A-T Tour Cure

Our family has a very special friend, Cathryn Achilles . Cathryn is the daughter of our pastor, and over the years she has become a very important and sweet part of our family. When we first moved here Cathryn would come over to visit with her mom as we all became friends. Later Cathryn would come over and "help" with Emily as part of a life skills class. Just this past year Cathryn gave us a beautiful hand-made quilt for our Katie Mei when we came home from China.

None of this may seem extraordinary or very special to you . . . but all of this is very special to us because Cathryn has been afflicted with Ataxia-telangiectasia. A-T is a rare, progressive, degenerative disease that has been slowly taking away Cathryn's abilities. From the A-T Children's Project :

A-T is presently incurable and unrelenting. If they are lucky enough not to develop cancer, most A-T children are dependent on wheelchairs by the age of ten, not because their muscles are too weak, but because they cannot control them. Later, A-T patients usually die from respiratory failure or cancer by their teens or early twenties. A few A-T patients live into their forties, but they are extremely rare.

Every day for Cathryn is a gift . . . and she is a gift to all around her. We love her like crazy around this family and want to do anything and everything we can to support her and others like her with A-T.

That's where you and I can come in. Right now a very amazing and gifted man, Tim Borland, is running 63 marathons in 63 days . . . yup, you heard me right. He is running the A-T Cure Tour in hopes of raising awareness and research dollars. As he runs a documentary is being filmed to record this momentous feat. Daily video blogs are posted to keep up with the tour.

Please take a moment to watch this video that gives a synopsis of this amazing cure tour, Tim Borland and A-T. Watch for a glimpse of our sweet friend Cathryn:

After you watch the video, I'm sure you'll want to check out the video blog to see past days of Tim's run or to continue watching him run across the country. To watch the Cure Tour, you can go to:
A-T Cure Tour

Maybe Tim is heading your way and you might be able to support him at a tailgate party. Maybe Tim is heading towards a friend or family member - tell them about it. Perhaps you've never heard about A-T before . . . well, now you have and you can tell others about it!

Thanks for hanging in there with me until the end. Cathryn is too important to us to let this opportunity to help pass by. I hope you are blessed by the courage and dedication of Tim Borland and all those helping make the Cure Tour a reality!