The end of the Pseudomonas fight...for now and hopefully forever

Tomorrow I will regain an hour+ of my days back. Tomorrow morning is our last dose of Tobi...for at least 28 days. You may recall the post about Pseudomonas. Well, we're hopefully nearing the end of treatment for that. The Tobi that Drew had to inhale twice daily for 30-40 minutes for the last 28 days is finished tomorrow. He will be off of it for at least 28 days...hopefully more. It depends on how his next culture looks. If hes growing Pseudomonas again then he will pretty much be on Tobi full time on a 28-day on 28-day off cycle. If he gets 3 negative cultures in a row over the next 3 months, then he will be considered Pseudomonas free and hopefully can remain that was for some time. Its almost inevitable that he will get it again at some point, and in all likelihood become colonized with it as a large percentage of people with CF are, but the longer he goes without Pseudomonas the better his lungs will be for the long term.

The outpouring of support from friends and friends of friends and neighbors and people I've never even met contributing to our Great Strides campaign has been HUGE. I sent a mailing out to our neighborhood - 163 letters to be exact - on Tuesday. I have received over $300 in donations from neighbors whom I have never met. Its incredible what people are doing to help my little boy.

I know that this fundraising stuff gets annoying. Dozens of people ask us every year to donate to their cause or help support a foundation near and dear to their heart. One can only give so much of their time and money, I do understand that. But you have to see where I'm coming from. I'm literally raising money to save my son's life. Seriously. The money that I raise goes 100% directly to research the cure for Cystic Fibrosis. I have to exhaust every avenue of possible funds to be raised. I will ask everyone. I will knock on doors and hang my flyers until a cure is found. I understand that not everyone can help me, but I can't understand not asking. The worst people can say is no, and I do understand.

I have one more sponsor who jumped on board today. Kathleen Groeschen, of Creative Memories, has joined me to help raise awareness and funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. All orders placed through her website will count towards my fundraising efforts. Kathleen has agreed to donate 15% of the sales towards the cause. Creative Memories is for EVERYONE who takes pictures and is looking for a solution to getting those pictures into their life so they can be viewed and enjoyed. Whether you are looking just for a way to organize your printed or digital images or you are trying to put the pictures into an album, there is a solution for you. (picfolio albums, traditional scrapbooking, quick kits, and paper albums). For those of you that work with a digital camera, Creative Memories offers two award winning software programs: Memory Manager helps you get your images sorted/organized/edited while Storybook Creator Plus helps you create beautiful digital photo books, posters, cards and prints quickly and easily! (All software purchases include a free one-hour consultantion). Kathleen also offers her services as a Personal Photo Organizer to do the work for you ( organized printed/digital images, convert slides/negative to a digital format, create traditional and digital photobooks for you!) Please check out Kathleen’s website at www.mycmsite.com/kgroeschen to place your order. When you check out, you will be asked to associate the sale with a hostess – be sure to use my name – Erin Moore. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Kathleen directly at kgroeschen@cinci.rr.com / 513-459-2820 and she can advise you on the products or services that would best suit your needs.

I know that not everyone is going to be able to buy something from all of my sponsors, but I do think that there is something for everyone. A lot of the sponsors have products that make great gifts (something to keep in mind if you're not finding anything you need right now!). Any and all support is so greatly appreciated!