stirls
Long Time Member 
Posts: 942
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Post by stirls on Apr 12, 2007 8:50:32 GMT -5
As some of you know, my wife Shanna was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in late 2005. I am happy to say that with the help of some great doctors and Shanna's determination to get healthy she has just about got this terrible disease under control to the point that she is ready to not only get back with her life but help others (which is one of her strongest traits). In June Shanna is joining in the Walk for Crohn's coming here in Vancouver. Since learning more about Crohn's I am amazed at how many people's lives it has touched in one form or another, most of them being young adults in what should be the best time of their lives. If you know anyone who suffers from either Crohn's or Colitis, you know that the diseases makes life very uncomfortable and challenging. Despite this and despite suffering from the symptoms of Crohn's for many years, Shanna remains one of the happiest people I know. She is doing her bit to help find a cure for these diseases, so I thought I make this post to my online family and give people a chance to support her and everyone participating in this event. All the money raised goes towards research for a cure. Please consider donating or making a pledge to this worth while cause. For those of you in Canada all donations are eligible for a tax receipt. Thanks in advance for clicking on the following link to read some of Shanna's story (& photo) where it will explain more. secure.ccfcfindthecure.ca/ParticipantPage.aspx?PID=1521&L=2&CCID=23&GC=GTv2Again - thank you for your support Chris Stirling |
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Lori G.
Long Time Member
Love life and life will love you back.
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Post by Lori G. on Apr 12, 2007 9:03:50 GMT -5
Chris,
I had no idea you and your wife were struggling with this disease. I commend Shanna for her courage and strength to not only fight this, but to help others as well.
You can count on me as one of her supporters. I will keep a prayer and a good thought for both of you.
Lori
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stirls
Long Time Member
Posts: 942
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Post by stirls on Apr 12, 2007 9:24:17 GMT -5
Lori - Thank you very much - your support means a lot to both Shanna and I!
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Post by talfighel on Apr 12, 2007 14:09:11 GMT -5
Hi Chris,
My prayers and thoughts go out to you and your wonderful wife Shanna.
I know of someone who has gone through the Crohn's disease and I know what your wife would feel and go through.
She is a very strong person and I know that you and her will get through this.
Much love and thoughts,
Tal
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Susan Jennerjohn
Long Time Member
Thanks to my Work at Home job, I am able to spend a lot of time with my grandson
Posts: 845
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Post by Susan Jennerjohn on Apr 12, 2007 14:19:56 GMT -5
Oh Chris. I commend you and Shanna on your strength. My next door neighbor friend had Crohn's and it is one of the most uncomfortable miserable diseases there are. I had to go over and help her often and I felt so bad for her.
My thoughts and prayers are definitely with you and Shanna
Susan
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shing
Long Time Member
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
Posts: 1,682
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Post by shing on Apr 12, 2007 15:38:45 GMT -5
Chris,
I didn't have any idea that you and Shanna have been dealing with this. That's really rough. Thanks for both of your courage. I'm sure that Shanna has touched many lives with her happy attitude and that she is a blessing to those around her.
Wish her the best from Chris and I.
Shawna
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garovich
Long Time Member
Nothing is impossible to the one who refuses to listen to reason.
Posts: 885
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Post by garovich on Apr 12, 2007 15:55:27 GMT -5
Chris,
I'm very glad to hear that she almost has this under control. The fact that she was able to keep a good attitude probably helped her a lot as well as being an example to others that may be affected by the disease. Given the symptoms, I think that is great that she was able to keep everything so positive. Please give her our best.
Gary
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Post by Lori on Apr 12, 2007 18:29:00 GMT -5
Chris…
I’m so glad to hear Shanna has this under control and is feeling a lot better. She looks so very happy…Shanna and you are in my thoughts and prayers and I hope a cure is found very soon.
Lori
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Post by troyzone on Apr 13, 2007 1:43:43 GMT -5
Chris,
I'm very sorry to hear about your wife's condition, and I also had no idea that you two were dealing with this problem. A friend of mine that I went to school with has Crohn's disease as well. You are both in my thoughts and prayers. I hope that her condition continues to improve and that a cure is soon found for this disease.
Troy
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Post by talfighel on Apr 21, 2007 15:36:27 GMT -5
Hi everyone,
Shanna and Chris have almost reached their goal of raising $2000 for the Walk for Crohn's disease.
Now, it would be very generous of you to donate what you can.
Let's help Chris and Shanna get to the $2000 goal.
They are now at $1,770. $230 is still needed.
PLEASE, make a donation NOW!
Tal
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stirls
Long Time Member
Posts: 942
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Post by stirls on Apr 21, 2007 15:51:01 GMT -5
Thank you Tal for making that post! It is funny when Shanna first set her goal she thought about making it $400 because she didn't think anyone would donate. I encouraged her to set it at $1000 - you all know how I like setting goals  Then within 2 days she raised $600. A few days later we went back home to Saskatchewan where she is from, for Easter. Her family live in a small town of 1200 people. When by the time we arrived her mom had a few hundred dollars from people in the town that Shanna had never met. It turns out her mom sent out the word and the town was quick to support her. Gotta love small towns! By the time we came home Shanna had hit her goal ......so I encouraged her to raise it to $2000. Now thatks to the support of a few friends and everyone here in the forum she is close to hitting $2000 and is so happy! She checks her email for updates more often than I check my online stats! I want to thank everyone who has made a post in this thread and made a donation. Some of you have chosen to keep your name from being published on the donation page so I will not mention your names here - but you know who you are. Shanna has been touched by the generosity of everyone from this forum that has donated without ever meeting her. I have to admit I too am surprised and inspired - this truly is a family. Thank you everyone it means more to Shanna and I than we can express. I will keep you all posted as to how she does on the walk - which is June 17. cheers, Chris Stirling |
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Post by Lori on Jun 15, 2007 16:13:14 GMT -5
Hey Chris…it’s getting very close to the day of the walk! I hope you and Shanna get plenty of rest for the big day! I just went to her webpage. I see she not only passed her first goal of $1000 and her second goal of $2000…she is soooo very close to her third goal of $2500...this is wonderful!!! I hope it’s a beautiful sun shiny day (but not too hot) to walk…don’t forget the gatorade! Lori |
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stirls
Long Time Member
Posts: 942
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Post by stirls on Jun 16, 2007 10:51:03 GMT -5
Thanks Lori!
Shanna is over the moon with the support she has recieved from everyone
A few of you will remember that over a year ago Shanna was laid off from her work, well yesterday her old boss found out about Shanna's walk and went around the office and collected money and made a $150 donation which put Shanna over the $2500 amount!
I am so proud of her! I am not surprised at her success - she is such a awesome person that always goes out of her way to help others - and I knew when it came time to help Shanna that so many people would come to her aid. I was teasing her last night that when she started she wanted to set her goal at $400 because she didn't think she would get much more than that!
The walk is tomorrow and the weather calls for cloudy and mild temp - perfect for a walk! We went and checked out the site last night and it is a beautiful walk along the water and through the forest so it should be a good day. I will be sure to post here on how it went.
Thank you again to all that sponsored Shanna - it means more than you know to her and me!
Chris Stirling
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Post by talfighel on Jun 16, 2007 15:12:42 GMT -5
We went and checked out the site last night and it is a beautiful walk along the water and through the forest so it should be a good day. I will be sure to post here on how it went. Chris Stirling Since it will be near the water Chris, make sure that you take a spray for mosquitos. This is their favorite place to be. Tal  |
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shing
Long Time Member
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
Posts: 1,682
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Post by shing on Jun 16, 2007 16:22:51 GMT -5
Wishing you the very best, Chris and Shanna! Have a wonderful day!! Cool and cloudy sounds really good in this 90 degree weather!!
Shawna
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stirls
Long Time Member
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Post by stirls on Jun 19, 2007 9:15:39 GMT -5
Well the walk was a huge success - thank you to everyone who helped Shanna reach her goal - as a result of your help he was in the top 10 of people who raised money to find a cure for this terrible disease. Below is a message from Shanna ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello All Well, on Sunday we held the 11th Annual CCFC Heel 'N' Wheel-A-Thon for Crohn's and Colitis along Locarno Beach here in Vancouver, and it was by, all accounts, a tremendous success! Overall, we raised over $74,000.00 for research into a cure for Crohn's Disease and Colitis which is just fantastic! Personally, I made it into the Top Pledge Earners group with a grand total of $2,621.00, and I could not have done it without all of you. Thank you again so much for your wonderful support and well wishes leading up to this great event. The weather was actually quite nice, on the cooler side and a bit misty, which was perfect for walking/jogging/biking! Once again, I appreciate all of the help and support in making this event so successful - I look forward to participating in it again next June! Sincerely, Shanna |
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Lori G.
Long Time Member
Love life and life will love you back.
Posts: 2,429
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Post by Lori G. on Jun 19, 2007 10:10:05 GMT -5
Chris,
That is wonderful news. Congratulations to Shanna for her dedication and determintion.
Lori
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Post by talfighel on Jun 19, 2007 10:22:35 GMT -5
Hi Chris,
I am so happy for both of you. Congratulations on making the $2,621.00 goal.
Tal
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shing
Long Time Member
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
Posts: 1,682
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Post by shing on Jun 20, 2007 0:46:49 GMT -5
Congratulations to both of you. It sounds like a memorable day for a worthy cause. Thanks for letting us be a part of it with you.
Shawna
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zeta
Forum Leader 
Zeta - Believe and UnBelievable Things Will Happen
Posts: 532
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Post by zeta on Jun 26, 2007 7:19:11 GMT -5
Well the walk was a huge success - thank you to everyone who helped Shanna reach her goal - as a result of your help he was in the top 10 of people who raised money to find a cure for this terrible disease. Below is a message from Shanna ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello All Well, on Sunday we held the 11th Annual CCFC Heel 'N' Wheel-A-Thon for Crohn's and Colitis along Locarno Beach here in Vancouver, and it was by, all accounts, a tremendous success! Overall, we raised over $74,000.00 for research into a cure for Crohn's Disease and Colitis which is just fantastic! Personally, I made it into the Top Pledge Earners group with a grand total of $2,621.00, and I could not have done it without all of you. Thank you again so much for your wonderful support and well wishes leading up to this great event. The weather was actually quite nice, on the cooler side and a bit misty, which was perfect for walking/jogging/biking! Once again, I appreciate all of the help and support in making this event so successful - I look forward to participating in it again next June! Sincerely, Shanna Chris and Shanna, I'm sorry I am late in responding. Just been reading the forum quickly every few days with not much time for writing. I am so happy for you Shanna. Congratulations on exceeding your goal and contributing in the walk!!!!! You go girl!!!! You have come a long way in a year since Chris first posted that you had Chron's disease. I am so happy to hear you are feeling better. I am sure you still have good days and bad days and I will pray for more good days for you. You are an inspiration to all of us. Thank you for letting Chris share your story with us. Zeta |
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