CCFA Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis Walkathon – FOLLOWUP

This was truly an eye-opening experience for us. There are so many who suffer quietly with this condition and funding for a cure is always needed. I’m so glad that we  participated in such a great event. Over $160,000 was raised with the help of the volunteers and contributors.  It was a day of fun, music,  games, and prizes for the walkers. We marched  from Justin Herman Plaza to The Bay Bridge and back, the trip being only about a mile and a half. Here are a few pics from the event.

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This was also a time for heroes to be recognized for their contributions, past and present. My friend Diane Griffin was honored by the Foundation this year. I’ve told you the story of her struggle with this condition and this was her husband Mike’s opportunity to pay homage to his late wife. Here is the video of his speech to the crowd at the event. He did a great job for a man who has had to face a challenge no one would welcome. God bless you Mike and thanks for letting us be part of  team ” Aloha Spirit “.

I hope that next year we able to raise awareness and increase the amount of donations we receive. This is an ongoing fight and we must not rest while conditions like this continue to plague humanity. Please find it in your heart to help us win the fight!!

CCFA Take Steps For Crohn’s & Colitis Walkathon June 12, 2010 5:00p.m.

As many of you may know one of my very good friends ( Diane Griffin) passed away last November. She was a kind, generous, loving soul who befriended anyone that came into her sphere of influence. I met her while working at TriNet in San Leandro, CA in 1996, we became the best of friends very quickly. She asked me to Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis last year but I was too busy with all the things that I thought were important in my life at the time to take a few hours out of a day to walk with my friend. My daughters were going through the typical teenage rebellious ” I hate you ” “ I hate the world” stage, my son was coming out of boyhood and doing things that teenage boys often do that try a parents patience, and I was reeling from dramatic changes going on at my job as an IT Manager at Stanford Law School, that’s another story that we’ll get to some other time. I had also been diagnosed with diverticulitis earlier in the year and was dealing with change in my health. I felt like I could do this with Diane the following year ( 2010 ), and told her that I couldn’t help much at the time, ( money, family, work, health issues all seeming to need priority ), but if things got better I’d be there for her in the future. I know that we are all trying to make it through each month with just enough energy and money to make it feel like it was worth it, but the lesson I learned in losing Diane was that people you think are going to always be around may not always be around. The Universe calls them home before we think it’s time for them to go and suddenly we’re faced with a sinking feeling and a gnawing question,

Why didn’t I just take a few hours to walk with my friend?

Diane and I had grown apart over the years and it seemed like we only spoke when there was some event she was going to be involved in, or a birthday wish was being exchanged, or one of us ( me ) was going through some drama and needed to vent to someone who was willing to listen to all their crap and not complain. I miss my friend very much and I’m sorry I didn’t walk when she asked me to. Looking back I think I would give almost anything to turn back the clock and walk with Diane. She never made me feel that I was disappointing her when I didn’t attend/take part in all the events she sponsored, she knew I was going to show up to something sooner or later. She kept asking me to take part no matter what. She was a true friend. She valued me enough to keep on being my friend no matter how distant we became. I never lost contact with her completely she always made sure to call me every once in a while, just to make sure life was still treating me kindly.

After her sudden passing last November I realized how very precious everyone who has been in my life is to me. I do genuinely care about all of my ” friends “. I don’t exactly know how my ” friends ” feel about me but I get the impression most are looking at me like I looked at Diane because of the long periods of non-communication. I thought she’d be here for another season ready to walk, or even run, for a cause, but it was not to be. Funny I get the distinct impression that most of my ” friends “ could probably care less about me reaching out to them and trying to be a better friend, and that’s just fine. You have to be a friend to have a friend and I’m on a mission to be a better friend. I’m not seeking validation or any kind of accolades for doing this. I just want everyone in my life to know I love you all very much and I value your friendship more than you’ll ever know. I walk in the CCFA Take Steps Walkathon for my friend Diane, my aunt Anita Gibson, and everyone who suffers from Crohn’s & Colitis. I wish Diane were here to share in this fundraising campaign. I know she would be very happy and totally in her element. God bless you Diane we love you and pray that you are in a joyous place free from all pain and suffering

Please join us tomorrow June 12, 2010 at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco as we Take Steps For Crohn’s & Colitis. I’m taking steps to raise awareness, and funds, to help cure this disease. Please Take Steps with me.

John