Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Audrey Lou ~ this one's for you kid!

About a month after Kirsten and I decided that we were going to support Martin Parnell’s TransRockies Quest 888 and raise money for Right to Play on our journey to the TransRockies Run, good friends of mine and Shane’s got dealt the blow of a lifetime.

Just shy of her first birthday, their baby girl (Audrey Lou) was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

Shane does not cry much, but when he got the call from Justin (Audrey’s Dad), and tears started streaming down his cheeks, I knew something wasn’t right.

Through all the ups & downs, rounds of chemo and surgeries, lil’ Audrey Lou has been a fighter and continues to battle this disease with a smile, making each and every doctor who meets her fall in love.

Tell me you don't melt, just a little, when you see that toothy grin.
Audrey's parents, Justin & Amber, are an awesome couple who I feel incredibly lucky to be able to call my friends. Throughout this whole ordeal, they've continued to remain positive and strong, even though the strain (emotionally and financially) on them is absolutely massive.

[More info about Audrey and her amazing parents can be found here].

Anyway, at the time we found out about Audrey, it didn’t feel right to pull the plug on the commitment Kirsten and I had made to raising funds for Right to Play (because I do believe it is an incredible organization and Martin is an awesome ambassador, who I was honored to meet and fundraise with), but I also struggled with asking people to support that cause when I knew what Justin & Amber were going through. As such, Kirsten ended up doing most of the fund raising for Right to Play and I just kind of piggy backed along on her efforts. Nevertheless, I am so grateful and absolutely humbled by the donations we received. Our friends and families willingness to support a cause we believe in is truly awesome.

Anyway, fast forward to a week or so after TransRockies…

Shane and I were talking about Audrey (as we so often do these days) and we both realized that we really wanted to run our next Ironman for her. When I proposed the idea to Kirsten, she was in too.

Our ideas on how exactly to do this are still a work in progress, but I can say one thing for certain ~ Audrey will be front and center in our minds as we prepare for IM CdA. This race is for her (and Justin & Amber) and will be fuelled and inspired by lil’ A-Lou’s fighting spirit.

And so, TEAM A-LOU is born!

We hope to raise some funds to help lighten the financial burden on Justin & Amber, so they can focus fully on Audrey and not have to worry about money. Should Audrey beat this disease or the financial strain on Justin & Amber lessen before we make it to the start line in Coeur d'Alene, we will shift our fund raising efforts to be in supports of BC Children’s Hospital. The work the doctors and staff do there is simply amazing.

We are currently tossing around the idea of doing a spin-a-thon type fundraiser on the bike trainers ~ ‘cause, well, if Audrey can kick cancers ass, we can sit our butts on the trainers for hours on end. We’re still hammering out details and will decide on a date soon. So, stay tuned!

Anyway, as I said, our ideas on are still a work in progress. In the meantime, you can check our Audrey Lou’s Fund on Facebook, as well as her Fundrazr Page should you wish to donate.

One of my favourite photos of Audrey Lou (and her little buddy Liam)
cheering us on last summer at IMC.


THIS ONE'S FOR YOU KID!
 

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