Great Strides Salt Lake City

Both of us (Ben's parents) grew up in the Salt Lake valley, so walking here was a no-brainer.  The walk is such a fun event, too, with a carnival atmosphere and a route through the heart of downtown.

2016

Some kind of magic clicked in the universe this year, and we were able to attend both the Paul Simon concert (!) *and* the Great Strides walk in Salt Lake City this year. It was a cold and rainy day, and the number of diehard supporters who came and walked and weathered the storm with us was nothing short of inspiring! Smokey missed the walk--he had to run to Walmart to buy dry clothes for our children so they didn't freeze to death. (But how were we going to stop them from jumping in the puddles? The laughter was downright gleeful!) Steph stayed back with Ben to keep him warm and introduce him to some pretty important friends: Somer Love (check her out at lovetobreathe.com), Swoop (the Utes' mascot), Spiderman, and his "cyster" Penny, who also has CF and was born two days after Ben. What a great day.

2015

What a crazy event this was! We had a tough decision to make this year, because the Salt Lake walk and the San Diego walk were scheduled for the same day. Ultimately we decided that we have to lay down roots in San Diego if we're going to live here indefinitely, and that meant, in part, staying home for the walk. Despite this--and cold, soaking rain!--the loyal members of Ben's Brigade showed up in full force and walked the whole 5k. We knew we had an amazing group back home, but this was a powerful reminder of *how* amazing they are. Our special warrior this year is a dear friend of ours who finished third for our team and came out to walk only about 6 weeks post transplant! A special thank you to him (and to all of you) for the reminder that when things get rough we keep going, and we do it *together*.

2014

This year, our first, was an incredibly humbling experience.  We sold over 200 t-shirts and hoodies and had over 100 walkers on our team.  There are too many moments to recount, but one especially moving story meant the world to me:  One of our beloved team members has dealt with some challenging health issues and was unsure whether she'd be able to walk.  She came in with one of the last waves of team members, and she was exhausted.  I greeted her and hugged her in gratitude, and she told me it had been very difficult--that there were times she didn't think she'd be able to finish--but that, when those moments hit her, she just "thought about that sweet baby and what he goes through" and said, "If he can do that, I can finish this walk!"  I still can't tell this story without tearing up.  Ben is the reason we do what we do, but moments like these and supporters like you are what make us believe that we *can* make a difference!