Thank You!

I want to thank all contributors and members of Team Gutsy. Last week was blustery and cold, but we managed to walk in the name of intestines to the tune of $830!

I want to thank my mom who encouraged me to join the walk, and who also volunteered her time to make the event a success. In truth, I almost felt silly walking because I've been feeling so darn good since my surgery a little over a year ago. But I guess that's the whole point, right?!

IBD doesn't have the societal clout of other conditions, and (okay, I'm stepping on my soapbox a little) I don't think people truly understand the havoc it could wreck, or really what it is (a bad tummy ache that makes you go diarrhea versus an autoimmune disease). Okay, I guess we can't ignore the diarrhea....there, I've said it!

Thank you again for supporting the CCFA. Many people I don't even know personally donated to a member of my family, and I to them I am truly grateful. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Of every dollar raised, 83 cents goes directly to research. We walked for the Lehigh Valley, PA chapter of the CCFA, and our little group of intestinally-challenged compatriots raised $60,000!

Thank you.

And NOW, the photos:
(All photos courtesy of Daniel Burke Photography)

See that dork in the black? That's me. My sister and her boyfriend are to the right. Matt's family followed (if you see the lad with the big hair, you found him).


Someone tell that person the trail is to their left; they may be lost.


I want THAT guy on my team! I bet he can teach me a thing or two about happiness. (And rocking red sneakers.)


You know, my dog Penny was there, so I'm not sure why these mutts got a photo opp and she didn't. (I know, I know...I'm a such a rabid stage mom!)


This woman looks absolutely FIERCE AND FABULOUS despite the gail-force winds. I'm in awe!


How the heck did I miss the face-painting?!?!


Thank you again, Team Gutsy!

"Take Steps" Against Crohn's and Colitis - Go Team Gutsy!

Members of Team Gutsy in 2009 in Philadelphia.

I often equate my surgery scar to a battle wound. Who knows if this is really a defiant nod to how badass I am (fine, there is nothing badass about me – today I’m wearing a lace top for Christ’s sake) or a coping mechanism when I look in the mirror. My scar is thick and grayish purple and digs in a few inches above my belly button to a good five inches below. A plus about being overweight? My belly button fat roll envelopes half the thing. When standing, it looks very much like a butt. With my abdomen swollen from fat, the hard scar is taunt, and the muscle sewed and skin stapled tightly. Because of this, my flesh drapes onward and outward, creating a very rear-end-looking front-end. And yes, Matt and I get a kick out of this.

Later this month will be my surgical anniversary. I will always have the scar, but it’s startling how time can heal the other undesirables. Time has also nurtured a sort of surgical ego, much to Matt’s chagrin. “Matt, do you know, like, I have this flippin’ 9 inch vertical scar, I mean, I had this OPEN SURGERY and they were scraping away in there and chopping my intestine up and I got up and WALKED by Noon the next day?!” “Yes, K, I know,” he would reply, sighing. But that’s never enough for me, because I would haughtily snort back with, “I don’t think you’re understanding this here, Matt. People who have LAPROSCOPIC surgeries often don’t do that!” “I know, K, you were very impressive,” he’d say, not looking up from his computer. “Matt, look at me! Your wife is HARDCORE! I know BOYS who don’t that! I mean, the pain of surgery was NOTHING compared to the pain before surgery.” To this, he’ll often try to change the subject, most often to what’s for dinner or saying the dog has to go out. And I obviously have not gotten over my rampant surgical egotism because I’m mentioning it right now.

I’m celebrating by fundraising and walking in the Crohn’s and Colitis Association of America’s “Take Steps” Walk in the Lehigh Valley, PA on Saturday, May 8th. This is the second year Team Gutsy will be walking. If you are in the area, I urge you to join us, or if you have an extra five or ten bucks lying around, I would love if you considered donating to the cause.

Visit Team Gutsy's page HERE.

A note before the silly...

Later today I'll probably post something silly - because that's what sometimes needed, right? - but I wanted to relay this great list of organizations the NYT collated and donation information for the Haiti relief effort. I donated to the American Red Cross, which was super easy for any Amazon customers, as you can just enter your Amazon password and skip entering any credit card information. You can also text HAITI to 90999 and an automatic $10 donation will be added to your cellular bill through the American Red Cross, but there are a number of other organizations that are following suit. Maybe all this technology isn't so bad, afterall?

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/haiti-disaster-relief-how-to-contribute/

Team Gutsy takes on Philly!

Two stylish members of Team Gutsy in the trolley, on the way to the walk.

My mom, Ian, Silla, and Matt, thinking about the beauty of our bowels.

Here is Matt, still thinking about bowels.

Chris and Kristen, exuberant on this sunny Philadelphia evening.
(Probably thinking about what they're going to eat for dinner, and not bowels.)

Team GUTSY!
(Back row: My mom, Kristen, Chris, my father.
Front row: Silla, Me, Penny the dog, Matt)

Food and frolicking in front of the art museum before the walk.

To my friends and family who contributed to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, through Team Gutsy:

Thank you so much for contributing to find a cure for Crohn's and Colitis. Team Gutsy swaggered down MLK Drive yesterday in Philadelphia and with your help, raised a total of $1,250! It was the perfect way to end a pretty crappy (pun intended) year.

It has been a month and a few days since my surgery, and I am feeling terrific (please knock on any wood you can find), although, much to Matt's chagrin, I often conk out immediately after returning home from work (so he's still doing most of the cooking around here, which invariably means something on the grill again).

The last eight months have not been easy, and I'm constantly reminded that Crohn's has as much emotional impact as physical, affecting not only me, but those around me. I want to thank my colleagues at SMART, who have been supportive and gracious these past months. Thank you for allowing me one less thing to worry about.

I want to thank Matt's colleagues, who have supported our efforts on this walk, and when I was laid-up in the hospital in November. It was nice having him there, if only to watch bad t.v. (But please tell him not to eat Burger King in front of me while I'm on clear liquids.)

And thank you to my family, who always indulged me and read my "Gutsy Girl" blog even when the writing was sub-par or the jokes bad, and who always made me feel as though I was not alone.

Lastly, thank you to Matt and our dog, Penny. Matt for putting up with me, and Penny for putting up with the lack of walks. You have both been compassionately by my side since the Fall and I couldn't ask for two better companions (human and canine).

And, moreover (almost done!), a HUGE thank you to members of Team Gutsy. Here they are, in no particular order: My parents, Alicia and David, my sister Kristen and her beau Chris, my sister-in-law Priscilla and her good friend Ian, and Matthew and Penny the dog (although she didn't raise a single dime). I can't think of a team who could strut with more panache.

I know this disease is chronic, and I don't know what the future holds, but it's empowering to know I'm certainly not alone, and medical advances are being made constantly. As of right now, the Philadelphia Take Steps walkers have raised almost $300,000 in this battle. My bowels - as well as countless others - thank you.

All photos can be found here.

Supporting research to find a cure!

Thank you to all you have donated to Team Gutsy for the "Take Steps" Walk to help find a cure for Crohn's and Colitis. Our team - Gutsy - has raised $990.00!!! Yowza! I can't wait to walk at the end of May for this cause - with my battle scar and all!

But I have a special challenge for those who may have been thinking of donating, or haven't gotten around to it. I am joining forces with The Bright Side of Crohn's (a fellow friendly Crohn's blogger) who issued her very own tempting challenge on her blog: for the first 10 donations received to the CCFA (through my walk page or on your own) she will donate $10 of her own!! Thank you, Bright Side!

So, here's the deal:

1) Consider donating to the CCFA through Team Gutsy. Once you click on this LINK, you can donate to any of the team's walkers (my sister-in-law Priscilla, my sister Kristen, her cute boyfriend, Chris)...you get the idea!

2) Then mosey on over to Bright Side's charitable site, BrightSky.Org, to simply record the donation you already made (you can mention your name or be anonymous). Bright Side will then add $10 of her own to your donation, up to the first 10 donations. (So, you'll be getting the most "bang for your buck" with your one donation!)

Again, if you already donated, thank you so incredibly much. And if you've been toying with the idea, I hope Bright Side's very generous matching donation will be just the incentive you need!

And just to get things rolling, I just donated $10 to get us to the $1000 mark!

As always, thank you for reading. Your comments and support mean the world to me.