6th Annual A-Wear-Ness Walk for GP - Tees

It's that time again and we have chosen the colors for this year's Awareness Walk for Gastroparesis and Digestive Health. The event will take place on Saturday, September 9th here in Bellingham, WA, down the trail along the bay that connects the downtown farmer's market and Boulevard Park, with its beautiful island views. 

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4th Annual GP Walk & Ride!

The last few months have been busy and though I've been a bit absent on the blog there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes.  Aside from the advocacy work I do with ThriveRx (supporting others with living on enteral and parenteral nutrition support), the next GP walk has been in the making.  

This year will mark our 4th annual event, it's hard to believe how far we have come since the first walk, small but immensely effective, in 2012. Due to personal plans in August and September the walk will be held on July 25th, again here in Bellingham, WA.  We've added bike riding as an options so the official name of the event is now: 4th annual Walk & Ride for Gastroparesis and Digestive Health.  Now that's a mouthful but pretty much covers our intentions!  

GP Awareness Walk 2014

I'm happy to announce that we did indeed pull it off (better late than never!) and will be hosting the 3rd annual Awareness Walk for Gastroparesis and Digestive Health.

The event this year will take place on Saturday, September 6th here in Bellingham, WA.  Like previous years it will begin at the farmer's market downtown at 10am with our educational booth, offering handouts, a silent auction, t-shirts (new color this year!) and even more people like myself, living with the challenges of GP ready to share their stories.   The walk itself begins at noon, a beautiful, scenic trail along the bay towards Boulevard Park and back.  Silent auction ends at 2pm and the event at 2:30. Prizes include a brand new Blendtec blender (retails $500), running and bike gear packages, gift certificates including Trader Joe's, colorful knitted hats and more).
Check out this link to read a review and view pictures from the previous years.  It has always been an absolute fantastic time, not only spreading awareness and raising money for research, but the excitement of coming together for a great cause, something to give us hope and connect with others.

Due to the late planning this year we are still working on gathering sponsors to help cover the costs (trail, t-shirts, print, etc), as well as donate funds for research (again going to the Digestive Health Alliance) and/or product for auction.

My favorite part, the Awareness Walk t-shirts have been created and are ready to go to print.  What we need from you is an idea of how many to order so we don't overspend or run short!

Shirts this year are available both in ladies v-neck or men's crew neck.  Ladies, if you prefer crew neck no worries, just order what you would were in a men's size!  They are made by Bella, which we chose to go with after falling in love with Hope's Alley awareness T that was super soft to the skin and available for the same price as previous American Apparel brand.

Below is the design.  The colors will be in the lines, this is just a proof for print.  If you would like to pre-order please go to the store link.  Orders placed by August 15th will also receive an option for Macrobar samples and coupons.

Thanks for your support and I'll be updating soon!

Awareness Walk for GP 2013 Follow Up

Each and every day the week leading to Saturday, September 8th, I checked the weather forecast.  "Please, please let there be sun.  It can rain everyday but not Saturday, please not Saturday!"
Come Friday evening and still a chance of showers.  We had a large tent ready to use as a cover just in case and packed everything up ahead of time  (decorations, t-shirts, printed information to share, auction prizes, Orgain, ginger chews and Macrobars for refreshments, etc) in bins to keep them dry.

I was so excited and nervous that I could hardly sleep and jumped out of bed at the sound of the morning alarm.  Peeking out the window, the dark clouds overhead were covering the sky.  Well, whatever happens, happens and we will make the best of it.  By 9 a.m. the car was packed, including 2 very excited dogs jumping over each other in the back.  Trevor and I arrived to find a few of the volunteers already there ready to go.  The street was filled with farmers market vendors setting up, morning bike riders, and walkers chatting over coffee.  When the market opened at 10, most of the decorations (provided by a very creative Sarah Fredlund, new GP friend in town!) were up and display tables ready to go.

Some of the first to arrive were a few lovely ladies coming from surrounding areas, Lori, Jennifer, and Mechele, not to mention friends and family there to support us.  As you can see from the display table, Sarah generously took time to make tags for all of those who wanted to be here but couldn't make the trip, either due being too sick or too far.  I've received a number of messages to how much this meant to them and will continue this tradition each year forward!

As the market filled up, so did the crowds around the booth, curious about what exactly gastroparesis means, pitching in funds for donations, t-shirts and signing up for the auction prizes.  Lori's heating pads went quickly and the A-wear-ness shirts and jewelry were a hit.  And to top it off, the clouds cleared to a reveal blue skies and bright, warm sunshine!

Noon came quickly and those who were able to walk gathered and started down the trail.  Bellingham is an amazing town when it comes to the trail system, they pretty much connect the entire city.  The walk winds through tree covered paths along the bay and opens up, across the railroad tracks about 1.5 miles down, to a green park and open sea overlooking the San Juan islands beyond.   Perfect place to stretch, rest and take some group pictures.

Some headed back the same way we came and I hopped in the car with checkpoint supplies to ride back.  The adrenaline and movement of the day had me worn out.  I met everyone back at the booth and thanked those who had stayed to watch over and continue raising money and awareness while we marched.  Closing time came quickly and I was feeling quite overwhelmed with gratitude to have the opportunity to meet and educate so many in the community.  As I rested, friends cleaned and packed up all of the belongings.  What a success the day turned out to be!

There are still orders coming in for the t-shirts and necklaces but as of this week we have raised approx. $2,100!  Last year it was over $3,000 so a little short but I am excited because there are close to 100 awareness t-shirts from this year (close to 200 including last years) being worn all over the country, spreading the word about this walk and opening conversations to what it is all about.
To view all of the pictures from the walk you can click on this link to the Flickr Photo Album.

A HUGE thanks to....
Our talented friend Bryan Malley, who created this fun and funky design as well as all the artwork for T's, fliers and posters.  Also to Amjay for donating the printing of all 100 t-shirts.

Our Sponsors this year: ThriveRx, Hoagland Pharmacy, Blendtec, Orgain and CarrDorsch Family Dental.

Orgain and GoMacro for supplying protein rich and GP friendly refreshments to support the volunteer team and share with walkers and community.

The auction items from Blendtec (2 fancy blenders), RoibaGear riding helmets, Trader Joe's gift bag, CB Nuts peanut butter jars, and Starbucks package.

Lori for your comforting heating pads and Sarah for the jewelry, display work, and helping me tidy up the A-wear-ness packages with pretty green ribbon ;)

Our AMAZING set of friends who volunteered there time to planning and making this event happen both years: Stephanie, Lindsey, Alyssa, Sue and Angi, love you girls!

Trevor, Bryan, and Randy for the timeless photos and awesome manpower.

Jill Godsey from the Digestive Health Alliance for helping to guide us along with the planning.  And of course the DHA for providing a non-profit way to raise money for future research in hopes to finding a cure for Gastroparesis.

AND, last but definitely not least, to everyone who supported the event through donations, support and cheering us on!!!

"Together we can do what we can never do alone."
-Unknown (Yogi Tea)

In less than one week we will be talking the talk and walking the walk at the 2nd Annual Awareness Walk for Gastroparesis!  Sponsors are signed up, including Blendtec, Orgain, ThriveRx, as well as a few of local business's.  100 fun and funky green t-shirts have been ordered with half of them already sold and will go into print on Tuesday.  A local GP'er and talented artist, Sarah Fredlund, has dedicated her time to creating beautiful awareness necklaces, name cards to hang for those who cannot make it and fancy green tablecloths to cover the display tables.  The same wonderful friends that helped make it happen last year are on it once again to make sure every detail is in place.  
Together we CAN make a difference.  To have this opportunity, to not only raise funds specifically for GP research but to raise awareness and educate the community of the affect this illness has on millions of lives, gives me hope.  Hope is necessary for survival, the light at the end of the tunnel, because I truly believe the answers are out there.  I've seen others get better and hope to share some of these stories this fall in addition to my own journey of exploring treatment options.  

Look for pictures from the event, which will be posted on the website in a couple of weeks!  

Awareness Walk Donation = Exciting A-wear-ness Package!

The Awareness Walk for Gastroparesis 2013 is right around the corner with only 7 weeks to go!  This year we are doing our best to raise funds for research but even more motivated to spread awareness around the globe.  Friends, family, doctors, dentists, grocery store checkers, you name it...they need to see this invisible illness that lives inside us and realize the affect it has on millions of lives.  Do you or a loved one battle with GP?  By wearing it on the outside those around us become curious, ask questions and eventually may want to do something about it.

Help Make a Difference!

Loving and laughing are necessary to feeling our best and should most definitely be a part of the treatment plan!  You might ask though, how can I make a difference?  Well, here are a few simple things you can start with:

1.  As a result of past persistance from the community, the Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act has been reintroduced into the U.S. House of Representatives.  This means that there is another chance at not only raising awareness for disorders such as gastroparesis, but also gaining initiative for increased research, treatment options and programs to support us.  In order to make this happen it is crucial to have as many individuals possible contact local Representative and asking them to support H.R.842.  Please click here for detailed information.  At the bottom of the page is a place for you to enter your zip code and get started.  Share this link with your friends and family in person, by email, Facebook, etc. and let's get this passed!

2.  Brainstorming has begun for the 2nd Annual Awareness Walk for GP.  Last year we worked with the Digestive Health Alliance, a total of around $13,000 raised specifically going towards research for gastroparesis.  Interested in being involved?  Here's is what you can do:

• Though months away, it is a good idea to get started early with plenty of time for ideas and planning.  The DHA were a fantastic group of people to work with last year and most likely will go with them again.  However, I am open to options and exploring what organization would be best to raise money for.  If you have some thoughts on this and/or would like to possibly host your own walk with us, contact me through email (see below).  

• How about sporting the awareness t-shirts we created last year?!  If you don't have one already, I still have some in stock and would like to offer you the chance to have one.  Last month I had numerous comments and emails with those really wanting to try the new Macrobars and I was so sad I could not send samples to everyone!  So, I thought of a way to incorporate a great snack/meal and raising awareness!  For $10 total I can package and send 1 t-shirt (size xs-xl), 1 Protein Purity and 1 Protein Pleasure (previously Chocolate Protein and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip).  This price covers both bars, which I order in bulk, as well as shipping.  If you would just like the t-shirt I can also send that for just the $5 shipping.  Here is what someone recently said about wearing her shirt: "I have had quite a few comments on it, a good way to spread the word on what Gastroparesis is and start a dialogue!"  

If you are interested please contact me at stephanie@journeywithwellness.com.  Also, if you would like more than 1 t-shirt or additional bars let me know and we can work something out!  

Fundraising: Oh, What a Wonderful Feeling!

After months and months of organizing, researching, emailing and preparing, it finally happened and quite successfully I might add!  I quickly learned putting on a fundraiser is no simple task.  It requires not only time and dedication, but a deep passion to make a difference.  Luckily, I was far from alone on this project.

Awareness Walk for Gastroparesis: The Vision