Living, working, and playing in NYC.
Sophie
Cancer has been a big part of my life. My grandfather passed away 11 years ago from the disease, and my dad was diagnosed in December 2010. Thankfully, with early detection and surgery, I can say that my dad is cancer free.
I try my best each year to contribute to cancer research. I’ve been a part of Team in Training for the past few seasons, as well as donated to Livestrong and other organizations.
Late last year, I was able to play a very small part of Sophie’s life. On September 1, 2011, Sophie was officially diagnosed with a stage 4 bone cancer called Ewings Sarcoma that had metastasized to her lungs. This cancer is extremely rare, greater than one in a million, and even more rare in young girls. Being a big sneaker fan, I recently bought a pair of sneakers from Creative Recreation with a promo code “HELPSOPHIE.” 100% of the proceeds from that purchase went to the family to cover expenses towards Sophie’s recovery - a total of $80K!.
Today, I received an email from her dad…not gonna lie, I teared up reading this:
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Ted here, Sophie’s dad, we have been racing from Dr. to Dr., appointment to appointment, AND we are just so thankful for your involvement in Sophie’s life, you may not know it - but it has been MASSIVE… When Sophie first was diagnosed with cancer, there was just a wave (OK, more like wavesssssszzz) of terror that washed over me, and we had no idea how we would get through it - I quickly realized my capacity for “regular work” that would keep the roof over our head was not only compromised - it was obliterated… so there was a site set up for friends, family and friends of friends to come to the rescue, hear about what is going on with Sophie and help if they could. It was this process of sharing that got the team at Creative Recreation involved. AND… involved they did. You did… the crew that loves to wear shoes made with Creative Recreation style and pride… And it’s in this moment that, for the first time in my life, I truly wish I was a poet… For a while I’ve been searching for the way to fully express just how much of a challenge this has been for Sophie and us, just to be able to tell someone who could listen, but I can’t. Those words just don’t exist… And my heart is bursting with gratitude for you at the same time and it’s impossible to show you that… Not to simply ‘let you know’… Not to just ‘mention’ it… But to TRULY have you FEEL the amount of love I have for you just for giving what you could to help her… This isn’t a “let me give you a hug” kind of thank-you… it’s a “me, on my knees, crying, and holding your hand” kind of thank-you… Sophie is my life. I’m her father. I wouldn’t hesitate a heartbeat to take her place a million times over if I could… And I wish I could say that I have the money, the connections, and the medical knowledge to save her life myself… I don’t. But I do have one thing… I have you. And we’re going to get through this. Together. We’re going to save Sophie’s life. There is nothing else in the world to me except that perfect little girl. I want to leave you, for now, with this expression from Thornton Wilder, who is more of a poet than I… ”We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” I treasure you. And today you make me truly alive by believing in and helping the one person on this planet that I love more than life… my daughter, Sophie.
UPDATE ON SOPHIE:
We have gone though 10 rounds of chemotherapy here in San Diego…We have done a stem cell collection in Orange County, flown to Stanford for consults and twice out to Boston for a surgical review and then the operation where 4 of Sophie’s ribs, infected with cancer where removed in a surgery that lasted more then 7 hours… followed by 5 days in the ICU. The procedure was preformed by the Chief Surgery at Children’s of Boston - This is the Harvard Medical School hospital - ranked number one for pediatric oncology (children’s cancer) in the country. So where are we today… we have 5 rounds of Chemo left and a month of radiation, then we will take the tubes that deliver her medication out of her chest… AND she is doing well, she has had an excellent response to the treatment AND right now has no active cancer!! ALL of you who where part of the “Help Sophie” campaign…You are really on my mind, because I get to spend everyday right now taking care of my daughter in a way that most people couldn’t … choosing the best care for her even if it is on the other side of the country… What I am trying to say here, is that the impact, of you buying shoes from Creative Recreation… on that day when you put in your HELPSOPHIE code is just crazy huge. You have fundamentally changed the way I get to care for Sophie… And the results speak for themselves… We have about 4 months to go…one day at a time… and a lifetime of gratitude ahead… From the bottom of my heart, with all the blood inside my veins, I want to thank you.
