people living it now. The RHAMC and all these crazy people who climb with me, and you, help people breathe. We have a very special mission.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWg1iWSEjzlmeYLWwEdG546VITUSZF6BdxY0HOR4rxbSB4n5gn-rqMtCfT_xDv-fglLMk7YLkKZcikaFLHKV8TRoGtgklzdBEvM3M010lTCtmyWGvBXHlEWxLrAtKE_zFsHt1BiBoybI6UHCO-w21rdY9-2KTRSwcIkkZ7sYMiAqbgwLZmXpnknJwQw/s508/MomLaura.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="508" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWg1iWSEjzlmeYLWwEdG546VITUSZF6BdxY0HOR4rxbSB4n5gn-rqMtCfT_xDv-fglLMk7YLkKZcikaFLHKV8TRoGtgklzdBEvM3M010lTCtmyWGvBXHlEWxLrAtKE_zFsHt1BiBoybI6UHCO-w21rdY9-2KTRSwcIkkZ7sYMiAqbgwLZmXpnknJwQw/w200-h150/MomLaura.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14.6667px;">Our cause touched Laura and me another way 7 ½ years ago... My beautiful mom-in-law was diagnosed with lung cancer in fall of 2015. Much to my Laura's dismay, moms and I were partners in mischief and finding the wrong foods to eat, particularly doughnuts. When she was diagnosed with lung cancer, mom and I had some long chats about options, and the strength it takes to fight, and sometimes takes not to fight. She chose to fight. Ironically - the chemo had dramatically shrunk her tumors - it worked. But it was too toxic for the rest of mom and she didn't survive. We do this to fund research so maybe next time - someone else's mom-in-law has a better chance of hanging around and sneaking doughnuts with them.</span><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Like so many important causes</b> – Respiratory Health Association needs funding to help others. If you have a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket, I or anyone on my team would be honored to receive a pledge... But more than anything, I'd love it if you would check out my little website and read about the beautiful girl whose lungs I breathe with, as well as the beautiful girl who gave me her kidney - and the people who surrounded them, and surround me now – people who have allowed me to leap tall buildings...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">To see my Hustle page or pledge me: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction%3DdonorDrive.participant%26participantID%3D30513&source=gmail&ust=1676404107727000&usg=AOvVaw1D6Xbdyi0zTx3qjCiyravk" href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=32832" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt;" target="_blank">Click Here</a></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">To see my website about Kari, go to </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.ClimbingForKari.org&source=gmail&ust=1676404107727000&usg=AOvVaw2LthtKfymkr5vi7UCXGgfC" href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt;" target="_blank">www.ClimbingForKari.org</a></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b> </b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>To find someone on my full Kari’s Klimbers team: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction%3DdonorDrive.team%26teamID%3D7057&source=gmail&ust=1676404107727000&usg=AOvVaw1ptpzVZiTHAG0dNFZVK80F" href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=7196" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">For Team</a> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction%3DdonorDrive.team%26teamID%3D7057%23roster&source=gmail&ust=1676404107727000&usg=AOvVaw0QZuODVploiqi_gXOtxnpR" href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=7196#roster" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">For Roster</a></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Being surrounded by people who knew and loved Kari</b></span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">, and by people who know and love me, is something that defies description… The support I've received from people like you has allowed me to tell so many people about Kari… In the past 21 years, our team has raised nearly a half million dollars - because of people like you… Thank you. I get to do a fair amount of public speaking and, often enough, when I walk into a room, more than one person pulls me aside and says, "You're the one who climbs a hundred stories with your new lungs, and with your donor's friends!!!" And, often enough, they already know Kari's beautiful smile… I am that guy, and I'm proud of that - and more than anything, I want them to know her smile. I will have had her beautiful lungs for nearly 23 years when I climb - and her friend's beautiful kidney for 11 years in May - and they have and will allow me to do more than I'd ever dreamed possible…</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And finally, and very important to me - please consider organ & tissue donation, register to be a donor on your state' donor registry, and tell your family how you feel. I know a beautiful girl from Iowa who knew how she felt, and she told her family - I think about her every single day.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Love, Steve</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b> </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Steve Ferkau</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Chicago, IL</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Kari's Klimbers</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><a href="mailto:BreathinSteven@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>BreathinSteven@gmail.com</b></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.ClimbingForKari.org&source=gmail&ust=1676404107727000&usg=AOvVaw2LthtKfymkr5vi7UCXGgfC" href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>www.ClimbingForKari.org</b></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyK3C2CNPBf7b0D5MRDVEu43QDUh4x8UBQllLKth8lEQasw0hG1112dyhOqd-oZREG4oZaoNBvJbK3uk_3IEiXxRi-tJvqMuRV3rqNd0RCxnW22t0wj3re6gHUTrkh-GURvqooMNBjo3bsj4gGQijMkL4ulcbLSiJ-gYPFC7x7W0pkexsCq0R7fC2V3w/s597/SteveAndKariHancock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="396" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyK3C2CNPBf7b0D5MRDVEu43QDUh4x8UBQllLKth8lEQasw0hG1112dyhOqd-oZREG4oZaoNBvJbK3uk_3IEiXxRi-tJvqMuRV3rqNd0RCxnW22t0wj3re6gHUTrkh-GURvqooMNBjo3bsj4gGQijMkL4ulcbLSiJ-gYPFC7x7W0pkexsCq0R7fC2V3w/w424-h640/SteveAndKariHancock.jpg" width="424" /></a></span></div><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-14235536723195267112022-05-10T19:24:00.062-07:002022-05-10T20:31:17.504-07:00Kari's Klimbers - My 20th Hustle Climb!<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Steve’s Hustle Link:</b> <a href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=28911" target="_blank">ClickHere</a> <o:p></o:p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTw2tLC7coD4nMN_atq54-t0zgTACjNWYY7yIEb9Dkl4cloLsK-epFygGjIWJ_WF5x5DhByeJ7xvq3-bBgWvv_kyEfbBQdfkJtA35Hdl4Jr_E0F3UmUHpCOYJP6Sp0QNFUJd5Wrx8ymN1SUIsUlA0-g2VDLsbPRE648-xu_OLH3MPvI1pugykXhNyP6A/s323/Kari.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="243" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTw2tLC7coD4nMN_atq54-t0zgTACjNWYY7yIEb9Dkl4cloLsK-epFygGjIWJ_WF5x5DhByeJ7xvq3-bBgWvv_kyEfbBQdfkJtA35Hdl4Jr_E0F3UmUHpCOYJP6Sp0QNFUJd5Wrx8ymN1SUIsUlA0-g2VDLsbPRE648-xu_OLH3MPvI1pugykXhNyP6A/w127-h169/Kari.jpg" width="127" /></a></div>22 years ago I was dying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And then I wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My lungs were
failing after 39 years struggling with cystic fibrosis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then they weren’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>22 years ago, a beautiful 17-year-old girl
from Iowa passed away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her name was
Kari.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kari had told her family how
strongly she felt about organ donation – she and her family saved my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I now breathe with Kari’s lungs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before Kari, I never understood what
breathing well felt like – I never had a frame of reference for how I live now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is something I do to keep her memory
alive.<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">In a little over a week, on Sunday, May 15, for the 20th
time, I’ll be taking Kari’s beautiful lungs up a bunch of stairs. Because of this crazy Covid-19 thing is still
hanging on, I’ll be taking them up the stairs outdoors at Soldier Field instead
of the 94 floors of the “Hancock” Building.
This will be the 20th time I’ve participated in the Hustle event for
Respiratory Health Association of Metro Chicago. My team this year will be quite limited, but
still mighty.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywWyjny86kzIZRw-lobB4k3rxOkf0jOSo5AQKusUL4CG_EsZeTiY50WNbFSXWf5I9Gu9Xn6uEHdf6DLaqdORPJHVeCib9SgLJLF68EES8vPtVV5HpYgG7WtizV13cWCJsF1QpkOzWgJiYbfvkf14vkziTKhbfmItqBTYBxjsQaUvEn2YV_9xwY7uKSg/s500/KariTeamMates.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="374" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywWyjny86kzIZRw-lobB4k3rxOkf0jOSo5AQKusUL4CG_EsZeTiY50WNbFSXWf5I9Gu9Xn6uEHdf6DLaqdORPJHVeCib9SgLJLF68EES8vPtVV5HpYgG7WtizV13cWCJsF1QpkOzWgJiYbfvkf14vkziTKhbfmItqBTYBxjsQaUvEn2YV_9xwY7uKSg/w149-h200/KariTeamMates.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><b>For the past 17 years </b>I’ve had Kari’s crazy, lovable
teammates, #15, #12, #8, #7, #4 & #2 in the stairwells with me – along with
her family and several other people Kari grew up with… The past few years, I’ve kinda asked them to
hold off again – Chicago isn’t quite as lively has it has been in past years,
and the traveling would involve more risk than I’d care to see.<p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><b>2022 will be my 20th climb</b> – And it will be the 19th
time our Kari’s Klimbers have taken the stairs for Hustle Chicago. This climb really means an awful lot to me
and I wouldn't miss it for the world.
Can you imagine what it feels like to live with crappy lungs for 39
years – then receive a gift of new lungs from a beautiful Iowa girl and her
family. And then to meet that family,
and connect with friends and teammates who loved Kari… And have them come out year after year to
celebrate Kari with you. And then, when
you find yourself in trouble again, Kari’s friend Alex throws you a rope –
gives you a kidney – and allows you to climb for many more years! They’re good people, and they help me
understand who Kari would have become.
And, I get to tell people that I’m slowly being rebuilt into a girl from
Iowa…</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gnVIrpDXTk-TuXbH-8R526JsMteaJLRQSIOKesGYe7woDMjZwg3XRfllfkgKW9ZoUgvnSEUKL8BNj9fKPihmI3_3lnheIl9dOHVTxwZwJP4iqyZBhlji9CpKJX_nWrv2WjiV8z8ZzwK-yhlkiwJSk5xZan9hKSoRIeQjjr1SYPgwJHryVUPJJtOHNw/s594/SteveSoldierField.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKmleQs_PCLq0CgIMH9QtLPfbbsLcADwYyAIQkUjVUKRLDyfX10DqH8wrJM3sGWfkoyf4n6HGVhlHsmWFPFeLZXawXvL2BC_cZs2xxmVuOlMbBmuBM8GyRemCa9juMxOZy-xoy6VD8yp2S47XEvCia-NkQCi0Dxj4ADG-48iqh5LktfaY93SexRSnVQ/s594/SteveSoldierField.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="594" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKmleQs_PCLq0CgIMH9QtLPfbbsLcADwYyAIQkUjVUKRLDyfX10DqH8wrJM3sGWfkoyf4n6HGVhlHsmWFPFeLZXawXvL2BC_cZs2xxmVuOlMbBmuBM8GyRemCa9juMxOZy-xoy6VD8yp2S47XEvCia-NkQCi0Dxj4ADG-48iqh5LktfaY93SexRSnVQ/w200-h133/SteveSoldierField.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>I do this climb to tell people about Kari</b> – and tell people
about her goodness and the goodness of her family and friends – and I tell
people about Alex and the importance of organ donation. And we also do this for people with crappy
lungs, like I had. <a href="https://resphealth.org/" target="_blank">RHAMC</a> helps people breathe easier – they
fund research in lung disease – they help people stop smoking – they help
people with lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, COPD, asthma and
other respiratory diseases live longer, easier lives. One of RHAMC’s mottos has been, “If you can’t
breathe, nothing else matters…” I lived
through that motto, and I know too many people living it now. The RHAMC and all these crazy people who
climb with me, and you, help people breathe.
We have a very special mission.<o:p> </o:p><br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWg1iWSEjzlmeYLWwEdG546VITUSZF6BdxY0HOR4rxbSB4n5gn-rqMtCfT_xDv-fglLMk7YLkKZcikaFLHKV8TRoGtgklzdBEvM3M010lTCtmyWGvBXHlEWxLrAtKE_zFsHt1BiBoybI6UHCO-w21rdY9-2KTRSwcIkkZ7sYMiAqbgwLZmXpnknJwQw/s508/MomLaura.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="508" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWg1iWSEjzlmeYLWwEdG546VITUSZF6BdxY0HOR4rxbSB4n5gn-rqMtCfT_xDv-fglLMk7YLkKZcikaFLHKV8TRoGtgklzdBEvM3M010lTCtmyWGvBXHlEWxLrAtKE_zFsHt1BiBoybI6UHCO-w21rdY9-2KTRSwcIkkZ7sYMiAqbgwLZmXpnknJwQw/w200-h150/MomLaura.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Our cause touched Laura and me </b>another way 6 ½ years
ago...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My beautiful mom-in-law was
diagnosed with lung cancer in fall of 2015.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Much to my Laura's dismay, moms and I were partners in mischief and
finding the wrong foods to eat, particularly doughnuts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When she was diagnosed with lung cancer, mom
and I had some long chats about options, and the strength it takes to fight,
and sometimes not to fight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She chose to
fight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ironically - the chemo had
dramatically shrunk her tumors - it worked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But it was too toxic for the rest of mom and she didn't survive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do this to fund research so maybe next
time - someone else's mom-in-law has a better chance of hanging around and
sneaking doughnuts with them.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like so many important causes – Respiratory Health
Association needs funding to help others.
If you have a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket, I or anyone on my
team would be honored to receive a pledge...
But more than anything, I'd love it if you would check out my little
website and read about the beautiful girl whose lungs I breathe with, as well
as the beautiful girl who gave me her kidney - and the people who surrounded
them, and surround me now – people who have allowed me to leap tall
buildings...</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>To see my Hustle page or pledge me: </b><a href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=28911" target="_blank"><b>Click
Here</b></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>To see my website about Kari, go to </b><a href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/" target="_blank"><b>www.ClimbingForKari.org</b></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>To find someone on my full Kari’s Klimbers team #1: </b><a href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=6895" target="_blank"><b>Click
Here</b></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Team #2:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b><a href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=6974" target="_blank"><b>Click
Here<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></a><b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Team #3:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></b><a href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=6975" target="_blank"><b>Click
Here</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Being surrounded by people who knew and loved Kari</b>, and by
people who know and love me, is something that defies description…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While this year will be a little different, I
know they will still surround my heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The support I've received from people like you has allowed me to tell so
many people about Kari…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the past 20
years, our team has raised nearly a half million dollars - because of people
like you…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get to do a fair amount of public speaking
and, often enough, when I walk into a room, more than one person pulls me aside
and says, "You're the one who climbs a hundred stories with your new
lungs, and with your donor's friends!!!"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And, often enough, they already know Kari's beautiful smile…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am that guy, and I'm proud of that - and
more than anything, I want them to know her smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will have had her beautiful lungs for over
21 years when I climb - and her friend's beautiful kidney for 9 years in May -
and they have and will allow me to do more than I'd ever dreamed possible…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And finally, and very important to me - please consider
organ & tissue donation, register to be a donor on your state' donor
registry, and tell your family how you feel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I know a beautiful girl from Iowa who knew how she felt, and she told
her family - I think about her every single day.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love, Steve</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><b>Steve Ferkau</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b>Chicago, IL<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b>Kari's Klimbers<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b>BreathinSteven@gmail.com<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://www.ClimbingForKari.org" target="_blank">www.ClimbingForKari.org</a><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyK3C2CNPBf7b0D5MRDVEu43QDUh4x8UBQllLKth8lEQasw0hG1112dyhOqd-oZREG4oZaoNBvJbK3uk_3IEiXxRi-tJvqMuRV3rqNd0RCxnW22t0wj3re6gHUTrkh-GURvqooMNBjo3bsj4gGQijMkL4ulcbLSiJ-gYPFC7x7W0pkexsCq0R7fC2V3w/s597/SteveAndKariHancock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="396" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyK3C2CNPBf7b0D5MRDVEu43QDUh4x8UBQllLKth8lEQasw0hG1112dyhOqd-oZREG4oZaoNBvJbK3uk_3IEiXxRi-tJvqMuRV3rqNd0RCxnW22t0wj3re6gHUTrkh-GURvqooMNBjo3bsj4gGQijMkL4ulcbLSiJ-gYPFC7x7W0pkexsCq0R7fC2V3w/w424-h640/SteveAndKariHancock.jpg" width="424" /></a></span></div><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p></div>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.com1410 Special Olympics Dr, Chicago, IL 60605, USA41.8623132 -87.616688415.933631881840157 -122.7729384 67.790994518159849 -52.4604384tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-85647696428567710112021-04-09T07:40:00.001-07:002022-04-18T11:49:34.455-07:00April 8, 2021
21 years ago today, I was dying. 21 years ago tomorrow – I was not. And these past 21 years have been beyond my wildest dreams. 21 years ago yesterday, a beautiful 17-year-old girl from Iowa passed away. Her name was Kari. Kari and her family saved my life. I now breathe with Kari’s lungs. Before Kari, I never understood what breathing well felt like – I never had a frame of reference for how I live now.
In a little over a week, on Sunday, April 18, for the 19th time, I’ll be taking Kari’s beautiful lungs up a bunch of stairs. Because of this crazy Covid-19 thing we’ve been dealing with, I’ll be taking them up stairs outdoors at Soldier Field instead of the 94 floors of the “Hancock” Building. This will be the 19th time I’ve participated in the Hustle event for Respiratory Health Association of Metro Chicago. My team this year will be quite limited, but still mighty.
For the past 16 years I’ve had Kari’s crazy, lovable teammates, #15, #12, #8, #7, #4 & #2 in the stairwells with me – along with her family and several other people Kari grew up with… This year, I’ve kinda asked them to hold off – Chicago won’t be as lively has it has been in past years, and all of the traveling would involve more risk than I’d care to see.
2021 will be my 19th climb – And it will be the 18th time our Kari’s Klimbers have taken the stairs for Hustle Chicago. This climb really means an awful lot to me and I wouldn't miss it for the world. Can you imagine what it feels like to live with crappy lungs for 39 years – then receive a gift of new lungs from a beautiful Iowa girl and her family. And then to meet that family, and connect with friends and teammates who loved Kari… And have them come out year after year to celebrate Kari with you. And then, when you find yourself in trouble again, Kari’s friend Alex throws you a rope – gives you a kidney – and allows you to climb for many more years! They’re good people, and they help me understand who Kari would have become. And, I get to tell people that I’m slowly being rebuilt into a girl from Iowa…
I do this climb to tell people about Kari – and tell people about her goodness and the goodness of her family and friends – and I tell people about Alex and the importance of organ donation. And we also do this for people with crappy lungs, like I had. RHAMC helps people breathe easier – they fund research in lung disease – they help people stop smoking – they help people with lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, COPD, asthma and other respiratory diseases live longer, easier lives. One of RHAMC’s mottos has been, “If you can’t breathe, nothing else matters…” I lived through that motto, and I know too many people living it now. The RHAMC and all these crazy people who climb with me, and you, help people breathe. We have a very special mission.
Our cause touched Laura and me another way 5 ½ years ago... My beautiful mom-in-law was diagnosed with lung cancer in fall of 2015. Much to my Laura's dismay, moms and I were partners in mischief and finding the wrong foods to eat, particularly doughnuts. When she was diagnosed with lung cancer, mom and I had some long chats about options, and the strength it takes to fight, and sometimes takes not to fight. She chose to fight. Ironically - the chemo had dramatically shrunk her tumors - it worked. But it was too toxic for the rest of mom and she didn't survive. We do this to fund research so maybe next time - someone else's mom-in-law has a better chance of hanging around and sneaking doughnuts with them.
Like so many important causes – Respiratory Health Association needs funding to help others. If you have a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket, I or anyone on my team would be honored to receive a pledge... But more than anything, I'd love it if you would check out my little website and read about the beautiful girl whose lungs I breathe with, as well as the beautiful girl who gave me her kidney - and the people who surrounded them, and surround me now – people who have allowed me to leap tall buildings...
To see my Hustle page or pledge me: Click Here
To see my website about Kari, go to www.ClimbingForKari.org
To find someone on my full Kari’s Klimbers team: Click Here
Being surrounded by people who knew and loved Kari, and by people who know and love me, is something that defies description… While this year will be a little different, I know they will still surround my heart. The support I've received from people like you has allowed me to tell so many people about Kari… In the past 19 years, our team has raised over $400,000.00 - because of people like you… Thank you. I get to do a fair amount of public speaking and, often enough, when I walk into a room, more than one person pulls me aside and says, "You're the one who climbs a hundred stories with your new lungs, and with your donor's friends!!!" And, often enough, they already know Kari's beautiful smile… I am that guy, and I'm proud of that - and more than anything, I want them to know her smile. I will have had her beautiful lungs for over 21 years when I climb - and her friend's beautiful kidney for 9 years in May - and they have and will allow me to do more than I'd ever dreamed possible…
And finally, and very important to me - please consider organ & tissue donation, register to be a donor on your state' donor registry, and tell your family how you feel. I know a beautiful girl from Iowa who knew how she felt, and she told her family - I think about her every single day.
Love, Steve
Steve Ferkau
Chicago, IL
Kari's Klimbers
BreathinSteven@gmail.com
www.ClimbingForKari.org
BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-42074391754196625862020-02-05T19:42:00.002-08:002020-02-10T07:03:11.280-08:00Kari’s Klimbers – Taking the Hustle Chicago Stairs Our 18th Time in 2020<div style="text-align: right;">
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=23421" target="_blank">Steve’s Hustle Link</a></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></b></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytocoNQuW44nRQ5vSgBj1IKp9mX52TxB737k_yk6p3lD3H4Jn1C52dxqw9oJXdOhxzkcRHLSXv7uNip7SlwNmLB_gU7oIsrKFiiPU1GQOBnASkZaDMPFdsp09pYCT7NlBqd1fjNY2Nw7s/s1600/EvaKari2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1235" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytocoNQuW44nRQ5vSgBj1IKp9mX52TxB737k_yk6p3lD3H4Jn1C52dxqw9oJXdOhxzkcRHLSXv7uNip7SlwNmLB_gU7oIsrKFiiPU1GQOBnASkZaDMPFdsp09pYCT7NlBqd1fjNY2Nw7s/s320/EvaKari2019.jpg" width="246" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Last year was very special to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On my 10th climb, along with Kari’s
crazy-beautiful friends who come out every year - Kari’s family came out. Her sister and cousin climbed with us - her
mom and god-mom waited at the top. Last
year - my 17th climb - Kari’s niece & nephew, Eva
Kari & Garrett and their parents Alyssa & Charlie were in the
stairwells with us. Kari’s mom was there
too. And we were splashed in Kari’s
favorite colors - rainbow tie-dye. We
were loud and proud! That’s Eva Kari in
the picture on the right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Kari never met Eva & Garrett - she would adore
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are fun, amazing, good young
human beings...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And can you imagine how
I felt having them included in all the amazing people who surround me in that
stairwell?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been breathing with
Kari’s beautiful lungs for nearly 20 years - the first 39 years of my life I
struggled, and I never-ever imagined breathing could feel this amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never imagined life could be this
easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And 12 years after receiving
Kari’s gift, Kari’s beautiful friend, Alex, gave me one of her kidneys when
mine failed and I thought this all might be ending.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far, Alex has given me another 8 years
with Kari’s lungs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwq2SP722dWFfjs-vMi410zWnMBtQrirFWSczinx64jyk6B_Q4JeUmyUAsa2vOrC1GUgoo_n03s8MpuihKgw9t3wPzVVElLeEp0bBkM5B0XNpNxiOkUgLAY5iwQbnj3vTycwzLI2B5aJu5/s1600/KariVolleyBall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="951" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwq2SP722dWFfjs-vMi410zWnMBtQrirFWSczinx64jyk6B_Q4JeUmyUAsa2vOrC1GUgoo_n03s8MpuihKgw9t3wPzVVElLeEp0bBkM5B0XNpNxiOkUgLAY5iwQbnj3vTycwzLI2B5aJu5/s320/KariVolleyBall.JPG" width="269" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I think about their daughter/sister/aunt/friend
throughout the day, every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish
Kari were here climbing with us - even though that might not be the best for
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I know of her is amazing. That
her friends have joined me for 14 years serves to confirm that she was
amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That one of her friends would
give me her kidney when I was in trouble reminds me how special organ donors,
alive or alive in spirit, truly are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
hope that Kari would be proud of the legacy she’s left - I think she would.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>2020 </b>will be my 18<sup>th</sup> climb – And it
will be the 17<sup>th</sup> time our Kari’s Klimbers have taken the stairs 94
floors, 1,632 steps to the top of the (former) John Hancock Center for the
Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“John Hancock Center” has undergone a name
change - therefore our climb is shortening to “Hustle Chicago”!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m certain the shorter name will make the
climb feel shorter!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Laura will confirm
I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed...)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2L5b-wRQZu3-W_T63wsSpGLD71BBV8IjFsJQJtc_WB3vO83KIlypQPHoz23AvIBkh_q5Vvmoc9sgO6tGTHFszPyOWRQKkqM1FiKftYXCA9Tawhsf5cmvIXWTA-sAyWHtKg3v7qOwu38-/s1600/Kari%2527s+Teammates.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="717" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2L5b-wRQZu3-W_T63wsSpGLD71BBV8IjFsJQJtc_WB3vO83KIlypQPHoz23AvIBkh_q5Vvmoc9sgO6tGTHFszPyOWRQKkqM1FiKftYXCA9Tawhsf5cmvIXWTA-sAyWHtKg3v7qOwu38-/s200/Kari%2527s+Teammates.JPG" width="149" /></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This
climb really means an awful lot to me and I wouldn't miss it for the
world. This will be the 18<sup>th</sup> time I strut my fanny up the
steps at the Hancock and this is my team's 17<sup>th</sup> climb.
Kari was #13 on her high school volleyball team – And as they have for about 14
years now – her crazy, lovable teammates, #15, #12, #8, #7, #4 & #2 will be
in the stairwells with me – along with several other people Kari grew up with –
and 80+ people on my team. And, the kidney #7 gave me is working as
awesomely as the lungs #13 gave me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
last year when Kari’s beautiful niece came out of the stairwells, and found she
climbed 94 floors in 21 minutes, she said, “Next year I’m breaking 15 minutes!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m looking forward to Eva and Garrett
flying.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Can you
imagine what it feels like to live with crappy lungs for 39 years – then
receive a gift of new lungs from a beautiful Iowa girl and her family.
And then to meet that family, and connect with friends and teammates who loved
Kari… And have them come out year after year to celebrate Kari with
you. And then, when you find yourself in trouble again, Kari’s friend
Alex throws you a rope – gives you a <b><i>kidney</i></b> – and
allows you to climb for many more years! They’re good people, and they
help me understand who Kari would have become. And, I get to tell people
that I’m slowly being rebuilt into a girl from Iowa…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">I do this
climb to tell people about Kari – and tell people about her goodness and the
goodness of her family and friends – and I tell people about Alex and the
importance of organ donation. And we also do this for people with
crappy lungs, like I had. </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://resphealth.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0079ff;">RHAMC</span></a></span><span style="color: black;"> helps
people breathe easier – they fund research in lung disease – they help people
stop smoking – they help people with lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic
fibrosis, COPD, asthma and other respiratory diseases live longer, easier
lives. One of RHAMC’s mottos has been, “If you can’t breathe, nothing
else matters…” I lived through that motto, and I know too many people
living it now. The RHAMC and all these crazy people who climb with me,
and you, help people breathe. We have a very special mission.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Our cause
touched Laura and me another way 4 years ago... My beautiful mom-in-law
was diagnosed with lung cancer in fall of 2015. Much to my Laura's
dismay, moms and I were partners in mischief and finding the wrong foods to
eat, particularly doughnuts. When she was diagnosed with lung cancer, mom
and I had some long chats about options, and the strength it takes to fight,
and sometimes takes not to fight. She chose to fight. Ironically -
the chemo had dramatically shrunk her tumors - it worked. But it was too
toxic for the rest of mom and she didn't survive. We do this to fund
research so maybe next time - someone else's mom-in-law has a better chance of
hanging around and sneaking doughnuts with them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If you
have a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket, I or anyone on my team would be
honored to receive a pledge... But more than anything, I'd love it if you
would check out my little website and read about the beautiful girl whose lungs
I breathe with, as well as the beautiful girl who gave me her kidney - and the
people who surrounded them, and surround me now – people who have allowed me to
leap tall buildings...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black;">To see my
Hustle page or pledge me: </span></b><b><span style="color: red;"> </span><a href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=23421" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Click Here</span></a></b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black;">To see my
website about Kari, go to </span></b><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">www.ClimbingForKari.org</span></b></a></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black;">To find
someone on my full Kari’s Klimbers team: </span></b><b><span style="color: red;"> </span><a href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=6457" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Click Here</span></a></b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Being
surrounded by people who knew and loved Kari, and by people who know and love
me, is something that defies description… And the support I've received from
people like you has allowed me to tell so many people about Kari… In the
past 18 years, our team has raised over $400,000.00 - because of people like
you… Thank you. I get to do a fair amount of public speaking and,
often enough, when I walk into a room, more than one person pulls me aside and
says, "You're the one who climbs a hundred stories with your new lungs,
and with your donor's friends!!!" And, often enough, they already
know Kari's beautiful smile… I am that guy, and I'm proud of that - and
more than anything, I want them to know her smile. I will have had her
beautiful lungs for almost 20 years when I climb - and her friend's beautiful
kidney for 8 years in May - and they have and will allow me to do more than I'd
ever dreamed possible…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">And
finally, and very important to me - please consider organ & tissue
donation, register to be a donor on <span style="color: red;"><a href="https://www.donatelife.net/" target="_blank">your state's donor registry</a>,</span> and tell your
family how you feel. I know a beautiful girl from Iowa who knew how she felt,
and she told her family - I think about her every single day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="PT" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Love, Steve</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black;">Steve
Ferkau</span></b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black;">Chicago,
IL</span></b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black;">Kari's
Klimbers</span></b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="mailto:BreathinSteven@gmail.com" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #0079ff;">BreathinSteven@gmail.com</span></b></a></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.ClimbingForKari.org</span></a></b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></b>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comChicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.62979819999998241.4995241 -88.275245199999986 42.256703099999996 -86.984351199999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-62791102270746569762019-02-18T09:01:00.000-08:002019-02-19T05:25:44.779-08:00Hustle Chicago 2019 – Mount Everest, in two small flights…<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHI-38apAU1-dr0YdTPjMuv-1HQ4CO5RQEdJJjoWXuN0eQFPDaMVbCzHV3b16QDDry4IlQiaqq41TcvHW1ufO_cjPFJq9PA2Im9Y9sJLVcXM9mAMbXgGO0eW3rOBBfL5LeWBGPQRm0M_Ai/s1600/Eva+Garret+Hustle+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="869" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHI-38apAU1-dr0YdTPjMuv-1HQ4CO5RQEdJJjoWXuN0eQFPDaMVbCzHV3b16QDDry4IlQiaqq41TcvHW1ufO_cjPFJq9PA2Im9Y9sJLVcXM9mAMbXgGO0eW3rOBBfL5LeWBGPQRm0M_Ai/s200/Eva+Garret+Hustle+2017.jpg" width="108" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngLcmXG_SQ4WAds9uWUZyZUGwR1N5qhO5_o5dLF2_umZx5r_vINAQ8sm7p4SqbhsIFllegLl0Ipx6FPqvm3uJd3lWoTzlFgRS0lkIJmwyrcSKjkqeUvELG1mgahzWB50rcwy1X9S8HVcc/s1600/Eva+Garret+Hustle+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngLcmXG_SQ4WAds9uWUZyZUGwR1N5qhO5_o5dLF2_umZx5r_vINAQ8sm7p4SqbhsIFllegLl0Ipx6FPqvm3uJd3lWoTzlFgRS0lkIJmwyrcSKjkqeUvELG1mgahzWB50rcwy1X9S8HVcc/s200/Eva+Garret+Hustle+2016.jpg" width="112" /></a>The year we first connected, on what would have been Kari’s 19th birthday, I received a “Happy Birthday to your Lungs!” card from Kari’s mom, Lisa, that included the above picture. Lisa said that it is one of her favorite pictures of Kari. It’s now one of mine too. She also said that tie-dye was one of Kari’s favorite patterns. Several of Kari’s friends have echoed that to me – nudging me to do tie-dye shirts. But, the print on tie-dye shirts just never looked that great – and then there’s the cost! Well, we went there this year!!! And another reason is that these two, awesome, precious goofs are coming out to climb with me too!!! Kari’s niece and namesake, Eva Kari, and her nephew Garrett will be in the stairwells with me, along with their mom and dad – and Lisa will be at the top. Eva and Garrett were born long after I received Kari’s lungs. I’ve never met them, but I’ve watched them grow up (and pose with our team shirts) – and I’m very excited to meet them this coming weekend!!! I know that Kari would have absolutely ADORED Eva & Garrett!!!<br />
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<a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=344950&Referrer=https%3a%2f%2fsecure.imisfriendraising.com%2fregistrant%2fFundraisingPage.aspx%3fEventID%3d11848%26LangPref%3den-CA%26RegistrationID%3d344950#&panel1-2" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">Steve’s Hustle Link…</span></strong></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniS_LYmkwS6d1nNKgHYn_eACcUgGbQUzGcrYV7DcdPPcWb8qPwKhGKwDwfeNwljOpUnwkDz2FL3tz16TOKZdnMkxjbjb6dT01XLWKFqv1YFIekp1YAO_-0s_BOqO4V1FEhw5ZGHX852h0/s1600/Kari+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="592" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniS_LYmkwS6d1nNKgHYn_eACcUgGbQUzGcrYV7DcdPPcWb8qPwKhGKwDwfeNwljOpUnwkDz2FL3tz16TOKZdnMkxjbjb6dT01XLWKFqv1YFIekp1YAO_-0s_BOqO4V1FEhw5ZGHX852h0/s200/Kari+13.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
There are a 2 small flights of stairs leading up to the courtyard of our building. I remember the few years I waited - before receiving Kari’s beautiful gift - on the infrequent occasions where we would walk over to Blackie’s for breakfast, walking back, toting my oxygen, coming up to those stairs - it sometimes felt like I was coming up to Mount Everest. I would take 2-3 steps, then rest a few or several minutes, then take 2-3 more - slowly - until we got to the top. Sometimes we would dodge them, going into the garage to take the elevator one floor to the courtyard level. To dodge 2 small flights of stairs.<br />
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Now I climb 94 floors to the top of the “Hancock”. I’m not going to say it’s easy - but ya know what??? - I don’t struggle as much climbing 94 floors as I did when I climbed those 2 flights 19 years ago. Because of a beautiful girl from Iowa named Kari. And because of so many people like you – supporting me, and organizations like the Respiratory Health Association. I always see this as an opportunity to pay back some of what’s been given to me – or pay that forward, and help others struggling like I did…<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66hDDIYoerTuqga49Eid8-AwhuyEkFpVe4d-ew7ZWQPe9ynkbxfiWnrbsG6a8-QSMwtr6mfVCNnPkGAvSpRwTe48d_rKCXmFeWIibyNwqwuXoMW5eXUrE8pvsjUKDLGCfpoI-eAJSrfw_/s1600/Hustle_2012_Girls_on_13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66hDDIYoerTuqga49Eid8-AwhuyEkFpVe4d-ew7ZWQPe9ynkbxfiWnrbsG6a8-QSMwtr6mfVCNnPkGAvSpRwTe48d_rKCXmFeWIibyNwqwuXoMW5eXUrE8pvsjUKDLGCfpoI-eAJSrfw_/s200/Hustle_2012_Girls_on_13.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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This climb really means an awful lot to me and I wouldn't miss it for the world. This will be the 17th time I strut my fanny up the steps at the Hancock and this is my team's 16th climb. Kari was #13 on her high school volleyball team – And as they have for about 14 years now – her crazy, lovable teammates, #15, #12, #8, #7, #4 & #2 will be in the stairwells with me – along with several other people Kari grew up with – and 95 people on my team. And, the kidney #7 gave me is working as awesomely as the lungs #13 gave me. I’m doubly excited this year because Kari’s beautiful niece & nephew are registered to climb. I’ve yet to meet them, and I know Kari would have adored them…<br />
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Can you imagine what it feels like to live with crappy lungs for 39 years – then receive a gift of new lungs from a beautiful Iowa girl and her family. And then to meet that family, and be connected with friends and teammates who loved Kari… And have them come out year after year to celebrate Kari with you. And then, when you find yourself in trouble again, Kari’s friend Alex throws you a rope – gives you a kidney – and allows you to climb for many more years! They’re good people, and they help me understand who Kari would have become. And, I get to tell people that I’m slowly being rebuilt into a girl from Iowa…<br />
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I do this climb to tell people about Kari – and tell people about her goodness and the goodness of her family and friends – and I tell people about Alex and the importance of organ donation. And we also do this for people with crappy lungs, like I had. <strong><a href="https://resphealth.org/" target="_blank">RHAMC</a></strong> helps people breathe easier – they fund research in lung disease – they help people stop smoking – they help people with lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, COPD, asthma and other respiratory diseases live longer, easier lives. One of RHAMC’s mottos has been, “If you can’t breathe, nothing else matters…” I lived through that motto, and I know too many people living it now. The RHAMC and all of these crazy people who climb with me, and you, help people breathe. We have a very special mission.<br />
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Our cause touched Laura and me another way 3 years ago... My beautiful mom-in-law was diagnosed with lung cancer in fall of 2015. Much to my Laura's dismay, moms and I were partners in mischief and finding the wrong foods to eat, particularly doughnuts. When she was diagnosed with lung cancer, mom and I had some long chats about options, and the strength it sometimes takes not to fight. She chose to fight. Ironically - the chemo had dramatically shrunk her tumors - it worked. But it was too toxic for the rest of mom and she didn't survive. We do this to fund research so maybe next time - someone else's mom-in-law has a better chance of hanging around and sneaking doughnuts with them.<br />
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If you have a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket, I or anyone on my team would be honored to receive a pledge... But more than anything, I'd love it if you would check out my little website and read about the beautiful girl whose lungs I breathe with, as well as the beautiful girl who gave me her kidney - and the people who surrounded them, and surround me now – people who have allowed me to leap tall buildings...<br />
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To see my Hustle page or pledge me: <a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=344950&Referrer=https%3a%2f%2fsecure.imisfriendraising.com%2fregistrant%2fFundraisingPage.aspx%3fEventID%3d11848%26LangPref%3den-CA%26RegistrationID%3d344950#&panel1-3" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">Click Here…</span></strong></a><br />
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To see my website about Kari, go to <a href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/"><strong><span style="color: red;">www.ClimbingForKari.org</span></strong></a><br />
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To find someone on my full Kari’s Klimbers team: <a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=37124#&panel1-1" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">Click Here…</span></strong></a><br />
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Being surrounded by people who knew and loved Kari, and by people who know and love me, is something that defies description… And the support I've received from people like you has allowed me to tell so many people about Kari… In the past 17 years, our team has raised well over $350,000.00 - because of people like you… Thank you. I get to do a fair amount of public speaking and, often enough, when I walk into a room, more than one person pulls me aside and says, "You're the one who climbs a hundred stories with your new lungs, and with your donor's friends!!!" And, often enough, they already know Kari's beautiful smile… I am that guy, and I'm proud of that - and more than anything, I want them to know her smile. I will have had her beautiful lungs for almost 19 years when I climb - and her friend's beautiful kidney for 7 years in May - and they have and will allow me to do more than I'd ever dreamed possible…<br />
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And finally, and very important to me - please consider organ & tissue donation, register to be a donor on your state' donor registry, and tell your family how you feel. I know a beautiful girl from Iowa who knew how she felt and she told her family - I think about her every single day.<br />
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Love, Steve<br />
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Steve Ferkau<br />
Chicago, IL<br />
Kari's Klimbers<br />
<a href="mailto:BreathinSteven@gmail.com">BreathinSteven@gmail.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/">www.ClimbingForKari.org</a><br />
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BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-79205659067602410082018-02-19T11:33:00.001-08:002018-02-19T11:33:33.565-08:002018 Hustle up the Hancock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKecn9ORzBx8d7o36o37wsDbB5isn7KPCcpYnwGAeGbu6xMLNKMmqQngmoH7_FLQFCg7l5bAOPviA73X0rsSSRSOuaoaspip0jrfVAy52vBE6sZYUdBtXPuzSb685K3By_HIa6R_DjL6U/s1600/Kari13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="592" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKecn9ORzBx8d7o36o37wsDbB5isn7KPCcpYnwGAeGbu6xMLNKMmqQngmoH7_FLQFCg7l5bAOPviA73X0rsSSRSOuaoaspip0jrfVAy52vBE6sZYUdBtXPuzSb685K3By_HIa6R_DjL6U/s200/Kari13.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I walk to work. I walk around my beautiful city. I’m lucky enough to have a Fitbit that tells me I average 14,000-15,000 steps daily. <b><i>Every day.</i></b><br /><u></u></div>
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And several times every week I’ll pause and look around at the brightness or gloom, at the sun or rain, in the heat or cold – and it will dawn on me how lucky I am – and I’ll think about the gifts I’ve been given – and often I’ll tremble a bit, and my eyes will well up when I think about Kari and her family, about Alex, and about the medical folks and family and friends who helped me through some seriously crazy $hit. And I’ll think about the friends who surround and support me now.<u></u><u></u></div>
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I also think about the organizations that helped me stay on this planet – and help me and others stay here a little more comfortably, and a little longer. The Respiratory Health Association and so many other organizations – this is always one of my opportunities to pay some of that back – or forward.<u></u><u></u></div>
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This climb really means an awful lot to me and I wouldn't miss it for the world. This will be the 16<sup>th</sup> time I strut my fanny up the steps at the Hancock and this is my team's 15th climb. Kari was #13 on her high school volleyball team – And as they have for about 12 years now – her crazy, lovable teammates, #15, #12, #8, #7, #4 & #2 will be in the stairwells with me – along with several other people Kari grew up with – and 80+ people on my team. And, the kidney #7 gave me is working as awesomely as the lungs #13 gave me.<u></u><u></u></div>
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Can you imagine what it feels like to live with crappy lungs for 39 years – then receive a gift of new lungs from a beautiful Iowa girl and her family. And then to meet that family and be connected with friends and teammates who loved Kari… And have them come out year after year to celebrate Kari with you. And then, when you find yourself in trouble again, Kari’s friend Alex throws you a rope – gives you a kidney – and allows you to climb for many more years! They’re good people, and they help me understand who Kari would have become. And I get to tell people that I’m slowly being rebuilt into a girl from Iowa…<u></u><u></u></div>
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I do this climb to tell people about Kari – and tell people about the goodness of her and her family and friends – and I tell people about Alex and the importance of organ donation. And we also do this for people with crappy lungs, like I had. <span style="color: windowtext;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://lungchicago.org/&source=gmail&ust=1519154555272000&usg=AFQjCNGj3MLW3IEpfjAdq7X3ShoD1lbXHQ" href="https://lungchicago.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">RHAMC</a></span> helps people breathe easier – they fund research in lung disease – they help people stop smoking – they help people with lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, COPD, asthma and other respiratory diseases live longer, easier lives. One of RHAMC’s mottos has been, “If you can’t breathe, nothing else matters…” I lived through that motto, and I know too many people living it now. The RHAMC and all of these crazy people who climb with me, and you, help people breathe. We have a very special mission.<u></u><u></u></div>
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Our cause touched Laura and me another way two years ago... My beautiful mom-in-law was diagnosed with lung cancer in fall of 2015. Much to my Laura's dismay, moms and I were partners in mischief and finding the wrong foods to eat, particularly doughnuts. When she was diagnosed with lung cancer, mom and I had some long chats about options, and the strength it sometimes takes not to fight. She chose to fight. Ironically - the chemo had dramatically shrunk her tumors - it worked. But it was too toxic for the rest of mom and she didn't survive. We do this to fund research so maybe next time - someone else's mom-in-law has a better chance of hanging around and sneaking doughnuts with them.<u></u><u></u></div>
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I know these are not the best of financial times for some of us... If you have a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket, I or anyone on my team would be honored to receive a pledge... But more than anything, I'd love it if you would check out my little website and read about the beautiful girl whose lungs I breathe with, as well as the beautiful girl who gave me her kidney - and the people who surrounded them, and surround me now – people who have allowed me to leap tall buildings...<u></u><u></u></div>
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<b>To see my Hustle page or pledge me: </b><b><span style="color: red;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?EventID%3D11464%26LangPref%3Den-CA%26RegistrationID%3D339865%23%26panel1-2&source=gmail&ust=1519154555272000&usg=AFQjCNHoDFBmlBk55s3pr30QI1f0rjdY1A" href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?EventID=11464&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=339865#&panel1-2" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Click Here…</span></a></span><u></u><u></u></b></div>
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<b>To see my website about Kari, go to </b><b><span style="color: red;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.ClimbingForKari.org&source=gmail&ust=1519154555272000&usg=AFQjCNHSazLKDf1EfnmADPGjvpLR8OIZ4Q" href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.ClimbingForKari.org</span></a></span><u></u><u></u></b></div>
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<b>To find someone on my full Kari’s Klimbers team: </b><b><span style="color: red;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID%3D36685%23%26panel1-1&source=gmail&ust=1519154555272000&usg=AFQjCNHLaq7oD2iUTTKkHPHCO84hN0SJKA" href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=36685#&panel1-1" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Click Here…</span></a></span><u></u><u></u></b></div>
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These climbs always mean so much to me... Being surrounded by people who knew and loved Kari, and by people who know and love me, is something that defies description...and the support I've received from people like you has allowed me to tell so many people about Kari... In the past 16 years, our team has raised well over $300,000.00 - because of people like you... Thank you... I get to do a fair amount of public speaking and, often enough, when I walk into a room, more than one person pulls me aside and says, "You're the one who climbs a hundred stories with your new lungs, and with your donor's friends!!!" And, often enough, they already know Kari's beautiful smile... I am that guy, and I'm proud of that - and more than anything, I want them to know her smile. I will have had her beautiful lungs for almost 18 years when I climb - and her friend's beautiful kidney for 6 years in May - and they have and will allow me to do more than I'd ever dreamed possible...<u></u><u></u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzZAHHzhBgsizrbTItECx4o708Afq1E6fdRHrZ-EnU_xrWcp_h2PT9Gh3C7F2fm2K6cATukSPehyphenhyphenMxrg-eQd6ewPu0DF-Kv9wMwTil4Xn7e-gpHhgkqSn8vQmmTP0mKSMvCOHIJlPw8Yw/s1600/KariVolleyBall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="951" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzZAHHzhBgsizrbTItECx4o708Afq1E6fdRHrZ-EnU_xrWcp_h2PT9Gh3C7F2fm2K6cATukSPehyphenhyphenMxrg-eQd6ewPu0DF-Kv9wMwTil4Xn7e-gpHhgkqSn8vQmmTP0mKSMvCOHIJlPw8Yw/s200/KariVolleyBall.JPG" width="168" /></a>And finally, and very important to me - please consider organ & tissue donation, register to be a donor on your <span style="background-color: transparent;">state' donor registry, and tell your family how you feel. I know a beautiful girl from Iowa who knew how she felt and she told her family - I think about her every single day.</span></div>
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<span lang="PT">Love, Steve</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<b>Steve Ferkau<u></u><u></u></b></div>
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<b>Chicago, IL<u></u><u></u></b></div>
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<b>Kari's Klimbers<u></u><u></u></b></div>
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<b><a href="mailto:BreathinSteven@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">BreathinSteven@gmail.com</a><u></u><u></u></b></div>
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<b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.ClimbingForKari.org&source=gmail&ust=1519154555272000&usg=AFQjCNHSazLKDf1EfnmADPGjvpLR8OIZ4Q" href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.ClimbingForKari.org</a><u></u><u></u></b></div>
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BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-90975853447783910982016-10-09T08:26:00.001-07:002018-10-31T18:16:04.923-07:00Kari’s Klimbers – 2018 Team Recruit Letter!!!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There’s a few flights of stairs leading up to the courtyard of our building. I remember the few years I waited - before receiving Kari’s beautiful gift - on the infrequent occasions where we would walk over to Blackie’s for breakfast, walking back, toting my oxygen, coming up to those stairs - it sometimes felt like I was coming up to Mount Everest. I would take 2-3 steps, then rest a few or several minutes, then take 2-3 more - slowly - until we got to the top. Sometimes we would dodge them, going into the garage to take the elevator one floor to the courtyard level. To dodge a few flights of stairs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Now I climb 94 floors to the top of the Hancock with many of you. I’m not going to say it’s easy - but ya know what??? - I don’t struggle as much climbing 94 floors as I did when I climbed those few flights 19 years ago. Because of a beautiful girl from Iowa named Kari. And because of so many people like you - being crazy enough to step into the stairwells on a Sunday morning in February to climb those 94 floors</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Several times every week I’ll pause and look around at the brightness or gloom, at the sun or rain, in the heat or cold - and it will dawn on me how lucky I am - and I’ll think about the gifts I’ve been given - and often I’ll tremble a bit, and my eyes will well up when I think about Kari and her family, about Alex, and about the medical folks and family and friends who helped me through some seriously crazy $hit. And I’ll think about the friends who surround and support me now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I also think about the organizations that have helped me stay on this planet - and help me and others stay her a little more comfortably, and a little longer. The Respiratory Health Association, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, so many others... This is always one of my opportunities to pay some of that back - or forward.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">2019 </span>will be my 17<sup>th</sup> climb – And it will be the 16<sup>th</sup> time our Kari’s Klimbers have taken the stairs 94 floors, 1,632 steps to the top of the (former) John Hancock Center for the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago. “John Hancock Center” is undergoing a name change - therefore our climb is shortening to “Hustle Chicago”! I’m certain the shorter name will make the climb feel shorter! (Laura will confirm I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed...)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">All is well with me – I’m breathing and peeing like a racehorse.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>My beautiful lungs have been performing between 110-120% of expected for my age for the past several years.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Can you imagine going from 10-15% <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">to 120%???<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And since Alex gave it to me, my kidney function has been better than it’s been in the past 30+ years!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And my Alex is doing awesomely with her one kidney, and her Matt, and their two beautiful little boys, Eli and Noah!!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>It’s that time of year again…</i></b><span style="margin: 0px;"> The 2018 climb is not yet sold out so, if you've ever thought you might want to take a crack at this, or if you've joined me before and want to do it again, r</span>egistration for the 2018 climb is still a possibility!!!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The climb will be on the last Sunday in February, 2018 – Sunday, February 25, 2018.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Registration is the same as last year –<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>$155.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">My <span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/"><span style="color: blue; margin: 0px;">www.ClimbingForKari.org</span></a> </span>website needs a little updating – but the links should be going to the right places now.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I registered in October to create our “Kari’s Klimbers” team (and commit to raising $1000) so that our team was available to join at 8:00am on Thursday, November 1<span style="margin: 0px;"><sup>st</sup></span> - we currently have around 80 climbers and there is room for more! Registering and paying the $155 fee does not commit you to raising any additional funds beyond the registration fee, though, I’m <span style="margin: 0px;"><b><i>always</i></b></span> grateful if you choose to do so!!!)<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Drop me a line if you’re interested in the Hustle this coming year – or just follow the instructions below to register.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instructions for joining my team will be on my <span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/"><span style="color: blue; margin: 0px;">www.ClimbingForKari.org</span></a></span> website…<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>A direct link to the instruction page is <span style="margin: 0px;"><b><span style="color: #ff2d21; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://climbingforkari.blogspot.com/2009/10/hustle-2014-registration.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></b></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #ff2d21; margin: 0px;">…</span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>There is a prior year’s step-by-step document on that page, as well as a link to retrieve your prior username and password that will speed your registration. You can also go to <a href="https://lungchicago.org/specialevents/hustle-up-the-hancock/" target="_blank">www.LungChicago.org</a> and follow their instructions. (Make certain you join a team, and select Kari's Klimbers.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">And finally – if this is not your first climb, thank you so much for climbing with me in past years…<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I spoke about quitting a few times in the distant past – I’ve had things I wanted to focus on and this takes a lot of thought and energy (so much of which falls on Laura’s back!!!)<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>But – this is what I do…<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And Kari’s friends also let me know that quitting didn’t seem to be an option for me.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">I do a fair amount of public speaking about organ donation and about Kari (and now Alex) – so much of what I talk about revolves around my participation in the Hustle – and meeting her friends through the Hustle – and about the people who come out to support me at the Hustle – about <span style="margin: 0px;"><b>YOU</b></span>…<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This climb has become part of who I am and what I do – and <span style="margin: 0px;"><b>YOU </b></span>have helped make it what it is for me…</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some of you have climbed with me for fifteen years – some of you for several years.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Almost every year I meet someone new who Kari grew up with, and they come out to remember her with me.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And for some of you – well, as Carly Rae Jepsen might suggest, I just met you, and this is <span style="margin: 0px;"><b><i>crazy</i></b></span>, but we’re climbing 94 floors soon – join us maybe?!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Through these past sixteen years we’ve raised well over $300,000 together – that freaking blows my mind…<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>How many times have you been part of a team that has raised that much funding???<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I haven’t either.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And this has happened because of so many people like you helping me.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Thank you.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And more special than the money will ever mean to me – you’ve helped me build a little platform to tell the world about Kari, and about Alex, and the gifts they’ve given – and you’ve helped me tell so many others about organ donation.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’ve had so many organ and tissue recipients, and donor family members, and friends of donors on our team – and when I go places to speak about organ donation, people say, “You’re that guy who climbs 100 story buildings with your new lungs!!!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And so many of them already know Kari’s smile, and her name – and that means everything to me.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I would have never generated that much excitement alone – I would have never generated that much awareness without all of you.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know that times are a little tough and cash is a little tight for many of us – and if you can’t make it this year, that’s OK – and thank you for the times you have made it.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>If you can make it – I’m honored to have you on my team.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>(And if you know someone who needs to see this note – please forward it to them, and please send me their email address so that I can get them on the notification roster!)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">Love,<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Steve</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="mailto:BreathinSteven@gmail.com"><span style="color: blue; margin: 0px;"><u>BreathinSteven@gmail.com</u></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="margin: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-63266175601571006282009-10-27T06:29:00.001-07:002019-10-15T19:35:42.932-07:00Hustle 2020 Registration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: red;">Registration begins at <strong>8:00am CST on Friday, November 1, 2019!!!</strong></span> Please be aware that it used to sell out within about 60 minutes, but the past few years it’s taken days – to play it safe, get there early!</div>
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To sign up on my team this year, you will need to start at <span style="color: red;"><b><u><a href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/event/hustlechicago2020" target="_blank">https://resphealth.donordrive.com/event/hustlechicago2020</a></u></b></span> The link/button for regular Hustle registration will become active at the Respiratory Health Association's site at <span style="color: red;">8:00am sharp</span> on Friday, November 1st… Initially, only my full climb team will be up – I may create a half climb team later in the morning on November 1st, if there are several people who want the half climb. (You'd have to take this on blind faith from me, but if you think you can do the half-climb, you can do the full climb...)</div>
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Please note: There is a new registration site this year!!! A .pdf document with detailed instructions prepared by a friend at RHAMC are available <strong><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jlTvNwjzONgb1YxIEOJBpCgoYZ-l7Dll/view?ths=true" target="_blank">HERE… </a></span></strong><br />
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Unfortunately, you will NOT be able to use your Username and Password from previous Hustle registrations, if you've been on my team before... RHAMC is using a new registration system. It's pretty simple and intuitive - even I managed to register quickly. Again, a link to instructions for the new site is above if you're into instructions. I have bolts and brackets left over from my Ikea furniture, but I managed to register.<br />
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After clicking the button/link for regular Hustle registration available at <strong><span style="color: red;" target="_blank"><a href="http://www.resphealth.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.resphealth.org</span></a> </span><span style="color: red;" target="_blank">or</span><span style="color: red;" target="_blank"> </span></strong><b><u><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://resphealth.donordrive.com/event/hustlechicago2020" target="_blank">https://resphealth.donordrive.com/event/hustlechicago2020</a></span>, </u></b>you will be directed to the Hustle registration page… Choose the “Full Climb” – then the role "Join a Team", then search for "Kari's Klimbers" then follow the instructions. There is also a feature that will allow you to register up to 9 other climbers at the same time! (If you're registering several teammates...)<br />
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The .pdf document noted above has examples of screen shots and step by step instructions you may find enlightening…<br />
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The registration fee is the same price as last year – registration for the full climb is $155.00, the half-climb is $120.00.<br />
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If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me at <span style="color: red;">BreathinSteven@gmail.com </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/">Back to Home Page, Climbing For Kari</a>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-88856002897369319592009-10-06T07:51:00.000-07:002010-09-03T13:50:38.342-07:00Tower Up!!! Sears Tower Climb...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFHXu8wBO-ikcjzZGmv6pg01nFQ5NBURuvXEz9KrTKb8LPvyk65XtAbVMwx10jW_0pE7NdvIonIoNlSUhEZ8UEbRInx55pom4-0yyd_uMHUxYO30LXFvRwbYx7OoX4Anm-uUNy0MyW9_e/s1600-h/RIC+Sears+Climb.png"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 82px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389500030884119138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFHXu8wBO-ikcjzZGmv6pg01nFQ5NBURuvXEz9KrTKb8LPvyk65XtAbVMwx10jW_0pE7NdvIonIoNlSUhEZ8UEbRInx55pom4-0yyd_uMHUxYO30LXFvRwbYx7OoX4Anm-uUNy0MyW9_e/s320/RIC+Sears+Climb.png" /></a><br />Kari's Klimbers - Willis Tower (seriously, Sears Tower) Climb!!!<br /><p><br />We’ve had Kari’s Klimbers teams climbing the Sears Tower (now, Willis Tower) for the past five years. This year the climb is for a Chicago charity – the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago / RIC. I have a young friend who survived a stroke who was cared for and rehabilitated by RIC. She’s climbing with us in November… Information about the climb is available at <a href="http://www.skyrisechicago.org/"><strong>www.SkyRiseChicago.org</strong></a> </p><p><br />The climb will be on Sunday, November 14th. Registration is $50 – however, there is a $100 pledge minimum. You can either sign-up and immediately pledge yourself $100 (total climb cost $150), or work to get pledges. My understanding is that if you do not have $100 in pledges at some point before the climb – you will not be permitted to climb.</p><p><br />Teams are limited to 10 people this year – I currently have one teams.</p><p><br /><a href="http://ric.convio.net/site/TR/SkyRise/General?px=1004161&pg=personal&fr_id=1040"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Kari’s Klimbers</span></strong></a> </p><p><br />Join us if you’re interested – click on the links above – on my page, click the “Join Steve's Team” link and follow the registration instructions. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at <a href="mailto:BreathinSteven@gmail.com">BreathinSteven@gmail.com</a></p><p></p><p></p><p>Go back to <strong><a href="http://climbingforkari.org/">Climbing For Kari homepage...</a></strong></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-5853340035215211482009-10-02T12:45:00.000-07:002009-10-02T13:05:54.741-07:00Hustle Announce One<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJr-tKIzjQ-ELRgDolt6dqXsa5YH95g9szgeV4U4y4fSSLFPhAI-uZFNj_iO2QKBF9L2-o0IA7bbqKpMKUw_zNfR8hTj2xmm37opHp8g6U3v7EYUl2bl1EmuWFJ5qGQsRFDtvvco5YgomV/s1600-h/Hustle2010Header.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 80px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388091849085229906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJr-tKIzjQ-ELRgDolt6dqXsa5YH95g9szgeV4U4y4fSSLFPhAI-uZFNj_iO2QKBF9L2-o0IA7bbqKpMKUw_zNfR8hTj2xmm37opHp8g6U3v7EYUl2bl1EmuWFJ5qGQsRFDtvvco5YgomV/s320/Hustle2010Header.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">This year's Hustle up the Hancock registration opens on </span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Monday, November 2 at 8:00am Sharp!!!</span></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">The last few years it has sold out in about a half hour -- so be there early!</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">I will create my team prior to November 2 by pledging to raise $1,000 -- and links to the registration page for my team will be here prior to November 2... However, please do not attempt to register before 8:00am November 2 or you will be pledging to raise $1,000!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:130%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:130%;">Pledging: If you're thinking about pledging me or someone on my team, I love you already... Links to pledge should be available between late October and early November, 2009. You can also feel free to email me via the link below...</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">You can </span><a href="http://www.respiratoryhealthassociation.net/hustle/homepage.htm"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>click here</strong> </span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">for more Hustle 2010 information.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">Or, you can </span><a href="mailto:BreathinSteven@gmail.com"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>email me</strong> </span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">should you have any questions...</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">See you there!!! Love, Steve</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:130%;"></span></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:130%;"></span></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 198px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388094196730862402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcX0LRUFWK39dYmMVN-fYmu74rHSPzyr1SJdAYUn79U1VwdZo2U5dgO92OmvpHh5s8RPju5qh850qJH5iMTDX7TMaM_lglTKl8CfUBU4jfLleG0oW887UUUsCEgkxtYeUqO8dQklVoHc2/s320/SteveKariAndTheirBuilding.jpg" /><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-45249772953589794432009-01-21T17:52:00.000-08:002009-01-23T03:44:33.909-08:00Rose Parade Chronology<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wsyoylGvN3wPA1ZqVc4mvYL7uti2-qni99SfWCGLzIT0ZR5piU-DCQOCO-wLSM5mfW0n4iYCMo60qg7cdYD0PSO9Mgq5ro03XeQXYNbxR3JDAIX3P1ZmG20OjGohlqmeuXOHAhsheaMD/s1600-h/RHRoseParadeFloat.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293931308517640002" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 309px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wsyoylGvN3wPA1ZqVc4mvYL7uti2-qni99SfWCGLzIT0ZR5piU-DCQOCO-wLSM5mfW0n4iYCMo60qg7cdYD0PSO9Mgq5ro03XeQXYNbxR3JDAIX3P1ZmG20OjGohlqmeuXOHAhsheaMD/s320/RHRoseParadeFloat.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I was invited to ride on the 2009 Donate Life Float in the Rose Parade!!! I was incredibly honored to have been invited by Gift of Hope in Illinois...<br /><br />Before I went, and while I was there, I created several posts at our blog, <strong><a href="http://www.revivehope.com/">Revive Hope</a></strong>, about my adventure...<br /><br />Here are links to those posts in somewhat of a chronology:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>August 1, 2008</strong></span> -- <a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/08/light-bulb-ligh.html"><strong>Light bulb, light bulb, pearls, pearls...</strong></a><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">About my invitation to ride the Donate Life Float in the Rose Parade...</span></li></ul><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>October 1, 2008</strong></span> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/10/stars-of-life-t.html">Stars of Life Twinkle</a></strong> (by Melissa...)<br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Among other things, about float rider and heart recipient, Bonnie Lundy...</span></li></ul><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>October 2, 2008</strong></span> -- <a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/10/stars.html"><strong>Stars of Life Twinkle Part II</strong></a><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Among other things, about float rider Steve Ferkau (me)...</span></li></ul><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">November 19, 2008</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/11/who-are-they.html">Who are they?</a></strong> (by Melissa...)<br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Melissa's post about the floragraphs honoring donors, that will be riding the float with us...</span></li></ul><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">December 11, 2008</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/12/dedications.html">Dedications...</a></strong><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">About the Family Circle Garden and our roses dedicated to Chase, Chloe and Kari...</span></li></ul><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">December 18, 2008</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/12/what-game.html">What game?</a></strong><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">A video post, and a regular post, about my seeming lack of understanding about the entire Rose Parade situation...</span></li></ul><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">December 24, 2008</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/12/christmas-in-california.html">Christmas in California</a></strong> (by Melissa...)<br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">This is Melissa's thank you for Steve being her "Santa" by placing Chloe's roses in the Familiy Circle Garden...</span></li></ul><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">December 26, 2008</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/12/roses-and-robbie.html">Roses and Robbie...</a></strong><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Christina helps coordinate rose dedications in the Family Circle Garden - this is about her brother Robbie, who was an organ donor...</span></li></ul><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">December 26, 2008</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/12/rose-bowl-tickets.html">Rose Bowl Tickets!!!</a></strong><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Pictures and a video about getting my butt out of a sling...</span></li></ul><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">December 28, 2008</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/12/were-.html">We're in Pasadena!!!</a></strong><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Arriving in Pasadena -- pictures and videos about our agenda...</span></li></ul><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">December 29, 2008</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/12/donate-life-float-rose-dedications.html">Donate Life Float - Rose Dedications...</a></strong><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Pictures, dedications, and videos about placing roses in the Family Circle Garden for Chase, Chloe and Kari...</span></li></ul><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">December 29, 2008</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/12/aspirations-and-fun.html">Aspirations... And fun...</a></strong><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">About beating life expectancies, and having fun...</span></li></ul><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">December 31, 2008</span></strong> -- <a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/12/dear-steve.html"><strong>Dear Steve...</strong></a><strong> </strong>(by Melissa...)<br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">A little thank you picture from Melissa for placing Chloe's roses...</span></li></ul><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">December 31, 2008</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/12/ready-to-roll-donate-life-float.html">Ready to roll... Donate Life Float</a></strong><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">A few videos and a post about the "Stars of Life Gala" and our dress rehearsal for the float ride...</span></li></ul><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">January 1, 2009</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2009/01/im-on-my-way.html">I'm on my way...</a></strong><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">A brief post before I left for the Rose Parade...</span></li></ul><p></p><p><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">January 1, 2009</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2009/01/a-lot-more-than-i-ever-imagined.html">A lot more than I ever imagined...</a></strong></p><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">A brief post after the parade - our float won the "Queen's Trophy" and I was a little too tired and overwhelmed to post...</span></li></ul><p></p><p><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">January 4, 2009</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2009/01/donate-life-float-judging.html">Donate Life Float - Judging...</a></strong></p><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">A fun and late post about Judging on December 31st, with an emotional video of the judging and the lyrics of the song -- "There you'll be..."</span></li></ul><p></p><p><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">January 6, 2009</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2009/01/parade-day.html">Parade Day!!!</a></strong></p><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">A fun and late post with pictures and videos from the float during the parade!</span></li></ul><p></p><p><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">January 8, 2008</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2009/01/taking-a-breather.html">Taking a breather...</a></strong></p><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">A non-post, with a lot of pictures of so many of the people I met and became friends with in the short week of the parade...</span></li></ul><p><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">January 22, 2008</span></strong> -- <strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2009/01/iowans-and-halfiowans-in-pasadena.html">Iowans, and half-Iowans in Pasadena...</a></strong></p><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Some of the special Iowans I met in the time surrounding the parade -- and one who went home and blogged about us meeting...</span></li></ul><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-13502378164124894982007-10-28T17:08:00.000-07:002008-01-23T11:36:38.420-08:00Pledge Kari's Klimbers Teams or Members<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAb0uhzrGjLQlEeyk_W1aa9VNkTAlXCAgWiIQzo1QwG9r7_amG8ky9FXc0Jx3ujTlZYzlpvSrV9yFYcJNoUHep-fHouVTDm7tORDMlgG0WcWoH805kK676xMg5lae9PmHaiWX02t1JRBTt/s1600-h/KKLogo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132433251781353842" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAb0uhzrGjLQlEeyk_W1aa9VNkTAlXCAgWiIQzo1QwG9r7_amG8ky9FXc0Jx3ujTlZYzlpvSrV9yFYcJNoUHep-fHouVTDm7tORDMlgG0WcWoH805kK676xMg5lae9PmHaiWX02t1JRBTt/s320/KKLogo.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>Listed below are members of my 94-floor full-climb and half-climb for the 2008 Hustle up the Hancock!! I have cystic fibrosis and received two beautiful lungs in April, 2000. My team is named after the precious girl who saved my life, Kari, and I do this to honor her, and her family.</p><br /><p>Listed below are my friends. Some have climbed several times, others for the first time. Some of them bring life to people like me… Some of them work with people like me… Some of them just hang around people like me… Kari wore #13 on her Algona, Iowa high school volleyball team – some of them were Kari’s teammates…</p><br /><strong><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:180%;">Pledge full climb team </span></strong></span><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/teamPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&TeamID=30649" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:180%;"><strong>here...</strong></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong><br /><br />Full climb team members:</strong><br /></span></span><br /><div></div><div></div><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=253199" target="_blank"><strong>Ferkau, Steve</strong> Lung Health Champion / Captain</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=253229" target="_blank"><strong>Gulotta, Anne - Donor Family Member</strong> Lung Health Champion</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255226" target="_blank"><strong>Alfred, Larry</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254868" target="_blank"><strong>Allen, John - Double Lung Recipient</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254316" target="_blank"><strong>Baghdassarian, Rima</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254816" target="_blank"><strong>Bailey, Brooke</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=257654" target="_blank"><strong>Cahill, Joe</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254685" target="_blank"><strong>Cardin, Felicia</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255091" target="_blank"><strong>Cardin, Mike</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=253868" target="_blank"><strong>Cardin, Nick</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=258142" target="_blank"><strong>Carsello, Rose</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=258291" target="_blank"><strong>Caruso, Timothy</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254353" target="_blank"><strong>Cunningham, Joan</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254459" target="_blank"><strong>Deske, Tom</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=257994" target="_blank"><strong>Divis, Wendy - Iowa #8 </strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254102" target="_blank"><strong>Eugenio, Amanda</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=256380" target="_blank"><strong>Fellner, Reena</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254957" target="_blank"><strong>Ferkau, Karen</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255832" target="_blank"><strong>Fill, Grace</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=253739" target="_blank"><strong>Fox, Scott</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254889" target="_blank"><strong>Garcia, Danny</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254565" target="_blank"><strong>Gianfrancisco, Celeste</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255050" target="_blank"><strong>Gianfrancisco, Paul</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=257619" target="_blank"><strong>Herdegan, Megan - Double Lung Recipient</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=258017" target="_blank"><strong>Hickey, Lauren</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=259222" target="_blank"><strong>Hinks, Catherine</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=258169" target="_blank"><strong>Huxel, Suzanne</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=253709" target="_blank"><strong>Ikens, Laura</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=258235" target="_blank"><strong>Ing, Maryann</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=258236" target="_blank"><strong>Ing, Troy</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255324" target="_blank"><strong>Insalaco, Frank</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=257895" target="_blank"><strong>Johnson, Jennifer</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254600" target="_blank"><strong>Klebacha, Keith</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=259145" target="_blank"><strong>Klein, Brett</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254800" target="_blank"><strong>Kozlowski, Lowry</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255086" target="_blank"><strong>Kubancek, Ruth</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=253723" target="_blank"><strong>Kubski, Katie</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=257653" target="_blank"><strong>Lang, Willa</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=258032" target="_blank"><strong>Malone, Brian</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=258031" target="_blank"><strong>Malone, Joanne</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=257885" target="_blank"><strong>McCarthy, Maureen</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=257959" target="_blank"><strong>McNicholas, Susan</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254345" target="_blank"><strong>Miller, Cynthia</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255269" target="_blank"><strong>Mirkovic, Erin</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255720" target="_blank"><strong>Mirkovic, Kyle</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255453" target="_blank"><strong>Mirkovic, Matthew</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255127" target="_blank"><strong>Mirkovic, Srdjan</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=253972" target="_blank"><strong>Mrozek, Janet</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254633" target="_blank"><strong>Omdahl, Katie - Iowa #12 </strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=253953" target="_blank"><strong>Pagano, Peter</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254148" target="_blank"><strong>Redenius, Alex - Iowa #7 </strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255244" target="_blank"><strong>Redenius, N.</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255422" target="_blank"><strong>Rink, Paul</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255433" target="_blank"><strong>Robbins, Gabe</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=257651" target="_blank"><strong>Ryan, Cheryl</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=253978" target="_blank"><strong>Schad, Dale</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=257004" target="_blank"><strong>Scheer, Kara</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=257010" target="_blank"><strong>Scheer, Kristen</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=256369" target="_blank"><strong>Schmidgall, Dave</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254699" target="_blank"><strong>Schmookler, Matthew</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254247" target="_blank"><strong>Schmookler, Stephen</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254659" target="_blank"><strong>schultz, brian</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254771" target="_blank"><strong>Sells, Daniel</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254821" target="_blank"><strong>Sells, Greg</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254094" target="_blank"><strong>Sells, Gregory P</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=253849" target="_blank"><strong>Sells, Stephanie</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254885" target="_blank"><strong>Snyder, David</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=254997" target="_blank"><strong>Sofere, Joe</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255881" target="_blank"><strong>Sofere, Sandy</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=259275" target="_blank"><strong>Sood, Carolyn</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=257995" target="_blank"><strong>Sweeney, Carly</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255145" target="_blank"><strong>Tattas, Michael</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255568" target="_blank"><strong>Trenary, Samara - Iowa #3 </strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=258016" target="_blank"><strong>VanGetson, Cecilia</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=257625" target="_blank"><strong>Wagner, Beverly</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=258121" target="_blank"><strong>Wenger, Eve</strong> Full Climb</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:180%;"><strong>Pledge half climb team </strong><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/TeamPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&TeamID=31195" target="_blank"><strong>here... </strong></a><br /><br /><strong>Half climb team members:<br /></strong></span><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=256254" target="_blank"><strong>Ferkau, Nancy</strong> Half Climb / Captain</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=257187" target="_blank"><strong>Cardin, Mike</strong> Half Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=256366" target="_blank"><strong>Freedkin, Aaron</strong> Half Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=256413" target="_blank"><strong>Freedkin, Arie</strong> Half Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255317" target="_blank"><strong>Manson, Julia</strong> Half Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255526" target="_blank"><strong>Powell, Chris</strong> Half Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255936" target="_blank"><strong>Schmidgall, Jillian</strong> Half Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=255902" target="_blank"><strong>Schmidgall, Lauren</strong> Half Climb</a><br /><br /><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=256131" target="_blank"><strong>Schmidgall, Nancy</strong> Half Climb</a>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-4541752322804057562007-10-19T11:01:00.000-07:002008-10-20T07:37:46.221-07:00Hustle Up the Hancock Registration<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJESbGAupWZce4LAZFT2VlrgdRZrpsq2uBYgRxxuIOE7-Nic3fDV_-3fHDEeSE7PszkgrHp0blzs-4hhZzltuBdWq2OyThlWIiSNzuyBA8ILGzXo5aiq4Wpl5e2qLhlZ-8b8WaCcqYAcn/s1600-h/HustleLogo2009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257205503925421666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJESbGAupWZce4LAZFT2VlrgdRZrpsq2uBYgRxxuIOE7-Nic3fDV_-3fHDEeSE7PszkgrHp0blzs-4hhZzltuBdWq2OyThlWIiSNzuyBA8ILGzXo5aiq4Wpl5e2qLhlZ-8b8WaCcqYAcn/s400/HustleLogo2009.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Regular sign-up for the Hustle Up the Hancock starts at <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">8:00am on Monday, November 3rd</span></strong> – last year the 2,700+ spaces sold out in a few hours and there were problems with the registration site. If those problems have been addressed, it could sell out in less than 30 minutes.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff0000;"><strong>If you sign up before 8:00am on Monday, November 3rd – you will be committing to raise $1,000 and will be considered a Lung Health Champion!!! </strong></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><br /></strong></span><br />The registration fee this year is $110.00 for the full climb and $100.00 for the half climb. <span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><em>The registration website has changed</em></strong></span> - I was disappointed with some of the functionality last year, I'm not yet aware whether improvements have been made. If you have questions, <a href="mailto:BreathinSteven@gmail.com">email me after you register</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">You can link to our full-climb team page<span style="color:#ff0000;"> </span></span></strong><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/TeamPage.aspx?teamID=32143&LangPref=en-CA" target="_blank"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;">here…</span></strong></a><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;"> </span></strong><br /><p><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;">Click the "Join Our Team" button at the bottom...</span></strong></p><p><br /><br /> </p><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff0000;">Half climb link is not available yet...</span><br /></strong><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Link to our half-climb team page </strong><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/TeamPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&TeamID=31195"><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>here... </strong></span></a><br /></span><span style="color:#ff0000;">Click the Hustle Logo on the top left and click the "Register for the Half Climb" button</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://secure.imisfriendraising.com/registrant/teamPage.aspx?EventID=9071&LangPref=en-CA&TeamID=30649" target="_blank"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123110960931854210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWEvGED0ftz89sZYK2CXvU1IQLG6X_GrCmVlDOFoFv7xKPvkgzU4lvKCgEo0_njIrJwgj0cxdwRz37PfDVFBk3ZDFPuBo7nzMsPMIDmZ7j39loBfe35-_H_rgjfmnG0kE-3UYIoIh1oBi/s320/JoinTeam2008.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Click on the "Join Our Team" button at the bottom of the page and follow the instructions to complete your registration.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The full link to our team page is: </p><p><br /><a href="http://my.imisfriendraising.com/TeamPage.aspx?teamID=32143&LangPref=en-CA">http://my.imisfriendraising.com/TeamPage.aspx?teamID=32143&LangPref=en-CA</a><br /><br /><br /><strong><a href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/" target="_blank">Back to "Kari's Gift" page...</a></strong></p>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-75138630193588552692007-09-07T08:01:00.000-07:002008-06-10T14:30:50.315-07:00Sears - Go Vertical<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8y3KUQlc75AO36HT6GhXHH1QhCS5dQ64WSQzY7d0CvTUUFQCOGoYEV6p0Mzaknx6C2x-Hbev2jUtpKuu6YlFvvRP2TYvPHmyYn94mDaMhShvnZBfRBUO8iDUxHiFiJIsuMOldof1XzH3/s1600-h/GoVerticalChicago.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107479977177881154" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8y3KUQlc75AO36HT6GhXHH1QhCS5dQ64WSQzY7d0CvTUUFQCOGoYEV6p0Mzaknx6C2x-Hbev2jUtpKuu6YlFvvRP2TYvPHmyYn94mDaMhShvnZBfRBUO8iDUxHiFiJIsuMOldof1XzH3/s320/GoVerticalChicago.gif" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLsjdIOii9qYlDd846E5eeTfnK4g0hudFsPJj5MeIFYxMgPO6mVvzGfgxOTPlX5ozY3BpH9MIe3E9VYX5CjYATMb91JmDkM9fj6i-62RAVvcbCr0W5ZPG7Ie0MQww0WcW9BVYu34omYZF/s1600-h/JoinTeam2007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107479513321413170" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLsjdIOii9qYlDd846E5eeTfnK4g0hudFsPJj5MeIFYxMgPO6mVvzGfgxOTPlX5ozY3BpH9MIe3E9VYX5CjYATMb91JmDkM9fj6i-62RAVvcbCr0W5ZPG7Ie0MQww0WcW9BVYu34omYZF/s320/JoinTeam2007.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">2008 !!!</span></strong><br /><br />“Go Vertical” supports the <a href="http://www.drcrf.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=193&srcid=-2" target="_blank">Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation</a>. Registration is still $90 this year and the climb takes place on Sunday, November 9, 2008 (start time is determined the week or so before the climb, but it tends to be early…)<br /><br />2008 will be the sixth annual race to <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvY-rTQN2OJJ0cf6_a6pBepZu1r-ZCXLsLPSmBhjhNQIB1bb6yNMYSV1G2Gn_kGEH7VZME-9qij6khqX9nx9uTQNpjx37WwzHPdHVFVL8MaBxrxOB4-uzjje6tP5qemxYWVeXRR2YMalh6/s1600-h/GoVerticalChicagoBanner.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107479195493833250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvY-rTQN2OJJ0cf6_a6pBepZu1r-ZCXLsLPSmBhjhNQIB1bb6yNMYSV1G2Gn_kGEH7VZME-9qij6khqX9nx9uTQNpjx37WwzHPdHVFVL8MaBxrxOB4-uzjje6tP5qemxYWVeXRR2YMalh6/s320/GoVerticalChicagoBanner.gif" border="0" /></a>the top of the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the USA and the <a href="http://www.towerrunning.com/english/races.htm" target="_blank">longest urban stairclimb in the world</a>! The Sears Tower is 103 floors, 2,109 steps – almost 500 more steps than the Hancock!<br /><br />This is Kari’s Klimbers fifth year climbing the Sears Tower. We don’t have the same hoopla as the Hancock – we don’t focus on fundraising (although it’s a very good cause…) We don’t do t-shirts or anything else. We just show up and climb. Last year there were around 15 of us.<br /><br />Please Note: Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation internalized their web registration this year. It is an incredible cost savings for them – but it is not as “slick” as the prior Convivo or Kintera vendors, but they have been working with me, and working on the site – if you note any problems, please contact me and I will address it with DRCRF.<br /><br /><a href="http://216.235.201.218/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=397&srcid=405&frtid=520" target="_blank"><strong>You can register to join Kari’s Klimbers Sears climb by clicking here…<br /></strong></a><br /><br />Click the "GO / Join our team" button on the right margin... Complete the data requested and click "next" and follow the instructions through the rest of the pages (there are quite a few pages to complete...)<br /><br />If for some reason you don't show up on my roster -- please email me and I will make certain you are moved to my team!<br /><br /><br />Upon completion – make certain you verify your name is on the “Team Members” roster at the bottom of the page… You can go directly to the <a href="http://216.235.201.218/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=397&srcid=405&frtid=520" target="_blank"><strong>Kari’s Klimbers team page here…</strong></a> Make certain you verify you are on the Kari’s Klimbers team roster – I had initial problems with my first registrations.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;"><strong>Please note</strong></span>: There has been some trouble with accessing our team registration pages -- I've tried to re-establish the link to sign up for our team -- If you can't get there, you may be able to use the <a href="https://www.drcrf.org/NETCOMMUNITY/SSLPage.aspx?pid=405&srcid=404&tab=2" target="_blank">general regisration link </a>-- or register by following links from the <a href="http://www.goverticalchicago.org/" target="_blank">home page</a>... If you use the general registration -- select "join an existing team" and search on the name "Kari" -- you'll be able to follow from that point...<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><a href="http://www.climbingforkari.org/" target="_blank">Back to "Kari's Gift" page...</a></strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong></strong>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-15356210333137208002007-09-03T18:36:00.000-07:002008-12-15T10:54:59.585-08:00Kari's Klimbers Team Events Signup Page<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLWPaSmlYV3ASmBnmMGmGs67wxJi5DSCxYF5E8hXW28qkws-qDj-BIvhMuZ1Xm6-uCftakgcDx8glbV9nDi4NtRtfPyhMQPNeITESsneWoMyiaIWTWa8SSJ_Aole8h4EswnKcy4l_LhTg/s1600-h/JoinMyTeams.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124736782147049410" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLWPaSmlYV3ASmBnmMGmGs67wxJi5DSCxYF5E8hXW28qkws-qDj-BIvhMuZ1Xm6-uCftakgcDx8glbV9nDi4NtRtfPyhMQPNeITESsneWoMyiaIWTWa8SSJ_Aole8h4EswnKcy4l_LhTg/s200/JoinMyTeams.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div>Links to three Chicago climbs are below. The "Hustle up the Hancock" has always been special to me, and has always been my focus. The Children's Memorial climb also has a warm place in my heart. I never really look to my team to fund-raise, though some of my team-mates have done a spectacular job of that! All three climbs are for wonderful causes. We prepare and participate in the Hustle with a little more intensity than the others. Just sign up and climb!!! </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /><a name="hancock"></a><strong>John Hancock Center / Hustle up the Hancock !!!</strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglONWsP9wRi2ZtJn7QrHFGq0XCUuYK95JDOvjRpV9BU_kH8jEH8wpqEMFZKOmI-kOexE_xURlp67xKlyzX9F87_0MwTVlkzz6Ga1riZQfzEbmPd9dDFIewdDb2mLOFmx1Vlq68YlAyFiYU/s1600-h/Hustle.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124731537991980946" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglONWsP9wRi2ZtJn7QrHFGq0XCUuYK95JDOvjRpV9BU_kH8jEH8wpqEMFZKOmI-kOexE_xURlp67xKlyzX9F87_0MwTVlkzz6Ga1riZQfzEbmPd9dDFIewdDb2mLOFmx1Vlq68YlAyFiYU/s200/Hustle.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Join our Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago - "Hustle up the Hancock" climb up the John Hancock Center!<br />94 Floors, 1,632 Steps! (Half Climb Team Available Too!)<br />2009 Climb: Sunday, February 22, 2009<br />Registration Starts 8:00am on Monday, November 3rd, 2008<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Note: Last year the full climb sold out in 3 hours! Software improvements should allow it to sell out in less than an hour this year...</span><br /><br />In 2003 the "Hustle" was my first stair-climb. In the four times we've climbed the Hancock since then, we've raised $160,000 for the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago. (Formerly the American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago)(Long story...) We were the highest fund-raising "family team" in 2005 and the highest team, period, in 2006. My team ROCKS! RHAMC has also helped with publicity, which allowed me to tell a lot of people about living with lousy lungs, organ donation, and about the beautiful girl who saved my life - which is so very special to me… The last few years, some of Kari's close friends from Iowa have come out to climb with me on my team. They are now my close friends.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Please Note: Do NOT sign up for the climb before 8:00 a.m. on November 3!!! If you do, you are committing to raising $1,000 for the American Lung Association as a Lung Health Champion. </span><br /><br />Full climb registration on November 3rd is $110 with no further fundraising commitment.<br /><br /><br /></div><br /><p><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;"><a href="http://climbingforkari.blogspot.com/2007/10/hustle-up-hancock-registration.html" target="_blank">Go to my 2009 Hustle Registration Information Link </a></span></strong></p><br /><div><br /></div><br /><p><br /><br /><a name="sears"></a><strong>Sears Tower / Go Vertical</strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZldYxkScIusMqdVkyJ7-kkOfBRHJzHtpdqSeyER9nkJH8Q7RwNjXqh0kCIH3Emnq9NjT3o5qrR3llxm1knyTIhQXHtjExolSxTH264c_4uqYJxr6nE0BJYMO69yzl2ntShDKZXy8MDlx/s1600-h/GoVertical.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124731679725901730" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZldYxkScIusMqdVkyJ7-kkOfBRHJzHtpdqSeyER9nkJH8Q7RwNjXqh0kCIH3Emnq9NjT3o5qrR3llxm1knyTIhQXHtjExolSxTH264c_4uqYJxr6nE0BJYMO69yzl2ntShDKZXy8MDlx/s200/GoVertical.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff0000;"><strong>2008 Sold Out...</strong></span><br /><br />Join our Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation climb up the Sears Tower!<br />103 Floors, 2,109 Steps! The World's Longest Urban Stairclimb!<br />2008 Climb: Sunday, November 9, 2008<br /><br />What's not to love?!?! This is the tallest building stair-climb in the world. Almost 500 more stairs than the Hancock! This is for a good cause - How many of us don't have cancer in our families? And, with all of my immunosuppression, the likelihood of developing some type of cancer is much, much greater than most. (Yes, I'm helping myself here…)<br /><br />My Sears Tower team page is <strong><a href="http://www.drcrf.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=397&srcid=405&frtid=520" target="_blank">here...</a></strong><br /><strong></strong></p><p><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Instructions for joining my Sears team are </span><a href="http://climbingforkari.blogspot.com/2007/09/sears-go-vertical.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">here...</span> </strong></a><br /><strong><br /></p></strong><p></p><p><br /><a name="aon"></a><strong>Aon Building /Step up for Kids - Childrens Memorial Hospital</strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgX0dHfAB5Gvs0CCiwHrsxUiOzqtuvcMD9SGV9g54p1WsVUgHE4tIBnTcpTFQddu0cB5go8uQn8R_yhCQATGZcrUBUTn41PTJqfZHkc7lLYk7nrjXZtip43MtwEVpVVuriCzlHhVguls-z/s1600-h/StepUpForKids.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124731855819560882" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgX0dHfAB5Gvs0CCiwHrsxUiOzqtuvcMD9SGV9g54p1WsVUgHE4tIBnTcpTFQddu0cB5go8uQn8R_yhCQATGZcrUBUTn41PTJqfZHkc7lLYk7nrjXZtip43MtwEVpVVuriCzlHhVguls-z/s200/StepUpForKids.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Join our Children's Memorial - Kohl's "Step up for Kids" climb up the Aon Building! (Formerly the Standard Oil or Amoco Building)<br />80 Floors, 1,643 Steps!<br />2009 Climb: Sunday, January 25, 2009<br /><br />On April 12, 1973, on the day of my 13th birthday, I was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at Children's Memorial Hospital. They guided me and my family and gave us the discipline we needed to take care of me for the rest of my life. When I was diagnosed at 13, life expectancy of a CF patient was 14 years. Children's Memorial helped plant the seeds that allowed me to survive to four days before my 40th birthday. They gave me time to wait until Kari saved my life.<br /></p><p><br /><a href="http://www.heroesforlife.org/site/TR/StepUp/CorporateChallenge?team_id=2810&pg=team&fr_id=1100" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Join our 2009 Step Up For Kids Climb Team here</strong></span><br /></span></a></p><p><br /><br /><strong>Information about stair climbs around the world:</strong><br /><br />Index of world stair-climbs:<a href="http://www.towerrunning.com/english/races.htm" target="_blank">http://www.towerrunning.com/english/races.htm</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><a href="http://breathinsteven.blogspot.com/2007/09/karis-gift.html" target="_blank">Back to "Kari's Gift" page...</a></strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><br /><br /></p><strong></strong>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-52923277988618867432007-09-01T18:03:00.000-07:002008-02-26T18:55:01.700-08:00Revive Hope Hustle Posts<div><br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFstkRu5MAbeHgL0RvN-x16w7kWv3cXUBpTsRzd1sQmIqm7YUe12HTD5A9apj82CU7t7DSU-uUoPS0gSJ7wMr6BnL3_sFLrmIP1mfZXMbCcfF-orXZioMMm82PNXChyphenhyphenGSd34etGmzGRZL/s1600-h/ReviveHope.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159444361748809906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFstkRu5MAbeHgL0RvN-x16w7kWv3cXUBpTsRzd1sQmIqm7YUe12HTD5A9apj82CU7t7DSU-uUoPS0gSJ7wMr6BnL3_sFLrmIP1mfZXMbCcfF-orXZioMMm82PNXChyphenhyphenGSd34etGmzGRZL/s320/ReviveHope.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div>I contribute to a blog named <a href="http://www.revivehope.com/"><strong>Revive Hope</strong> </a>with two other very special people. I generally post on Thursdays. Below are several posts over the past year related to our Hustle climbs or my team, "Kari's Klimbers"...</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/02/as-long-as-my-h.html"><strong>As long as my heart is beating...</strong> </a>February 21, 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDiwJpAVHk0eOeAC7ybqbxawhh4aArkDdLBzo3_8PDJNkiNoDqS438v8QwMt3VfMWxOsTx5tn9EuE2mEJLPOrHqPSerOrF3CJnhXegTWEetEacBdVEH2Trxutf6JN41KBT9P9d0XsfTTs/s1600-h/RHKariVolleyBall.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171486554924199586" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 114px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 137px" height="150" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDiwJpAVHk0eOeAC7ybqbxawhh4aArkDdLBzo3_8PDJNkiNoDqS438v8QwMt3VfMWxOsTx5tn9EuE2mEJLPOrHqPSerOrF3CJnhXegTWEetEacBdVEH2Trxutf6JN41KBT9P9d0XsfTTs/s200/RHKariVolleyBall.jpg" width="119" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div></div><span style="color:#cc0000;">Jenn and Ted and I often post newspaper articles here about people impacted by organ donation – sometimes we’re lucky enough to post an article where we have an intimate knowledge of the people involved in the story… This is one of those times.</span></div><div><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#cc0000;">This is about her...<br /></span><div></div><br /><div><span style="color:#cc0000;"><br /></span> </div></div><br /><div><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2bZhpD59eeRwS1GGS_4WP_ANaQVpCY8j-zAWMiTtbPK57ZzW2jBDCiX3TdMuFExOUJyF9D3Rmqswa-rTySIsI3dDv_5T1xwx10FK1yhU8ZlKCPOee1atpqDL7jPMwfo2FkYCH4WZpjRz/s1600-h/RHSteveLauraChristmas1998.jpg"><span style="color:#cc0000;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171486993010863794" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 104px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 148px" height="145" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2bZhpD59eeRwS1GGS_4WP_ANaQVpCY8j-zAWMiTtbPK57ZzW2jBDCiX3TdMuFExOUJyF9D3Rmqswa-rTySIsI3dDv_5T1xwx10FK1yhU8ZlKCPOee1atpqDL7jPMwfo2FkYCH4WZpjRz/s200/RHSteveLauraChristmas1998.jpg" width="110" border="0" /></span></a><br /></div><div><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#cc0000;">And about him...</span></div><div><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#cc0000;">And about a beautiful story written about both of them, and her family and her friends and published in a paper in her home town...<br /></span></div><div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div> </div></div><div><br /><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/02/setting-your-si.html"><strong>Setting your sights on 1,600 steps... John Allen</strong></a> February 14, 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxKUp9omVFFzVhXSTZmIP4gXekifLpAhTCbMZ2TQtauxnJEGwEQGk_LoGvgm212k6jmJW9rv1PiPqkZGkMrH_PPHbQAq7dJBLj9f329k70WXxqgBfxt9QIcQa0ri90Pddj9_zALZ_fHmF/s1600-h/rhjohnallengroupcrop.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166922129969982594" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 113px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 137px" height="146" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxKUp9omVFFzVhXSTZmIP4gXekifLpAhTCbMZ2TQtauxnJEGwEQGk_LoGvgm212k6jmJW9rv1PiPqkZGkMrH_PPHbQAq7dJBLj9f329k70WXxqgBfxt9QIcQa0ri90Pddj9_zALZ_fHmF/s200/rhjohnallengroupcrop.jpg" width="117" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /> </div><div><strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">This is about a friend named John Allen who received two beautiful, new lungs like me - and how he came about being on my Kari's Klimbers team and Hustling up the Hancock with me...</span></strong></div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /> </div><div><div><strong><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/02/messengers-of-l.html">Messengers of life...</a></strong> February 7, 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeO3DHNrBf8QOmhmoa5H_tLXq3w13MG6jLK2ojiiuGahLWtn7_vFDRg-96dWjFVq6aHpIFGAwnwOyeeyFqzlnzye7KHsKV0f3MPImaOtcJDjEuwW51MSaru2Rp5PwXKQgZw93-V8gZQ3H/s1600-h/RHDonorCycleStairs.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164137463923214722" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 112px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 156px" height="174" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeO3DHNrBf8QOmhmoa5H_tLXq3w13MG6jLK2ojiiuGahLWtn7_vFDRg-96dWjFVq6aHpIFGAwnwOyeeyFqzlnzye7KHsKV0f3MPImaOtcJDjEuwW51MSaru2Rp5PwXKQgZw93-V8gZQ3H/s200/RHDonorCycleStairs.jpg" width="118" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div></div><div></div><br /><div><span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong>It all starts with donors, and with donor families… But sometimes donor families do not realize they are donor families until they meet one of these precious people… Someone has to tell them about the opportunity to save another life when they’ve just lost someone they love… Someone has to help them give a gift, if they choose to do so… And then another someone, sometimes on very short notice, has to rush out and collect that gift to deliver it to the life, or lives that family will save…</strong><br /></span></span></div><br /><br /><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/01/climbing-with-a.html"><strong>Climbing with Anne...</strong> </a>January 31, 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrbksrGlFzJOCq6YM2QkOvYGKQnL0yWctsIppKQsdcce8ENGgen5guT6n5sZntZGoeMijMIz2qCDhSeY7IDZRpF8TqPGcwa-YRJma0udZJzJI1nZJgiRawY-z4R9WeHl3jo7ajlBxv2RK/s1600-h/rhannegulotta.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161635585343752466" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 109px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 167px" height="176" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrbksrGlFzJOCq6YM2QkOvYGKQnL0yWctsIppKQsdcce8ENGgen5guT6n5sZntZGoeMijMIz2qCDhSeY7IDZRpF8TqPGcwa-YRJma0udZJzJI1nZJgiRawY-z4R9WeHl3jo7ajlBxv2RK/s200/rhannegulotta.jpg" width="116" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">This is about my friend Anne... She's a donor wife and an amazing lady and this will be her fourth time climbing with me...</span></strong><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><br /><span style="color:#990000;"></span></p><br /><p><span style="color:#990000;"></p></span><strong><span style="color:#990000;">And it's also a little about Lizzy...</span></strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vq7UFFqRS2BVa-f_6qyywiROAdwn1vGwuXFG4GwabadxK87WAyh7NpDciLSTCvWUPOjGb2QiIBQMDu2VuKBdmQ0Utx-v7T5E8D93uCE8nIX17b5uTREjw9rS4DrTBHZ_K-XQvxgpXNN8/s1600-h/rhlizzydidg.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161635924646168866" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 145px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 99px" height="105" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vq7UFFqRS2BVa-f_6qyywiROAdwn1vGwuXFG4GwabadxK87WAyh7NpDciLSTCvWUPOjGb2QiIBQMDu2VuKBdmQ0Utx-v7T5E8D93uCE8nIX17b5uTREjw9rS4DrTBHZ_K-XQvxgpXNN8/s200/rhlizzydidg.jpg" width="157" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2008/01/12-8-7-3-and-2.html"><strong>#12, #8, #7, #3 and #2...</strong></a> January 24, 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBBwIUPDxZBhufga7TVvo_8B7l7jSiL5lx95tpt6aTTcqUdmFO959b_fV6QPd1X_xZg2aUfFGtfopBfdhtXf4tzaC_aiK22VYIx5lsCzaM46Wx81fgrXVMnjvEz-GZiOO1pOmraRNy2iv/s1600-h/13.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159419128815945778" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 118px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 116px" height="140" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBBwIUPDxZBhufga7TVvo_8B7l7jSiL5lx95tpt6aTTcqUdmFO959b_fV6QPd1X_xZg2aUfFGtfopBfdhtXf4tzaC_aiK22VYIx5lsCzaM46Wx81fgrXVMnjvEz-GZiOO1pOmraRNy2iv/s200/13.jpg" width="165" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">This is a little post about Kari’s friends… It’s the first in a series about some of the special people who climb with me…<br /></span><br /></strong><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2007/10/leaping-tall-bu.html"><strong>Leaping tall buildings... And hugs...</strong></a><strong> </strong>October 25, 2007 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4O2w6cCfF8KS55hVlNmnf6AqWjq_-wIHA5GT-mwCqlSRvk_yEtvMS0BXkTS0E-7_ICq5jy1SS8wPFWh20YYFYriTIVxZYe6XGD2fhqxwNLKfJnV4jebCotkaarbQKGacNW_gu4kxo9AB/s1600-h/Hustle.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159419584082479170" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 95px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 124px" height="124" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4O2w6cCfF8KS55hVlNmnf6AqWjq_-wIHA5GT-mwCqlSRvk_yEtvMS0BXkTS0E-7_ICq5jy1SS8wPFWh20YYFYriTIVxZYe6XGD2fhqxwNLKfJnV4jebCotkaarbQKGacNW_gu4kxo9AB/s200/Hustle.jpg" width="95" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">This is a post about our building climbs and practice climbs – about meeting new people and telling them stories… And about why we climb…<br /></span></strong><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2007/10/my-hustle-teams.html"><strong>My Hustle Teams...</strong></a> October 4, 2007 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguT2Rj53v4JygurIO2viob3BW6iN2k1XXkTgJqn_tXGqZE5X-YO1bBVIBoxCZpPNij8jFGR_v0OTpt5LCfy8KHKZPb9FD6tz-0HMEpG9ZmhambzP57e6xB7N05CjZK8JSnowha41A2oub9/s1600-h/HustleSteve.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159419889025157202" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px" height="150" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguT2Rj53v4JygurIO2viob3BW6iN2k1XXkTgJqn_tXGqZE5X-YO1bBVIBoxCZpPNij8jFGR_v0OTpt5LCfy8KHKZPb9FD6tz-0HMEpG9ZmhambzP57e6xB7N05CjZK8JSnowha41A2oub9/s200/HustleSteve.jpg" width="128" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">As you might imagine from the title, this is about my Hustle teams… It’s a letter to my past team members thanking them for climbing with me… And a note about being recognized, or not recognized… And there are links to about 100 pictures of the 2007 Hustle.<br /></span></strong><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2007/06/whutevah.html"><strong>Happy Birthday, Jenn... </strong></a>June 28, 2007 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvN5pLeT3RoSUlr_8auJD9K0XspXNU2B6zyyqIv9EOEBsPEiUKBNtD5_itJlhbuAJQ0RCOmPSNcMEZvGHyzfMVp6Ph7nXSBlO6IcA25S6Zn-s8xsKda8S24FD0HJnu4QiSv8bjsyZPuOlN/s1600-h/Jenn.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159420249802410082" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 152px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 106px" height="105" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvN5pLeT3RoSUlr_8auJD9K0XspXNU2B6zyyqIv9EOEBsPEiUKBNtD5_itJlhbuAJQ0RCOmPSNcMEZvGHyzfMVp6Ph7nXSBlO6IcA25S6Zn-s8xsKda8S24FD0HJnu4QiSv8bjsyZPuOlN/s200/Jenn.jpg" width="169" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">OK, it’s not hugely Hustle related – but it is about meeting Kari’s friend Jenn and “running” with her, like she wanted to do at our first Hustle together… It has Jenn’s poem, “Talking to the Shadows” that I often use when I speak to let people see Kari through the eyes of one of her friends… Jenn is my friend now. We blog together at Revive Hope.</span></strong><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2007/06/in_my_post_abou.html"><strong>You just never know... Part II</strong></a> June 7, 2007 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mLrnB4JGrFP-82ZRHswekN8mUp9EhVSQ2bfHhMNf8Z4ewHhHMK1-o2cMqZS1PPiaVMP-6IAohy3Z2f81674vzflsGFYYCSPRUp8OjVPo0MIDMgNtfmVbUzrd7Ym0K4rjxxs27HnBSP0V/s1600-h/KatieK.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159420949882079346" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 81px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 152px" height="152" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mLrnB4JGrFP-82ZRHswekN8mUp9EhVSQ2bfHhMNf8Z4ewHhHMK1-o2cMqZS1PPiaVMP-6IAohy3Z2f81674vzflsGFYYCSPRUp8OjVPo0MIDMgNtfmVbUzrd7Ym0K4rjxxs27HnBSP0V/s200/KatieK.jpg" width="88" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">This is about my cousin Katie Kubski… My post contains an article Katie wrote for her school newspaper about organ donation, and about me and Kari… There is a little more about Katie and three other cousins in “You just never know…” below.<br /></span></strong><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2007/06/stairs_just_sta.html"><strong>Stairs -- Just stairs...</strong></a> June 1, 2007 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVk6_fZglyHxptJwv7rIEyG5Jb6IiGzNp2MBLt3yeHvxQkqM4zRlBev0ywF7V71QFwBYLcT7B4ecyv3-qBpVKjnxxTY4JXYzNlmNwtPbYXQIZKOb-gC-wFRWz8UOWLxBvg9p3edz87co0y/s1600-h/KatieJennAlex.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159421349314037890" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 110px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 159px" height="159" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVk6_fZglyHxptJwv7rIEyG5Jb6IiGzNp2MBLt3yeHvxQkqM4zRlBev0ywF7V71QFwBYLcT7B4ecyv3-qBpVKjnxxTY4JXYzNlmNwtPbYXQIZKOb-gC-wFRWz8UOWLxBvg9p3edz87co0y/s200/KatieJennAlex.jpg" width="105" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">This is a post about climbing stairs with lousy, damaged cystic fibrosis lungs – climbing stairs with beautiful, new lungs… And climbing stairs with precious friends of the beautiful girl who gave me those beautiful, new lungs… You just have to see the picture in this post – it defines joy and triumph, and makes me smile.<br /></span></strong><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2007/05/you_just_never_.html"><strong>You just never know...</strong></a> May 27, 2007 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6JSpB8MhnMTjtdayGF5Y4RmuW9nWhlQxsbuPz03ptH8o81hsJ4KY_3Asp1jE-hMSvCxTBM_x4WU5VytC_8mZcHBWPu8d9ztc1exU06AoFD7bVBELRgffmmj4RVE2-PeJpvbxYqB_pTaf/s1600-h/cousins.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159421727271159954" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 161px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 109px" height="109" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6JSpB8MhnMTjtdayGF5Y4RmuW9nWhlQxsbuPz03ptH8o81hsJ4KY_3Asp1jE-hMSvCxTBM_x4WU5VytC_8mZcHBWPu8d9ztc1exU06AoFD7bVBELRgffmmj4RVE2-PeJpvbxYqB_pTaf/s200/cousins.jpg" width="153" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">This is about my cousin Katie, and also about my cousins Lauren, Kara and Kristin… And it’s about not really being aware of the impact we have on one another’s lives… There is a beautiful, excited note from Katie wanting to join my team that touched my heart deeply…<br /></span></strong><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://revivehope.typepad.com/revive_hope/2007/05/my_beautiful_li.html"><strong>My beautiful Lizzy... I'll miss you forever.</strong></a> May 17, 2007 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLj7T40x_Mo9BxI9bRoKFzUsEwe4x_nuzQXvSQumamyKd7PNxRObukEXr_Pg6h6gftIaqeKsHTboReiNQw7glmHtb7nBDCFmgh8iSQLNhm_iwy5e-iWKw8-k7BumlleJyk7ETjXJiwcVXO/s1600-h/LizzyDidg.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159421942019524770" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLj7T40x_Mo9BxI9bRoKFzUsEwe4x_nuzQXvSQumamyKd7PNxRObukEXr_Pg6h6gftIaqeKsHTboReiNQw7glmHtb7nBDCFmgh8iSQLNhm_iwy5e-iWKw8-k7BumlleJyk7ETjXJiwcVXO/s200/LizzyDidg.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">And finally, this is about my friend Lizzy. Lizzy passed away in January, 2007. She had climbed with me three times and she was so very special to me. Like me, she had cystic fibrosis. And like me, she received two beautiful lungs from a very special person and family who she never knew… I will miss her forever…</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;"></span></strong></div>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-80545672961515767562007-08-13T19:55:00.000-07:002007-08-13T20:02:44.684-07:00Sons and Lizzy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjz9C7xWnI2H1hHxV9asPH27_FdUJeLXOXn-3lpvfj2LXl2bhJa7k6wjnkyN0JPmK6Pvk_aUqM7qL9t2S9-5g9CqxWYwzNV7j9_jW45Faurr7KEvLKxo_LiWA1cp5wfI6X_HQ74vam5hIx/s1600-h/Sons.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098386252955387330" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjz9C7xWnI2H1hHxV9asPH27_FdUJeLXOXn-3lpvfj2LXl2bhJa7k6wjnkyN0JPmK6Pvk_aUqM7qL9t2S9-5g9CqxWYwzNV7j9_jW45Faurr7KEvLKxo_LiWA1cp5wfI6X_HQ74vam5hIx/s200/Sons.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Wind/Tree<br /><br />The stronger the wind is, the stronger the tree [chorus]<br /><br />Have you seen it, have you touched the truth,<br />have you ridden that train or taken a longer look?<br />Have you walked that walk, have you taken the leap,<br />have you found a friend or have you lost him?<br /><br />Did you take the blame, have you carried that weight,<br />did you hold somebody's hand when they needed you one day?<br />Did you swallow that pill, did you right that wrong,<br />have you taken that chance or is it long gone?<br /><br />Did you love well, were you stupid sometimes,<br />do you keep up with the Jone's, do you apologize?<br />Keeping everything in order, did you make a little mess<br />'tween the loving and the grieving and the regrets?<br /><br />Did you fall down, did you bury that pride,<br />Did you choke on lover's tears or run a hundred miles high?<br />Did the devil take you under, did redemption bring you release,<br />have you figured out the answer to the mystery?<br /><br />Sue Demel<br /><br /><br />(Dedicated to our friends Liz--who plays the didgeridoo here, & Steve who struggled through life until an organ donor and donor family saved their lives and let them breathe with new lungs. And to Steve's donor, Kari Westberg, and Lizzy's anonymous donor, who they think about every day. Be someone's hero, consider organ donation!)<br /><br /><br />Sons of the Never Wrong are my favorite little band on the planet - I absolutely adore them... I was invited to a backyard concert which they were involved in... It was a "Got Well" party thrown for a precious young lady with cystic fibrosis who had received two beautiful lungs that allowed her to live, and "Got Well"... The Sons and Tom Dundee and Kat Eggleston threw a free concert in her honor... My wife and I fell in love with the Sons and now we follow them everywhere...<br /><br />The precious young lady who received the two beautiful lungs is Lizzy - And I am Steve... We're the Liz and Steve in the dedication that appears in the liner notes of their "Nuthatch Suite" CD... I too have cystic fibrosis. The other person in the dedication was Kari Westberg - an incredibly intelligent, athletic and beautiful girl from Iowa. Kari brought her beautiful smile into my life when she passed away in April 2000, and she and her family gave me both of her lungs... Kari was 17 and had told her family how strongly she felt about organ donation twice during the month before she passed. On the CD, you can hear Lizzy's beautiful new lungs as she plays the didgeridoo in the beginning and background of Wind/Tree...I think the title of the song is particularly fitting for Lizzy and her didg - a didgeridoo is an instrument made from a hollowed tree. And Liz plays her didg with wind that was a gift.<br /><br />I fell in love with "Wind/Tree" the moment I heard it... I told Sue Demel that the refrain and the song reminded me of Lizzy and me -- That sometimes when you face a strong wind in life, it makes you a stronger tree... Sue changed a line in the song to "run a hundred miles high" for me and Lizzy -- The past several years we've taken our beautiful new lungs 94 floors up the stairwells of the John Hancock Center for the American Lung Association and the "Hustle up the Hancock." And Lizzy and I were incredibly touched when Sue dedicated the song to us on the CD liner notes... And like Sue wrote -- I do think about Kari Westberg every day, and Lizzy thinks about her donor every day...<br /><br />The Sons of the Never Wrong are awesome... I love their music -- They have so many fun, and heart felt songs... And if you have the chance, you really need to see them in person -- They're more fun than their music... And after you see them, their CDs become much more rich... You can see their schedule or order a CD via their website (below) or through Amazon.com.<br /><br />More about Lizzy is at the bottom of my first webpage - You can also read a little about her, by her, at: (Click on the "Liz Feistamel" link!)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.giftofhope.org/community-partners/dfr/inspirations-tribute-book.htm">Gift of Hope -- Inspirations Tribute Book</a><br /><br /><br /><br />Sons of the Never Wrong - <a href="http://www.sons.com/">http://www.sons.com/</a><br />Bruce Roper: guitar, vocals<br />Deborah Maris Lader: guitar, mandolin, vocals<br />Sue Demel: guitars, vocals, djembe drums<br /><br /><a href="http://tinyurl.com/zvt85">Link to Son's CDs at Amazon.com</a>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-79893547934984700432007-08-13T19:48:00.000-07:002007-08-13T19:53:23.488-07:00For My Friend, Lizzy Feistamel - Nov 18, 1978 - Jan 31, 2007<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSSe1laCoXLwelsm1Yl47LKK5PN-sOmPzmkiCCh-rNIiCtZN77lUGKsvdF5I5tTGEZ1dQnwaCDl_aqVoGlOAsUifLvfYUiToO-2HT-XEof3KjBjCBNvghluemPIz3Osh2I2v_-cjcvJj9/s1600-h/LizzyDidg.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098383783349192082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSSe1laCoXLwelsm1Yl47LKK5PN-sOmPzmkiCCh-rNIiCtZN77lUGKsvdF5I5tTGEZ1dQnwaCDl_aqVoGlOAsUifLvfYUiToO-2HT-XEof3KjBjCBNvghluemPIz3Osh2I2v_-cjcvJj9/s400/LizzyDidg.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>February 3, 2007<br /><br />I found my friend Lizzy - or maybe we found each other around five years ago. I walked into our little lung transplant support group and spotted her - I think it's easy for us CFers to spot our kind. She was sitting there, sucking oxygen, with her entourage surrounding her - her Mom, Kate, Luke and Em and other friends. I don't remember all your names, but I'll never forget how much you love Lizzy... I sat down next to Lizzy that day and I proceeded to fall in love.<br /><br />I let her know I'd been in her shoes - and I let her know how incredible this breathin' stuff really is. Her eyes and her whole face lit up as I explained a little about what was in store for her. Over the next several months, I did my best to keep her spirits up with emails we exchanged - but as sick as she was, her responses always seemed to boost my spirits higher than I ever imagined I could raise hers.<br /><br />I remember she blew me off at the CF Great Strides walk on a beautiful Sunday - because she had been called for her lungs a few days before. I went anyways, and I met around 20 incredible people - her family and friends who were all so very excited, and shared that love and excitement with me. I heard so many stories that day, including how Mr. Joanis used to open the door and bark, "What do YOU want?!?" whenever Lizzy came to visit Em while she was waiting - but he also made sure there was a comfortable chair next to every staircase for her to rest... Being surrounded by people who love Lizzy so very much was incredible...<br /><br />After that, I remember Lizzy talking about doing her first 5K - she started running much more quickly than I did after my transplant. And I remember excited emails about teaching neighbors to swim and hip-hop dance classes and other fun things - it was impossible not to sense her love of life.<br /><br />We even leapt tall buildings together - she scampered 94 floors up the Hancock's stairs with me a few times<br /><br />I don't know her as well as many of you have known her, and I haven't loved her as long as many of you have loved her - but like so many of you, Lizzy touched my soul in a very deep way... Some of us CF people tend to get under people's skin - I'm used to doing that to others - but I'm not always accustomed to having it done to me like Lizzy did... We may have been given a tough role in life, but so many of us are surrounded by such incredible love - I know Lizzy felt that way. Lizzy is one of my heroes - and Lizzy didn't become Lizzy by accident... She was surrounded by a wonderful and loving family, and incredible friends.<br /><br />Thank you Jon, for letting Lizzy know love - this is what she wrote to me last March: "Things are going so well with my love. It is like an awakening. Truly a gift from the universe. The same kind of miraculous gift as receiving new lungs. Something you could have always hoped for but never have dreamed up how special it is to actually live it." No one should ever leave this planet without feeling love for and feeling loved by someone beyond our families
That's what you did for Lizzy, Jon, and it means so much to so many of us...<br /><br />Part of me is disappointed in the world for letting a precious young girl down - another part of me is thankful that she got five more beautiful years of life than she may have had - and she learned what it was like to really breathe... I wish she would have known who her donor was, I wish her donor family would have known Lizzy - she would have liked that, and they would have adored her.<br /><br />Lizzy didn't deserve her cystic fibrosis, she didn't deserve all she went through then, and now... She deserved so much more than five years with beautiful, new lungs... Life is kinda puzzling sometimes and what happened to our Lizzy was not fair - but Life isn't fair or unfair... Life just is... Life just happens. We're all given a battle plan in life - and some of us seem to draw much more difficult assignments than others... But we all fight with the spirit we're given - I'll always admire your spirit, Lizzy...<br /><br />A year after her beautiful new lungs, the Joanis', Tom Dundee, Kat Eggleston and the Sons of the Never Wrong, and so many other people threw Lizzy a "got well" party - I fell in love with the Sons through Lizzy. Sue Demel wrote a song that I told her reminded me of Lizzy and me. On their next CD, Lizzy played her didgeridoo on that song, and we were both incredibly honored that the Sons dedicated that song to Lizzy, me and the donors that saved our lives. The song starts:<br /><br />The stronger the wind is, the stronger the tree<br />Have you seen it, have you touched the truth,<br />have you ridden that train or taken a longer look?<br />Have you walked that walk, have you taken that leap,<br />have you found a friend<br /><br />or have you lost her?<br /><br />We've all lost a beautiful and precious friend and daughter and sister and aunt and a love today. But Lizzy will be in our hearts forever.<br /><br />I love you Lizzy.</div>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-66410783862858426252007-08-13T19:28:00.000-07:002007-08-13T19:47:00.245-07:00Kari's Family's Letter<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv9KCoYnPSr8Sw4hxGRCK3qMoYSTeAHKA_7V_qDrpakQORrzC9Qrvg4gDNOLH-8P1AdFRFfTgiYX-_uV24Z5Q5sfp4EbtYwzqHQ6NKN84qwHGDbFRB15nPw63iOqMOUQb16im6Jwrx5xjk/s1600-h/UpLeftAngels.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098378728172684674" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv9KCoYnPSr8Sw4hxGRCK3qMoYSTeAHKA_7V_qDrpakQORrzC9Qrvg4gDNOLH-8P1AdFRFfTgiYX-_uV24Z5Q5sfp4EbtYwzqHQ6NKN84qwHGDbFRB15nPw63iOqMOUQb16im6Jwrx5xjk/s200/UpLeftAngels.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />October 27, 2001<br /><br />Dear Steve and Laura Lung,<br /><br />This letter is way over due, and for that we apologize. We think about you often and hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. I truly believe that until we worked through some of our grief and came to terms with our new way of life we just couldn't write. We have all been on quite a roller coaster ride this past year and a half. One that seems to never end, yet one that seems to get a little easier with everyday. We have read and reread your letter a million times. It has given us great strength to move forward and has eased our pain tremendously. We are so grateful that you took the time to write us about your illness and miraculous recovery. A recovery we all expected based on the high quality organs you received!! (We may be a bit biased). Your letter meant everything to us as we struggled to understand the cards we'd been dealt.<br /><br />We live in a small rural community in North Central Iowa with a population of about 6,000. We have lived here all our lives. It is a wonderful community to live and raise children in. We are a very tight knit family and always have been. This is one of the foundations holding us together and helping us through this ordeal.<br /><br />We were a family of four, with two beautiful daughters! It was as if our life was so perfect, so much we had taken for granted but didn't realize it until it was too late. Kari our youngest daughter is your donor. She was seventeen and a junior in high school when she brought her big smile into your life. Kari was a bright, beautiful young lady who truly enjoyed everything life had to offer. One would have never guessed that anything was to go wrong. She was as healthy as a horse! Kari kept very active, in fact she had been out running with a friend the day before she passed away. She was attempting to stay in shape and train for the volleyball season to come in the fall. Volleyball was the love of her life and she was very good at it!! She was a very powerful middle hitter, we would say that she was the leading role on the team. Kari wore the number 13, which has now been retired and her jersey buried with her. She was 5'9 and weighed about 150. She had a short torso and long skinny legs that seemed never ending. By her junior year she had given up all other sports except volleyball, but remained extremely active in other activities. Kari played the French Horn in the band, sang in the choir, dabbled in mock trial, either played in the pit bands or performed in the school plays, and worked at a local pizza establishment. She was a member of the National Honor Society and took great pride in being ranked academically in the top 10% of her class. School came very easy to Kari.<br /><br />She excelled in math and the sciences but wouldn't admit that she liked any of them. Although she was very busy the majority of the time Kari had a side to her that said, "I'm going to be a pile today!" She loved to sit, watch TV, and munch. Kari had been teaching herself to knit at the time of her death.<br /><br />Kari was a very unique individual. She was very head strong, a trait she obtained from her dad. She seldom buckled to peer pressure and wasn't afraid to speak up for what she believed in. Kari had a definite ornery side to her! Oh how she loved to pick on me! At times she would drive me nuts, but now I long for her to pick on me again. She was very quick with verbal exchange and always got the last word in .<br /><br />Kari had a lot of friends. She wasn't one to hangout with just one or two people, she spread her fun loving attitude among many. Which we saw to be true at her funeral as over 700 people were in attendance. Every pew in the church was full. They had people sitting in the basement watching the service on a television. One of the things we learned about Kari from all the people that came through the funeral home was that she always had a smile on her face, one they said they would never forget. We received over 125 flower arrangements for the funeral which left the church with a wonderful aroma. Kari would have been in awe to know that she had influenced so many peoples lives.<br /><br />Kari had a special boyfriend that she spent most of her spare time with. They had been going together since the eighth grade and had become the very best of friends. They shared everything and helped keep each other on the right track. He has since stayed very close with our family and Alyssa has adopted him as her new little brother .<br /><br />Kari and her older sister Alyssa had a beautiful relationship. They weren't like most ordinary siblings because they almost always got along. In fact I can't even remember them fighting. Alyssa always mothered Kari and was always there for her whenever the need arose. I remember Kari saying after Alyssa went to college that you just don't appreciate what you have until it's gone. She was so right!! Our girls were as different as night and day. Kari was more of a spur of the moment kind of girl. Where Alyssa is very organized and always plans things. We had always talked that if we could give a little of Alyssa's strong points to Kari and vice versa that we would have the perfect kids!<br /><br />Kari died very suddenly Friday April 7, of a subarachnoid brain hemorrhage. It was the day before her junior prom. When the doctor came in to ask us if we would consider being organ donors we all new what Kari wanted. She felt very strongly about organ donation and had let us all know which made it very easy for us to donate. It was like she had the whole thing set up. About a month or so before she died we had had a conversation at the supper table on the topic of organ donation and she was very verbal about how she felt. Her main point was, "Why wouldn't you give someone else a chance to live if you couldn't anymore!!" It seemed so logical coming out of her mouth. I guess it took our seventeen year old daughter to teach us about giving selflessly to others. Kari had also talked to Alyssa about organ donation not too long before she passed away. They had been looking at each other's drivers licenses and Kari jumped all over Lys because she didn't have it marked on hers!! She was an incredible little girl but I'm sure I don't have to tell you that. You wouldn't believe how many people have come up to us since Kari's death to say that they have changed their drivers license and talked to their family about being an organ donor. You truly got a gift from Kari, and she would be so proud to know that she has done such a wonderful thing for you. Giving you back the quality of life you went so long without. We are so happy that you are taking good care of your new lungs and treasuring every new opportunity that comes knocking at your door. We hope that in this letter we have given Kari the justice she truly deserves. Wishing that you could have known her, I hope we have given you an idea of what she was like. We as a family would love to hear from you again. If you would like to email or talk on the phone, we are ready for any of them. Just let us know.<br /><br />Again thank you so much for writing us and we hope you are feeling terrific and enjoying each and everyday. Take care and God be with you.<br /><br />Sincerely yours,<br /><br />Larry, Lisa, and Alyssa<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GVCQ16zHqmkDrrXq0AHsxCAzbFcEmuYd9r8esbXJsImcndw3TVAE0E7dEC5l5-OArr_soxDMjl_kUCFb-QGbnW0E1P81iIdrPU_Z-y83bYG99LMi8p-gn9NwvsT4GSyCt7aO_pD4QtYs/s1600-h/LowRightAngel.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098378418935039346" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GVCQ16zHqmkDrrXq0AHsxCAzbFcEmuYd9r8esbXJsImcndw3TVAE0E7dEC5l5-OArr_soxDMjl_kUCFb-QGbnW0E1P81iIdrPU_Z-y83bYG99LMi8p-gn9NwvsT4GSyCt7aO_pD4QtYs/s200/LowRightAngel.jpg" border="0" /></a>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-90025797031496545692007-08-13T19:25:00.000-07:002007-08-13T19:26:30.763-07:00Steve's LetterSunday, September 10, 2000<br /><br />Dear Donor Family,<br /><br /><br />My name is Steve. I live in Illinois, and have lived in the same general area all of my life. I've been married to my wife Laura for over 11 years. I truly believe I love her more than when we fell in love 14 years ago. We have no children, but we share 10 beautiful nieces & nephews all under 10 years old. Because of you, I celebrated my 40th birthday 4 days after my surgery. Because of you, I'll be able to share my nieces' & nephews' lives, go to little league games & gymnastic meets, and I won't worry about leaving my wife alone.<br /><br />Prior to going on disability 3 years ago, I worked at one of the financial exchanges for 18 years. I had to leave 3 years ago to wait for my transplant. They have been incredibly supportive the entire 3 years I was waiting. They've welcomed me back with open arms. 10 weeks after my surgery, I returned to a hero's welcome! I've been lucky enough to love what I do almost as much as I love life!<br /><br />My wife and I enjoy simple things like reading at the coffee shop around the corner, walking along the lakefront and parks, and though I'm not that good, I love to golf. We haven't been able to do any of those things since I started going downhill 4 years ago. Your gift to me changed all of that.<br /><br />I've struggled with cystic fibrosis for 40 years. I've also had an incredibly supportive family, and a wonderful doctor for the last 27 years who has helped me live well beyond the average CF lifespan, but not without some bumps. I knew about 10 years ago a transplant was likely in my future. At that time my doctor told me the year I would wait would be the most difficult year of my life. Little did either of us know it would be over 2 1/2 years. But my wife, family and doctor rallied around me and really kept me going, medically and emotionally.<br /><br />After complications from a collapsed lung in mid 1996, and a severe bleeding incident in May 1997, I went on supplemental oxygen 24 hours a day. I was forced to leave work in July 1997 and began testing to see if I qualified for a lung transplant. I was finally listed on September 8, 1997. By that time, I was getting chest physical therapy (pounding) to clear my secretions 4 times daily. Each treatment was 2 hours long for a total of 8 hours of pounding on my chest every day. My first treatment started at 5am, and the last one finished at 11pm. I was too wired to go to bed before midnight, and this continued for 2 years 7 months until my transplant. Luckily, we had a very dedicated professional therapist who drove 1 hour to get to our house at 5am every morning, 7 days a week for over 2 1/2 years! She did the 2 morning treatments, my wife did the 5pm treatment when she got home from work, and my younger sister drove over every night to do the 9pm treatment. I was on I.V. meds for several months, and inhaled meds, either of which took at least 2 hours daily to administer. The doctors required me to gain at least 15 pounds or they were going to put a feeding tube in my belly. I did NOT want that, so I was eating 6 or 7 small meals daily because it's hard to breathe with a full belly. I never slept more than 5 straight hours the entire 31 months I waited. My wife didn't get a lot more sleep. She got up with me, then napped for another hour before she went to work. The rest of the day, if she wasn't at work, she was helping me. For 2 years 7 months my wife and family's focus was keeping me alive and healthy enough for transplant.<br /><br />When I was initially listed, we were told it would be about a one year wait. Many of the people already transplanted doubted it would be more than 9 months. Much of the first 6 months I really wasn't certain I would survive until transplant. After 6 months I stabilized a little, and I think about then I started believing I would make it the few months left until transplant. Little did we know I would wait 2 more years!<br /><br />Around April 1998, my Dad was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Except for a few silly things like gallstones, he had never been sick a day in his life. During surgery, they determined the cancer had spread. Over the next year we went through several ups and downs, thinking it was under control, then finding it somewhere else. In May 1999 my Dad passed away. He was truly a beautiful man. There were about 300 friends and family at both the wake and funeral. I had the honor of giving part of the eulogy. We asked my Dad's best friends to spread his ashes on his favorite golf course. A week later I got my first of 4 false alarm calls to the hospital for transplant. My Dad was looking forward to my transplant so very much, it seemed like he was with us. Though being sent home was a letdown, it was really moving to have the entire family together and so very excited for me. We had really been prepared for false alarms, over the next year or so we had 3 more. By the 4th one we almost assumed any call would most likely be false.<br /><br />Something felt different to me on April 8, 2000. We were called at 2:00pm and told that the surgery may take place at 10:00pm. It was the longest wait we'd experienced. Laura was a little skeptical as we waited by the phone for a call telling us not to bother to come. We left for the hospital around 6pm. I really had a different feeling about this call. Both Laura and my families were with me in pre-op. Since no other patients were in pre-op, the nurse left all 10 of them visit with me until they rolled me into the operating room. Over the past year, I really thought I was going to be afraid before they put me under, but I felt strangely prepared for what was coming. I was a little apprehensive, but I also knew that if this didn't happen soon, my luck wasn't likely to hold out much longer, so I knew I was ready. After they prepped me and had all the I.V. lines in, before they put me under, I asked a nurse to please have someone go out during surgery and tell my wife I love her more than anything. I thought about my Dad, then they put me out.<br /><br />My surgery was 5 1/2 hours. Someone relayed my message to Laura. By midnight they told my wife and family my first new lung was in. After completing the second lung, my surgeon told Laura the scarring on my lungs was the worst he'd seen in his 12 years of doing transplants.<br /><br />It took them about 3 hours to get me stable after surgery, and they kept me pretty much unconscious for 12 hours (including the 3 unstable hours). I vaguely recall coming around a few times and fighting the ventilator, but they put me back out right away. I can remember not being able to breathe, but vividly realizing that I was alive and didn't have to breathe because it was being done for me. The next thing I really remember is all kinds of things being pulled away from my face and out of my nose, the fog clearing, and I looked up and saw Laura.<br /><br />Laura had called her father and step-mother in South Carolina as soon as my surgery started. They hopped into their car and drove straight through to Chicago. You can imagine my surprise when I woke up and saw both of our families including their smiling faces! Aside from our families, a few close friends came to wait several hours with Laura while I was in surgery between 10pm and 4am! You can imagine how moved I was.<br /><br />I woke up talking like I've never talked before. 3 hours after I woke up I had my first tray. Broth and Jell-O never tasted so good! The pain after surgery was MUCH less than I had anticipated. My recovery was incredible. The only reason I was in intensive care for 2 days was because they couldn't find a regular bed for me after 1 day!<br /><br />My hospital stay went incredibly smoothly. I celebrated my 40th birthday 4 days after my transplant. My Mom brought a cake big enough for 40 people which we shared with anyone that came near my room. I stood up the day after my surgery, and was walking slowly around the room the next day. By the 4th day, Physical Therapy and Rehab was amazed at how well I was getting around. So was I! I went home 6 days after my surgery. Laura and I were walking around the courtyard of our building the next day. 3 days later we walked 1/2 mile to get coffee at Starbuck's. You can't even imagine the feelings I was experiencing. Just 10 days out of surgery and I was walking better than I have in 5 years! Less than 3 weeks out of surgery we were walking 2 or 3 miles daily. At 3 weeks I asked the doc if I could try to play tennis and ride a bike -- he said to go for it. Laura has been bothering me to get bikes for 10 years. I kept avoiding it because I just didn't have the stamina. At 3 weeks we bought bikes! We ride 1 or 2 miles every few days. It's truly incredible!<br /><br />At 5 weeks out, I got permission to swing a golf club. We went to the driving range. My incision still hurt a bit, but I was able to hit half of a bucket out. I haven't swung a club in over 4 years. I found out I'm still as bad as I always was. And it's wonderful!<br /><br />I've gotten quite a bit more emotional since my transplant. I suppose it's a combination of the excitement and the medications. I've been truly overwhelmed by the numerous friends and family members that have provided me constant support during my long wait, and shared in our joy when I was successfully transplanted. I'll find myself walking down the street, or in a group, and tears will begin streaming down my face... happy tears. And if someone asks, I tell them about you. I tell them how a family in Iowa lost a loved one, yet thought enough to give life to someone they never met. There's a special place in my heart and thoughts for you and your loved one. I think about you often, and I always will.<br /><br />It's difficult for me to share the joy I feel and at the same time reconcile that with the loss I know you've suffered. I do know what you did was a purely selfless act. And an act of pure goodness. After 40 years of living with cystic fibrosis, I hope you can understand what you've done for me. You did not just save my life. You've given me a life I've never known; I've never, EVER been able to breathe this well. I don't know if I can do anything to ease the pain you feel, but I will always do my best to honor the gift you've given me, and the loved one you've lost. My wife, my family and I will never forget what you've done for me.<br /><br />The week I returned to work I mentioned to a coworker and friend that my donor family was from Iowa. Later that day my friend sent me an email reminding me of that scene from the movie "Field of Dreams", where one character asked, "Is this Heaven?" And the other character replied, "No, this is Iowa." Because of your gift, this is how I'll always think of Iowa.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />SteveBreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-4150341878302057252007-08-13T19:07:00.000-07:002007-08-13T19:22:08.613-07:00Talking to the Shadows<div align="center"><a align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Talking to the Shadows</span> </strong></div></a><strong><br /><p align="center"><br /></p><br /><div align="center"><br />By Jennifer Amendt</strong></div><br /><p align="center"><br /><br /><br />Do you remember when we were little girls how you use to walk me home from an afternoon of fun only to have me turn around and walk you straight back home?<br />I will never forget how after hours of fun in the snow we would come back inside with our pink little noses and sopping socks to our steamy cups of hot chocolate, board games, and movies.<br /></p><br /><p align="center">Our last run, or walk, is the fondest memory I have with you.<br />After our long walk we went back to my house and I put my prom dress on for you, it had just been finished.<br />I remember how we giggled because you made fun of how flat my chest looked in it.<br /><br />We walked back to your house that night and I saw you in your prom dress.<br />A dress you would never wear.<br />Sometimes I think you knew that God was calling you home.<br />Could you hear him whispering your name?<br /><br />Two days later I received a phone call saying, "come quickly" you were sick.<br />Two days later, you were in heaven, while our hearts were breaking apart down here.<br />Two days later, I felt alone.<br />Those days surrounding your sudden absence I will never forget.<br />The tears, the screams, the anger, the sorrow, and the loneliness are etched into my brain forever.<br /><br />Almost five years later, some memories are starting to fade.<br />I don't talk to you as much.<br />I use to think about what you did to pass the time away.<br />Now a week or two will go by when I don't think about you at all.<br /><br />Are you forgetting me like I am forgetting you?<br />I hardly remember your voice.<br />I could never forget that smile.<br />Yet, the memories still seem to fade, even if I don't want them to.<br /><br />Can you see us strive?<br />Can you see us fail?<br />Do you see us smile?<br />Are you the one who helps pick us up when we fall?<br /><br />In a few months I will run with the man who has your lungs.<br />I want to run with you one last time.<br />I know it will not be the same, but will you be there?<br />When I hear him huff and breathe on our run, will those be your breathes I hear?<br />When I am old and gray and it is time for my last breath, will you be there?<br />Will you be there holding my hand to walk me home where we belong?<br /></p><br /><div align="center"></div><p align="center"> </p><br /><div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietj0AeK9WYaYNJVAgAm3kM1Q5X7x-In1c0CRfx5g2QFr1FCnVyW-1VIYZcqxjJZR7gtqzqGSAtEGyGwpGwrv0J4mYR26KjXjOUL_mlHx3AOR5WSo65mEb_YAsGEdVu8ZZBbaludce3wx2/s1600-h/KariErinJennLaura.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098375412457932114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietj0AeK9WYaYNJVAgAm3kM1Q5X7x-In1c0CRfx5g2QFr1FCnVyW-1VIYZcqxjJZR7gtqzqGSAtEGyGwpGwrv0J4mYR26KjXjOUL_mlHx3AOR5WSo65mEb_YAsGEdVu8ZZBbaludce3wx2/s400/KariErinJennLaura.jpg" border="0" /></a>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-9102284619705867872007-08-13T19:03:00.000-07:002007-08-13T19:12:45.019-07:00From a Quiet Corner<div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">From a Quiet Corner</span> </strong></div><strong><br /><div align="center"><br />Jennifer Marie Amendt<br />In Loving Memory of Kari Westberg </strong></div><strong><br /></strong><br />A table is beautifully placed in a room<br />A white cloth delicately drapes across it<br /><br />The lights are dimmed shyly low<br />And in the corner I do sit<br /><br />I watch as their silhouettes move around<br />Carefully setting up chairs<br /><br />I watch as her mother brings out an elaborate cake<br />And still no one notices I'm there<br /><br />She places the cake down with care<br />As only a mother can do<br /><br />I sit in silence<br />And I am in awe by how fast the time has flew<br /><br />I watch as a tear trickles slowly down her cheek<br />She brushes it gently away<br /><br />A yearning, I know is in her heart<br />The pain, I know is here to stay<br /><br />She places each candle carefully atop the cake<br />Her hand trembling from a broken heart<br /><br />Her head hung low from loneliness<br />Her heart aches from being apart<br /><br />With a mothers love she places the last candle in its place<br />And tears glisten in her eyes<br /><br />Then from a box she pulls out an angel<br />An angel with her head held high<br /><br />Her wings and arms spread wide open<br />And her face has that same smile<br /><br />Her eyes have a look of love in them<br />As if they are saying, "please mom, don't cry"<br /><br />The mother kisses the angel and places it amongst the candles<br />The angel acquires this unbelievable shine<br /><br />The mother leans towards the angel<br />And whispers softly, "sweetheart, you'll always be mine"<br /><br />Her husband walks in and grabs her hand<br />His eyes seem to not be the same<br /><br />He tries to be strong for his wife and his other daughter<br />But how can he be strong without his flame?<br /><br />A young woman enters<br />With a similar smile to one I've known<br /><br />A smile so familiar<br />A smile that has always shone<br /><br />She walks over to her parents<br />Her heart singing that same sad song<br /><br />Yet, something is missing<br />This picture is all wrong<br /><br />The doors are thrown wide open<br />The guests begin to rush in<br /><br />They hug and greet the family<br />And wait for the party to begin<br /><br />They wait and wait for her<br />Hours go by and so do the days<br /><br />She never shows up<br />The guests do not stay<br /><br />As everyone leaves<br />I sit all quiet and still<br /><br />I look back at all the years I had with her<br />All the memories and stories to tell<br /><br />As her family walks out<br />They shut off all the lights<br /><br />All that is left are the candles aglow<br />I stare at that beautiful angel and I duck out of sightBreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-35946117755810428702007-08-13T18:57:00.000-07:002007-08-13T19:23:44.555-07:00Jenn's Poetry<p align="center"><strong>Jenn's Poems</strong></p><br /><br /><br /><p>Kari's family and I began direct contact in early 2002. On what would have been Kari's 19th birthday, I received a "Happy 19th Birthday to your Lungs!" card. Folded in the card was a beautiful poem titled "<a href="http://climbingforkari.blogspot.com/2007/08/from-quiet-corner.html"target="_blank">From a Quiet Corner</a>"… I've read and re-read this poem a hundred times. The poem had the author's email address on it, and I always wanted to contact Jennifer and tell her how beautiful I thought the poem is… But I wasn't sure how she might feel hearing from me, and I could never invade her privacy in that way.<br /><br /><br />In April 2004, I received an email from Kari's Mom saying Jenn wanted to get in touch with me… A few days later, a precious little email popped into my inbox. Though I already knew a good deal about her, Jenn introduced herself and explained her relationship with Kari. She told me they were close friends, neighbors and running partners - And that they had been running, or really walking and goofing around a few days before Kari passed. She said they had gone to one another's houses and saw each other's prom dresses… Kari never got to wear hers.<br /><br /><br />Jenn said she couldn't run for a long time after Kari passed because it brought back too many memories… Her family moved from Algona not long after. She said that she was back to running a few years later - And "talked" to Kari on her runs to keep her from slowing. Her next paragraph began, "The reason I'm getting in contact with you is because I want to run with Kari again!" She went on to tell me that she and several friends planned to drive out from Iowa and climb on my "Kari's Klimbers" team… If you know me, you can probably imagine how that made me feel!<br /><br /><br />Several months after we began emailing one another, Jenn read her poem, "In a Quiet Corner" to her church group. They coaxed her to write another poem and Jenn wrote "<a href="http://climbingforkari.blogspot.com/2007/08/talking-to-shadows.html"target="_blank">Talking to the Shadows</a>."<br /><br /><br />I have the opportunity to speak to various groups about organ donation, and about Kari. Recently, I've started my presentations with Jenn's poem, "Talking to the Shadows". Both poems show me how much Kari loved her friends, and how very much they loved her.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://climbingforkari.blogspot.com/2007/08/from-quiet-corner.html"target="_blank">From a Quiet Corner </a>- By Jennifer Amendt ©2001<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://climbingforkari.blogspot.com/2007/08/talking-to-shadows.html"target="_blank">Talking to the Shadows </a>- By Jennifer Amendt ©2004</p><p></p>BreathinStevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13425167024998690437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756067706334118492.post-186115721374611442007-08-09T14:03:00.000-07:002007-08-09T14:10:39.720-07:00Website Pictures<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ubjBGiaD0fGoWmDTq31W-mkozOnMRjr2C6BJOdbqHGQwa3o00VStyd0tBYaZBgAiEJSnZ2gUWNrQTMXf7M6XVOBBYDMR48vAoWnDO6Y-zhxR8-b2PcL1DSO78n5JOaSInGjc4Kvqpj5c/s1600-h/PledgeTeam2007.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ubjBGiaD0fGoWmDTq31W-mkozOnMRjr2C6BJOdbqHGQwa3o00VStyd0tBYaZBgAiEJSnZ2gUWNrQTMXf7M6XVOBBYDMR48vAoWnDO6Y-zhxR8-b2PcL1DSO78n5JOaSInGjc4Kvqpj5c/s400/PledgeTeam2007.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096811065109644562" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNmiGpJ0LdKdYWctBuQ84_-9h4ZgfF746eQdHFrrLe2ZlS8v2sbC-mIlkl25WnnQcT1nzOrtasYC-MidE-QIyrc5BonZybOMXrfDAhBuBELCx6HhKypAklksa40YlnQjSVuubqLsgLyTr/s1600-h/Sears.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; 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