I hope one day she has old lady pants.

Usually the things I write about are frivolous and self indulgent - like almost everything else on the internet.  Today, I am writing about my niece.  She is neither frivolous nor self indulgent.  She is seven years old.  She has curly hair, a love of rock and roll and she has cystic fibrosis.

When Arden was diagnosed at 3 months old, her parents learned that the life expectancy for a child with CF was 32 years.  Because of the financial support that the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation receives it is able to fund research that is producing life saving treatments for people like my niece.  In Arden's short 7 years, with the help of this research, the life expectancy for a child with CF has grown to 37 years.  It is a great improvement, but I cry when I think that when Arden is my age, she could be very near the end of her life.

  

May is the a fund raising month for the CF foundation and I would like to make an appeal to anyone/everyone reading this to help us find a cure.  Every dollar that is donated makes it more likely that my all the smarty pants scientists that want to save my niece will have the funding to do so.  Please consider contributing to this cause.  I realize that many of us/you have suffered financial set backs in the last year, and that there are lots of places for money to go, but even one dollar shows that you care.  There is a link in the sidebar that will take you to a donation site.

Please enjoy this video of my beautiful niece.  It was produced by my sister (Arden's mom and associate bakery owner), and my sister (the news junkie, who never tries to scare anyone with her tales of doom.)  As usual, I sat and supervised.

Thanks-

e