This past Friday the official fundraising page for the GCDS Walkathon went live. The walkathon is a unique event for us, as it builds community awareness around our homecoming weekend. Our fundraising is intentionally embedded in the midst of student traditions and celebrations. Our goal is to raise support for, in this year's case, ALS research and care, and to do so in a way that educates the adults and the children in our community. As a school we believe this is the way to make a profound and lasting difference.
I invite you to visit the link below to learn more about the charities we have chosen and the ways we are planning to learn and support. Link to Country Day Walkathon page
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Many of us are familiar with the common description of ALS disease progression. It is dire.
This was the subject of a conversation over a trip to New Orleans this Mardi Gras with Blair Casey, VP of Team Gleason. Blair proposed that advances and adaptive technology have made these numbers increasingly inaccurate. He stated that the ability of people to engage meaningfully in a full life through the use of technology would serve to fuel the personal fight against the disease. I agree, and the exceptionally full life of Steve Gleason is proof of Blair's theory. The work of Team Gleason and others to facilitate the development and distribution of adaptive technology for people living with ALS is cause for significant hope. A recent study was published out of Stanford University heralding the results of a phase 1 trial in which a microchip was implanted into the brain of three subjects, including a person living with ALS. The microchip had the ability to sense over 100 discrete motor commands sent from the brain, and it was able to allow the subject to type using their thoughts. The subject had only to imagine their right hand pressing the key on a keyboard, and the chip would send that signal to a computer interface. As the researchers are quick to point out, there is a long way to go on this technology, but the possibilities are extraordinarily exciting. In this initial study the subject is able to control and communicate through the use of a keyboard, but it does not take much of a stretch of imagination to picture some of the other things that might be possible through this breakthrough. This technology is a game changer. I am writing this post through the use of Dragon dictation software. A decade ago, my ability to produce text at a reasonable rate, one of my very favorite things to do, would have been next to impossible. I am so hopeful and encouraged when I think of what I, and others living with ALS, will be able to do thanks to technology a decade from now. In an earlier life I was a reporter. I love telling stories, and I enjoy learning from and sharing the experiences of others. Recently, I have had the humbling experience of having my own story shared. In every case it has been presented thoughtfully and eloquently.
I am grateful for this, and for the opportunity that my story gives me to bring attention to the broader fight for a cure for ALS. That my story, or a piece of it, may be helpful is all I can ask. Please see below for links: Greenwich Magazine Greenwich Sentinel – Greenwich International Film Festival Good Morning America Greenwich Sentinel – Tri State Trek I'm a team sport guy. I love competition, but the camaraderie of a team, the sense of being part of something bigger than oneself, is what has always been my favorite part.
My journey with ALS is a team sport. This weekend friends and family descended upon Greenwich for a remarkable weekend of time together and time spent on two, or three, wheels riding in the Tri State trek – building awareness and support for ALS TDI. It was a long weekend I will never forget. We are so grateful. The broader fight against ALS is a team sport as well. There has never been a more exciting time in the research and development of potential therapies for this disease, and that progress is being made largely through the collaboration of the top minds, universities, and clinics around the country. Organizations like ALS Finding a Cure, that encourage and facilitate collaboration among scientists at places like the Packard Center and ALS TDI, are helping to make this happen. Because this fight is a team sport, I believe a cure is on the horizon. I loved college. I loved being with my friends, being in Virginia, and playing anything with a ball. When I was diagnosed with ALS my four college roommates and rugby teammates jumped on the opportunity to don spandex, hop on a bike – to my knowledge only one of them actually owned one in September, purchase plane tickets from the far reaches of the country, and ride a ton of miles to support me and the fight for a cure for ALS. I have been a coach my entire professional life. I have seen former high school basketball teammates in each other's weddings. Teammates can be the most amazing friends. I am thrilled to be back with four of the best in two days. 20 June 2017
Fellow W&L Ruggers – Last July, one of our own W&L Rugby Minks, Andrew Niblock ‘97, was diagnosed with ALS. Andrew was a lock, team captain, and club president his senior year. Over the past year, he has shown how to inspire people battling obstacles through his courage, resilience and indomitable spirit. As the Head of Lower School at Greenwich Country Day School, he has been a shining example to his students of how to handle adversity. He was recently honored with the Community Changemaker Award at the Greenwich International Film Festival and was featured earlier this week on Good Morning America. This weekend, several of his rugby teammates are helping to raise money for ALS research by riding in the Tri-State Trek Bike Ride to End ALS. While tremendous progress and awareness around ALS has occurred over the past few years, time is critical in pushing a cure across the finish line. If you would like to support TeamNiblock, you can use the attached link: http://tst.als.net/teamniblock. Please keep the Niblock family in your thoughts and prayers. The photo above shows Andrew on the right. Go Minks! Team Niblock John Garvey ’97 – Hooker Chris Dalton ’97 - #8 Brian Kuck ’97 – Prop Steve Tye ’97 – Fly Half Tom Lovell '91 - Fly Half Over the last month I have had a few opportunities to reflect out loud on my journey with ALS thus far. The support for me and the broader fight for a cure for ALS has been amazing, and it fuels me every day. Below is the substance of my reflection:
I am generally an optimistic person. I believe that life is good and that the glass is perpetually half-full. I believe that going through life as an optimistic person is nice, but it is not enough. On this journey I have learned it is profoundly important to be hopeful There's a difference between being optimistic and being hopeful. Hope is a state of mind – it's resilient – and it can drive you forward A rainy day, a lousy night's sleep, can shake your optimism But nothing, trust me on this, nothing, can shake hope. I am so grateful for the things that give me hope: I am hopeful for the science I am hopeful because of my faith and I am hopeful because of the people around me who support me every day on this journey. Due to a ruptured spleen, Eliza got to deliver these words at the Greenwich International Film Festival, but I made a relatively quick recovery and was able to give the commencement address at Hamden Hall – one of the great honors of my professional life. This Monday morning, Good Morning America will air a piece on the journey our school community has taken this year. I am hoping our message can start conversations – conversations make a difference. When you teach or coach you always hope that you are the teacher or coach you remember from your own childhood who made a difference. There is no more purposeful or rewarding calling – it is the best job in the world. I usually take it on faith that I have done more good than harm with my students and players over the years, but this week I received a package that made me so proud.
A collection of my former basketball players from New Orleans, now adults in their own right, took the time to put thoughts to paper in support. Their words mean so much to me, and are a reminder of how wonderful it is to be a teacher. Few souls are lucky enough to have a robust and enthusiastic community of support – near and far. Over the past months, I have felt this type of support every day, and I am so grateful. This past week the Greenwich Country Day community kicked off our annual fundraising event, our Walkathon. We did so in dramatic fashion, educating and empowering with videos, a little trivia, and eight buckets of cold water.
As we build momentum heading into our October event, we will grab onto every opportunity for a teachable moment and a positive/proactive mindset. More to come! Link here to the videos from the assemblies Yesterday, I saw a video of a student led re-fresh of the ice bucket challenge at Hamden Hall Country Day School in my honor. I was humbled and overwhelmed. The support and care that I have received from my school families through this journey have been remarkable. Never more so than when former students and players have reached out. It is a powerful reminder of why I do what I do. Before I was diagnosed, what I knew about ALS was primarily driven through my participation in the original 2014 ice bucket challenge. A few months ago I dug up that footage, and my children still get a kick out of it. The video I saw yesterday reminded me of the power of that initiative. If you participated in the challenge two years ago, thank you. I would also recommend digging up that footage. If you recognize cinematic genius in your video, I encourage you to repost it- a bit of a throwback with a cause! Hamden Hall 2017 ice bucket https://www.facebook.com/lorri.carroll/posts/10209603528818077 Andrew 2014 ice bucket https://youtu.be/c4EcSBtGQLQ In December I ordered a batch of “I'm In” bands. They were meant for family, and a few close friends I could browbeat into wearing them.
I ran out in two weeks. Bands made their way to Qatar, a basketball court in Louisville, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Boston, Georgia, Manhattan, and all over the Greenwich Country Day School. Our “family” is not small, nor geographically constrained. I ordered a new batch, and they are in! Please let me know if you would like one. (If you happen to be in the Greenwich area, I will have a bowl full on my desk) There is no donation necessary, but we encourage you to take a look at the organizations we have identified as doing great work with the science of this fight and support in whatever way you can. My hope is that these bands will start conversations. I have also created a page on my website with a gallery of pictures from this amazing group of friends and family. As I say on the page’s description, this is to celebrate the silly and the support. They should make us all smile. Please snap a picture and send it along! http://iminawn.weebly.com/gallery.html |