12,500

Today was our Great Strides walk in lower Manhattan. I was SUPER proud of my team -- we raised about $12,500 (preliminary total) for a cure! That's money that will go straight to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and about 90 cents of every dollar donated directly funds CF research and educational programs. And when you think about the new drugs in the pipeline and how freakin' close we are to FINALLY breaking through to target the actual defect that causes this disease, well, all I can say is wow -- Great Strides, indeed.

Thank you to all my wonderful walkers for showing up, for smiling even at 9:30 am on a Sunday morning, and for looking so amazingly HOT in my team t-shirts! I was especially proud of our two furry mascots, particularly "Tug" for rockin' the shirt like a champ. Also thanks to my CF friends Graves, Joni, and Gabby -- awesome to see you all!

And a VERY special thank you to everyone who donated to our team through this blog. You guys have no idea how amazing the response was after my post for a cure! I was truly overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement. Not that I ever for a second doubted that I had the best readers a girl could ask for, of course, but you didn't have to go to such amazing lengths to prove it! Please know that you not only made my day, you also made a HUGE difference in the lives of everyone living and breathing with CF throughout the world.

Here are a couple of pictures from the big day:

Team Piper Official Portrait

T-Shirt Front

T-Shirt Back

My Lovely Sister (and designer of the shirts!), My Father, and Me at the Walk

Okay, here's the fun part:

Are you an official "Breathhead"? Are you interested in having one of these fabulous lung t-shirts -- designed by a famous designer featured in the June issue of Vogue, no less -- for your very own? Would you like to spend the night of my transplant cruising my blog, reading updates from my talented sister, and sporting your own piece of beautiful Matter of Life and Breath apparel?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, consider contacting a therapist for special help. Just kidding, contact me instead! That's right, we're thinking of ordering another batch of these beautiful shirts for all my wonderful supporters, and would like nothing more than to send YOU your very own. So let me know at matteroflifeandbreath(at)gmail(dot)com and please include info as to your preferred size and shipping address. All addresses will be deleted upon shipping.

Thanks guys, and thank you to everyone who donated, walked, or volunteered for the many Great Strides walks all over the country. You guys are, as ever, an inspiration.