We have a funny family tradition. Around the dinner table we begin to bat around action plans. Big ideas that we could use as a fundraising platform. When the kids were 8 and 12 their Grandmother was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease. It is rare, it is fatal, it is hereditary. We began groping for a positive action. It went like this:
Mom: Well what can we do?
8 year old: I can ride a bike!
(He had recently mastered the skill.)
Mom: Okay, where should we bike to?
12 year old: Toronto
(Where his best friend lives.)
And so we did. Crank for the Cure was our little family of four biking 600 miles from NYC to Toronto. Since then we’ve implemented Pump for the Cure: a daily pull up, push up and squat accumulation ending with 366 (wouldn’t you know it was a leap year!) pull ups on Jan 31. Then Climb for the Cure brought the four of us to the rooftop of Africa, Mt Kilimanjaro at 19,341ft elevation.
Tapping our chins last year, what could we do next? It was again the little guy who put forward Paddle for the Cure. We know nothing about kayaks, rivers or portages. Our first lesson was a laughable wet experience in the Hudson. The instructor was kind but ended the hour with possible modifications to our plan. But really what the four of us have learned over the years is that people are so helpful. Kindness and support often make up for a lack experience. And failing or flailing makes the accomplishment sweeter.
The Connecticut River is calling all fools. These four are getting out there for Grandma at the end of June. HD is the land of the unknown. She is navigating her 8th year with the diagnosis. We’re up for a little discomfort to raise funds for a cure.
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Karina Krepp