Hi,
My name is Josh and I am running the St. Louis Rock'n'Roll Marathon on October 21st to raise funds for the CF foundation. Please read my brief story below, and if you have a few dollars to spare please consider donating on my Team CF page. Thank you for your consideration.
http://www.cff.org/LWC/JoshMcGinnis
Last month I lost my best friend, Chris DeGuire of St. Louis, after 27 years of battling CF. Chris was a terrific individual who inspired many people throughout his life with his remarkable resolve in dealing with the very difficult hand that life had dealt him.
Like his older sister Stephanie, Chris was born with CF and experienced several medical challenges in his early life. He had to undergo leg lengthening surgeries, a liver transplant, and trips to the hospital on occasion to treat respiratory infections making it difficult to keep up with schoolwork and develop social relationships with fellow students. Chris pushed on and in 2003 we met as roommates for our freshman year of college. He was an optimistic and extremely intelligent individual, and had I not seen his scars I don't think I would have believed all that he had been through. Over the next few years though, Chris's resolve would be tested more than anyone could possibly imagine, losing his mother to a heart attack in 2004, his sister who also had CF in 2005, and finally his father to a stroke in 2007. At just 24 years old, Chris had lost his entire family. Over the subsequent years, Chris's health gradually deteriorated. His kidneys began to fail forcing him on dialysis 3 days per week, and his hospital stays increased in frequency until he finally passed on August 21, 2012.
Despite life's challenging circumstances, Chris always pushed on past every obstacle. To his friends, Chris wasn't a small guy with a handicap, but a brave, tough, resilient individual with a humorous acumen and a kind heart. He will be sorely missed.
My name is Josh and I am running the St. Louis Rock'n'Roll Marathon on October 21st to raise funds for the CF foundation. Please read my brief story below, and if you have a few dollars to spare please consider donating on my Team CF page. Thank you for your consideration.
http://www.cff.org/LWC/JoshMcGinnis
Last month I lost my best friend, Chris DeGuire of St. Louis, after 27 years of battling CF. Chris was a terrific individual who inspired many people throughout his life with his remarkable resolve in dealing with the very difficult hand that life had dealt him.
Like his older sister Stephanie, Chris was born with CF and experienced several medical challenges in his early life. He had to undergo leg lengthening surgeries, a liver transplant, and trips to the hospital on occasion to treat respiratory infections making it difficult to keep up with schoolwork and develop social relationships with fellow students. Chris pushed on and in 2003 we met as roommates for our freshman year of college. He was an optimistic and extremely intelligent individual, and had I not seen his scars I don't think I would have believed all that he had been through. Over the next few years though, Chris's resolve would be tested more than anyone could possibly imagine, losing his mother to a heart attack in 2004, his sister who also had CF in 2005, and finally his father to a stroke in 2007. At just 24 years old, Chris had lost his entire family. Over the subsequent years, Chris's health gradually deteriorated. His kidneys began to fail forcing him on dialysis 3 days per week, and his hospital stays increased in frequency until he finally passed on August 21, 2012.
Despite life's challenging circumstances, Chris always pushed on past every obstacle. To his friends, Chris wasn't a small guy with a handicap, but a brave, tough, resilient individual with a humorous acumen and a kind heart. He will be sorely missed.