Team Katie – Great Strides 2011 results!

May 29, 2011 Leave a Comment

Team Katie - Great Strides 2011

Team Katie - Great Strides 2011

To all Team Katie supporters,

Thank you so much for your generous contributions to Team Katie in support of the 2011 Great Strides fundraiser. We continue to be overwhelmed by the tremendous outpouring of generosity and encouragement that we’ve received from you, our friends, as we do what we can to help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.

This annual fundraiser has been a huge motivator for us. In many ways, we feel powerless to help Katie. Our fundraising efforts have been one of the key ways that we’ve had to focus our energy in a positive way to help Katie live a long, healthy life. The funds that we raise are efficiently used to support CF patients and to help find a cure.

Some numbers from today:
Total money raised for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation = $1,961,608+
Total money raised for the Niagara-Hamilton Great Strides Walk = $107,686
Total money raised for Team Katie = $17,154
Total sponsors for Team Katie = 243
Total Team Katie walkers today = 80

You can see a slideshow of some pics from this weekend’s event here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/toddhdow/sets/72157626383527816/show/

And, the complete flickr photo stream of the event is located here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/toddhdow/sets/72157626383527816/

Your monetary contributions have been a huge source of inspiration for us and we thank you for that. Not only are you helping fund the fight to beat CF, but each of you have also given our family a boost – we live with CF on a daily basis. We try not to get down, and most of the time, we’re okay. But, sometimes it all catches up with us. The weight of a fatal disease in the family makes for some grim thoughts from time to time. But, we feel comfort knowing that we have so many friends that support us and rally behind us in this cause.

To everyone that has helped us this year, we thank you. Each of you, in contributing your time, money, thoughts and prayers are helping to save Katie’s life. And for that, we are eternally grateful.

Much love,

Todd, Julie, Noah, Katie & Riley

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Breathe Easy Nebulizer Mask Holder

May 6, 2011 Leave a Comment

Breathe Easy Nebulizer Mask Holder

Breathe Easy Nebulizer Mask Holder

All CF parents out there, you must check out this product: The Breathe Easy Nebulizer Mask Holder

What a great device! Julie found this online and ordered one. Order total = $31.50 which includes shipping. The device even came with an extra “Bubbles the Fish Pediatric Aerosol Mask”, which is a bonus so that we can rotate masks more often.

To use it, all you do is put the strap on your child’s head, adjust the fish mask on the face and then attach the nebulizer to the front of the mask. Easy as 1 2 3.

The product creator, Melissa, was motivated to make this mask holder for a friend’s child, who has CF. According to Melissa, “This mask holder was created for a friend of mine to help with her son’s breathing treatments. Her little boy has Cystic Fibrosis and must have multiple breathing treatments every day. She struggled with getting the nebulizer mask, with its flimsy elastic strap, to stay on his head securely.”

And, as an added bonus, Melissa will also donate a portion of any purchase referred by Breathing As A Family to Cystic Fibrosis Canada! Simply mention that you heard about this here (and mention Team Katie) during the checkout process (there is a spot for additional comments on Etsy when you place your order) and Melissa will do the rest.

Thanks to Melissa (mktdesigns on Etsy) for providing such a great product.

Please pass this along to any other CF families that you know!

Todd

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Corporate Sponsors Needed for Team Katie!

May 5, 2011 Leave a Comment

Team Katie 2011

Team Katie 2011

Here’s a PDF copy of this letter Please spread the word!

Dear business owner,

As you may know, our daughter Katie Dow is a 4 year old Beamsville resident with Cystic Fibrosis. Team Katie is the group of family, friends and co-workers that are rallying around Katie to help find a cure to for Cystic Fibrosis and we are looking for corporate donations for the 2011 Great Strides Walk.

Please consider sponsoring Team Katie in the 2011 Great Strides walk, which will be held on May 29 2011 at Safari Niagara in Stevensville.

The cause: Help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis

The need: Cash donations. Donations of goods or services will be:

  1. Auctioned or sold and the proceeds donated as cash; and/or
  2. Awarded as incentive prizes to Team Katie and/or CF Niagara walkers;

Note: 100% of the proceeds from all cash and/or donations will go directly to Cystic Fibrosis Canada via Team Katie as part of our 2011 Great Strides fundraising.

The recipient: Cystic Fibrosis Canada (which is a registered Canadian charity)

The business benefits of sponsoring Team Katie:

  1. Support a local charity need;
  2. Encourage a local family;
  3. Great marketing opportunity;

Marketing opportunities:

Team Katie communicates directly with over 500 individuals, many of whom are located in the Niagara region. This includes family, friends, co-workers and other supporters of Team Katie. This group of people is passionate about this cause and they are acutely aware of (and supportive of) the help that is provided by other Team Katie sponsors, including you!

We use multiple avenues to communicate with Team Katie supporters, including, but not limited to, the following:

Blog (http://breathingasafamily.org):

  • 3000+ page views since September 2010
  • 630 page views in April 2011 alone

Additional Social Media:

  • Team Katie email distribution list = 250+ supporters, almost all of whom are located within Niagara.
  • Facebook (Todd Dow): 450+ friends
  • LinkedIn (Todd Dow): 250+ followers
  • Twitter (toddhdow): 75+ followers

How your company will be recognized:

Walker level – for donations up to $500:

  1. Thank you notes will be sent via Team Katie social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) & blog (breathingasafamily.org)
  2. 1 year placement in sponsor area on breathingasafamily.org
  3. Special mention at end of Great Strides campaign thank you email and blog post to Team Katie distribution list

Runner level – for donations from $500 to $2,500:

  1. All of the Walker level benefits; plus
  2. “Runner” level sponsorship placement on breathingasafamily.org in the right side navigation area right below “Support Team Katie” from time of sponsorship until February 28 2012
  3. I’ll create a Facebook fan page for your business and advertise it to my network to help raise your company profile

 Marathoner level – for donations over $2,500:

  1. All of the Runner level benefits; plus
  2. “Marathoner” premium sponsorship placement on the header (top of the page beside the site logo) of breathingasafamily.org
  3. “Marathoner” premium sponsorship placement on all emails that are sent on behalf of Team Katie and Breathing As A Family from time of sponsorship until February 28 2012

 If you are interested in donating $7,500 or more, please contact me directly. I’ll find a creative way to make that size of a donation worth your while (all of the above, plus web marketing consulting, website design, etc.) Trust me, it will be money well spent!

To support Team Katie:

  1. Sponsor Team Katie directly by clicking on the “Click here to donate to Team Katie” link on http://breatuingasafamily.org/ (under “Support Team Katie” at top right of the site);
  2. Email (toddhdow@gmail.com) or call (905.563.7195) Todd or Julie Dow directly to discuss additional donation options;

Thank you for your support,

Todd, Julie, Noah, Katie & Riley Dow

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Volunteers needed for Great Strides (Niagara’s largest annual Cystic Fibrosis fundraiser)

May 4, 2011 Leave a Comment

Great Strides 2009 registration

Great Strides 2009 registration

The Hamilton and Niagara chapters of Cystic Fibrosis Canada are still looking for additional volunteers to help out with the Great Strides walk, which will be held at Safari Niagara on Sunday May 29 2011.

People are still needed to do the following activities:

  • General greeting
  • Registration desk
  • Wrist band handouts
  • Goodie bag handouts

If you’re interested in helping out, drop me an email at toddhdow [at] gmail [dot] com and I’ll put you in touch with the right people.

Thanks!

Todd

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Street wide Garage Sale – Sat May 21 2011

May 1, 2011 Leave a Comment

Location:
4418 Dennis Avenue in Beamsville
Google Map

As part of our fundraising for Great Strides, we’ll be running a garage sale on Saturday May 21 2011. We sent out invites to our neighbours today. Ideally, we’ll be able to make it a street wide garage sale, with some of our neighbours participating.

Some things that you can do to help:

  1. Stop by on Saturday May 21 and find a treasure to take home
  2. Spread the word – let others know about this event and get them to stop by on May 21 as well
  3. Hope for sun on Sat May 21!

And, here’s the note that we sent to the neighbours:
Dear Neighbour

We are the Dow family and we live at 4418 Dennis Ave. Our daughter Katie has Cystic Fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common, fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults. There is no cure for cystic fibrosis. CF is a multi-organ disease, primarily affecting the lungs and digestive system. A build-up of thick mucus in the lungs causes severe breathing problems. It may be difficult to clear bacteria from the lungs, leading to cycles of infection and inflammation, which damage the delicate lung tissues.

Thick mucus also blocks the ducts of the pancreas, preventing enzymes from reaching the intestines to digest food. People with CF must consume a large amount of artificial enzymes (average 20 pills a day) with every meal and snack, to help digest and absorb adequate nutrition from food.

Katie has to endure 2 to 4 hours of treatment a day to try and loosen the mucous in her lungs as well as take enzymes just to be able to digest her food. The median survival age for someone with CF is 47.7. This just isn’t enough for us and Katie needs a cure.

On Saturday May 21st we are having a garage sale to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis. Our hope it to make this a street wide sale, as we know that many other streets in Beamsville have had major success with this. We will be donating our proceeds to charity, however, there is no pressure for anyone else to do this. In making this a street wide sale, we can advertise it that way and there will be a lot more traffic coming through the area. As well as advertising in the local paper, we are also hoping to have an article written about the event.

If you would like to participate in this yard sale, please let us know by giving us a call at (905) 563-7195 or emailing us at juliedow@hotmail.com.

And, if you are interested in learning more about Cystic Fibrosis or our family’s story, check these websites:
http://www.cysticfibrosis.ca/
http://breathingasafamily.org/ (our family blog)

Thank you so much!

Sincerely,

Todd, Julie, Noah, Katie and Riley Dow

p.s. If the weather is poor on Sat May 21, we will reserve Sunday May 22 as the rain date for this event.

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Team Katie – Great Strides 2011

March 29, 2011 1 Comment

Folks,

As many of you know, our daughter Katie has Cystic Fibrosis. Katie was diagnosed with CF on September 30 2008. She was 17 months old at the time.

On Sunday May 29 2011, the Cystic Fibrosis Canada will be hosting the annual Great Strides walk for cystic fibrosis. We will be walking and invite you to join us for this annual event.

Please watch our video, which provides a window into our world:

CF, which affects the lungs and the digestive system, is the most common, fatal, genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults. Forty years ago, most children with CF did not live long enough to attend kindergarten. Today, half of Canadians with CF are expected to live into their 40s and beyond.

While life span has improved for patients with CF, quality of life is still an issue. Daily treatments, medication, clinic visits and health challenges are always present. When Katie is healthy, we do two treatment sessions a day with her. When she is sick (cold, flu, etc.), we do three or four treatment sessions each day with her.

Here’s a brief list of her regular medicine intake and treatment regimen:
- approx 20 pills a day (enzymes – they help Katie digest food);
- vitamin supplements;
- 2 to 4 Pediasure nutrition supplement drinks each day;
- Nebulizer + medicine – basically, a mist mask that Katie wears twice a day for 20 minutes each time;
- Percussion treatment – 20 minutes of hitting her chest and back – twice a day;
- Inhaled antibiotics – 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off year round;

Plus, the following “specialty items” when she is sick with a cold, flu or other sickness:
- Oral antibiotics;
- Additional medicine in her nebulizer from time to time as her health dictates;
- Additional nebulizer and percussion treatment – typically 3 or 4 treatment sessions a day when she’s sick;

Each year, on the last Sunday in May, friends, family and co-workers of people with cystic fibrosis participate in “Great Strides”, which is Cystic Fibrosis Canada’s largest national fundraising event. Walk with us on Sunday May 29 2011.

To assist, you can:
1. Donate money;
2. Donate and/or collect pledges and Walk with us on Sunday May 29; and/or
3. Recruit others to join us in this fundraising event;

To join our team, “Team Katie”, and walk with us on May 29 at Safari Niagara in Stevensville, click here:
http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?teamID=204804&langPref=en-CA

To sponsor us directly in our fundraising efforts for Team Katie, click here:
http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=1077314&langPref=en-CA

We thank you for your support. Our wish is that one day, CF will stand for “Cure Found”.

Thanks!

Todd, Julie, Noah, Katie & Riley Dow

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We’ll be back shortly – check back later this summer for new content!

June 30, 2010 Leave a Comment

We’re taking some time off to get used to having three kids in the house. Riley’s arrival on June 1 was a blessing and we are doing well. Riley’s happy and healthy. Noah and Katie are proud older siblings. And Julie and I are doing well also.

Check back throughout the summer for some new content. We haven’t forgotten about the site. We’ve just been a bit busy adjusting to being a family of five.
Until we return, feel free to check out our flickr site to see what we’ve been up to for the last month. Here’s a sampling of pics:

Talk soon!
Todd

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Welcome to Riley John Dow!

June 2, 2010 Leave a Comment

Welcome Riley!

Folks,

Great news – the latest addition to the Dow family has finally arrived. Please welcome Riley John Dow. Riley was born at home on Tuesday June 1 at 9:50am. He weighed in at 9 lbs even. Julie and Riley are both doing fantastic.

Big thanks to the midwife team: Rachel, Colleen and Pilar. They were fantastic. They made the birth such a fantastic, relaxing and enjoyable experience. Well… as relaxing as it can be to be giving birth – keep in mind this being written by Todd, who does not have experience giving birth. :-)

Rachel, Julie, Riley, Colleen,
Pilar & Jennifer

And big thanks to Julie’s sister Jennifer who assisted as well. Couldn’t have done it without you Jennifer!

You can see a bunch of pics on flickr:
the main photoset
Riley John Dow slide show

Thanks!

Todd, Julie, Noah, Katie and Riley

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Should bad genes = no more kids? – Part 5: our choice

June 2, 2010 Leave a Comment

In our case, we have chosen to have another child. We have chosen to love this child. We have chosen to care for this child. And we have chosen to face whatever challenges come our way.

And, we will embrace technology to the extent that it can help. Medical research has gone a long way towards understanding cystic fibrosis. A cure remains elusive, but, I am optimistic that a cure will be found.

We look at Katie’s smiling face every day and in spite of the challenges that CF presents, we celebrate her life daily. I couldn’t imagine life without her. Similarly, a few weeks from now, I won’t be able to imagine our family without the new life that we are about to be blessed with.

So I ask again, what would you do? (please do offer comments)

Todd

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Should bad genes = no more kids? – Part 4: the larger ethical debate

June 1, 2010 Leave a Comment

And, when I think about the larger challenge of genetic testing, it makes me wonder where do we stop? In the very near future, genetic testing will provide each of us with a window into our “genetic flaws”. I foresee a day in the not so distant future when we’ll be given a printout after that newborn screening heel prick telling you what to expect in life. It’ll let you know what you might expect as you get older disease-wise, and it’ll also tell you what you might pass on to your children.

This has some serious implications for the next generation: will our kids pick their mates based on genetic makeup? Designer mates, designer babies, designer families.

There is some evidence that “carrier screening” is already making a difference: Carrier screening reduces CF birth rates in northeast Italy

This approach may breed out certain diseases, which would be fantastic. I am all for eradicating disease. But, what are the downsides to this? Are relationships being dissuaded based on genetic tests? Are families being prevented based on “the odds leaning towards an unfavourable genetic condition”?

I agree with the need to minimize disease, but if we based our decisions to procreate on risk factors, then I’d hazard a guess that nobody would have kids. Women in their 30s are at increased risk of having children with down syndrome. Some people lack sufficient financial security to properly feed, clothe and raise children. Pregnancy itself is not without risk. Maternal death is not uncommon in many parts of the world. Thus, the decision to have children in the face of scientific scrutiny is compelling.

I think we’re faced with a couple of options:

  1. We commit to breeding very clinically, leaving nothing to chance. In this case, we have an obligation to use science to intervene at all stages of risk, right back to the point where a couple first meet – I visualize n online dating site with genetic profile comparisons, thus ensuring that only “safe matches” are put together. Anything that deviates from that sterile, clinical decision making process is considered “unclean” or “flawed” and is therefore unsupported. So much for the mystery and magic of love; or
  2. We leave some things in God’s hands, accepting that which we cannot change and doing what we can to fix that which is broken. I am hopeful that finding a cure for CF means more than just “not having kids”.

Next up: Part 5 – our choice

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