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Grateful Doesn’t Even Begin to Cover It…

    Booker T. Washington once said, “Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others”. These words have been resonating with me over the past 10+ days. In a year that has been filled with so much uncertainty and anxiety up to this point, I finally had a few days where I was at peace and at my happiest.

    On Saturday, July 15th, the Inaugural Connor Cup Golf Tournament went off without a hitch. It was absurdly hot and humid, but that did not deter us from having one of the best days of our life! Our family, friends, and even some strangers turned new friends came together to support our little IBD warrior and his doctor in ways that surpassed our wildest dreams. There was A LOT of behind the scenes work that went into pulling this day together. The support that we had from our family and best friends leading up to the tournament and the day of is something that I will hold onto forever. The depth of our support system is something that I will never take for granted. I am not one bit surprised by the people who showed up for us, though. They are the same people who are always there holding us up when we feel like the weight of our circumstances is too heavy. It is not lost on me that not everyone is lucky enough to have these types of people in their corner. I wish there was a way that I could express our gratitude to each and every one of them, because ‘thank you’ a million times over just does not seem like it’s enough.

    This morning I mailed a check for $15, 839 to CHOP’s Fundraising Department with Booker T. Washington’s words swirling around my head. This feeling of happiness from being a small part in advancing research for VEO-IBD patients is something that I have never experienced before. Surpassing our fundraising goal by over five thousand dollars and being able to donate all of that money to one of the most brilliant, kind, caring doctors that we have the privilege of working with is one of the greatest feelings that I have ever experienced. Dr. Kelsen is a trailblazer in her field, and our family is honored to be able to give back to the woman who does so much for her patients and their families.

    This is just the beginning for our family. The success of this event sparked the competitive side and drive in all of us to make each fundraiser bigger and better than the last. We are already looking forward to planning the 2nd Annual Connor Cup, but in the mean time we will participate in other fundraisers throughout the year that give back to other aspects of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia that provide comfort and care, to our family, along with the thousands of others who seek treatment for their children.

To every single person who helped make the Inaugural Connor Cup a success – from vendors, to golfers, to volunteers, and those who donated monetarily and/or raffle items, we thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!




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