Testimonials

Greetings, comments, special moments….please send us photos and thoughts you’d like to share!

Happy Holidays to all of our Team Joseph Friends!

Testimonials

As we’re headed into the final days of 2011, we wanted to give you an update on our progress, let you know what a difference your support has made, and ask for your continuing help.

We’re happy to report the following key accomplishments this year —

With the guidance of a Harvard scientist, we’re partnering with another Duchenne non-profit and funding a study through a lab at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D.C.
We’re thrilled to be able to financially support a project at Ohio State that is looking at a combination therapy with potential short-term application.
We’re so excited to continue supporting the work of Dr. James Dowling and his lab at the University of Michigan. With your support, we’ve helped fund the hiring of a clinical trial coordinator and will fund the next stages of a study that looks at repurposing FDA-approved drugs for use in Duchenne. This helps drive our mission of getting a treatment to our boys as soon as possible.

Hope Clinic

2011

Hope Clinic was grateful to have the chance to raise money through the BHBH Run for the fifth year in a row. Team Hope had a record-breaking year in 2011, raising over $32,500 for the clinic. We were moved by the support and enthusiasm shown by every member of the team, but one man’s effort really touched us.

Santos Hernandez has not lived in Michigan that long. Like many recent immigrants, life has sometimes been a struggle. He was once a patient at Hope’s satellite medical clinic in Wayne because he was sick and had no health insurance.

Earlier this year, one of Santos’ friends asked him if he’d like to be part of Team Hope to raise money for Hope Clinic. He had never participated in any kind of fundraiser before, but after learning more about it he agreed to take part. Santos figured that it would be a good way to give back to the people who had once helped him.

Santos made a poster for his fundraising and displayed it at work. Some of his co-workers were skeptical about fundraisers and wondered if Santos was trying to con them out of their hard-earned money. They gave him a lot of grief, and more than once Santos came close to abandoning his efforts. Because his friend urged him to stick with it, Santos persevered. He went on to run the event, raising several hundred dollars for Hope Clinic in the process. Thank you, Santos!

Cheryl Sherman

2011

Thank you so much for this wonderful event--it was the first race I have been in with my very athletic sons and we had so much fun!! Being in the Big House was the dream of my life. Very well run event!

Cheryl Sherman

Jeanette Rusch

2011

My very first 10K but not my first race. This was, by far, the most organized, well communicated, fun race I've done.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Jeanette Rusch
Redford MI

Rachel McCallister

2011

I just wanted to write a quick note to say I thought the race was great! It was very well organized which made it a lot of fun for us runners. I also loved the music along the course! Literally, my only suggestion would be to have Gatorade at one of the water stations (in addition to water). A huge huge thank you to you guys and all the volunteers for a great day!!

I loved it!!

Rachel McCallister

Tina Walsh

2011

I am a 41 year old mother of four, and running has never been anything I was remotely interested in. My oldest daughter, who is now 19, used to be a cross country runner and a long distance track runner during middle school and her first two years of high school, and she would often ask me if I wanted to go for a run with her. I would just give her the "Me run? You must be crazy" look and she would go by herself.

In the summer between her sophomore and junior year in high school she was dignosed with a softball sized brain tumor and has since had two brain surgeries, radiation treatments, and has just started chemo. She is a student as well as a patient at UofM, and I love the care and compassion she has received there.

My daughter misses running, and that's one of the reasons why last year I decided to become more active. She wants to run so badly but can't right now, and here I was with a perfectly able body that was too lazy to run.

When I felt like walking during the 5k race, I would tell myself, "Cancer patients can't just walk away from their treatments when it gets tough, so you can stick it out too!" And I did!

Someday my daughter will be well enough to run with me, and until then I will run for her!

Tina Walsh

Laurie Dakesian

2011

I've spent most of my 44 years of life overweight. I've been up and down like a yo-yo, but always ended "up". My exercise regimen was nonexistent. I couldn't run one lap around the track without stopping.

Today, after losing 75 pounds and dedicating myself to healthy eating and daily physical fitness, I'm in the best shape of my life. I still have a ways to go, but I'm doing things I never though I could do, including my first 5K -- the 2011 Big House Big Heart. We are huge Michigan fans so I couldn't think of a better time to try my first race. My husband also ran the 5K and all three of my children did the one-mile walk (actually, my husband and I did the walk, too, after our 5K!).

I'm happy to say I don't have a sad story to share, like I'm sure many others do. But, it's wonderful to know that you offer those who need it a chance to come together, raise money, and support each other.

Keep up the good work!!

Laurie Dakesian

Alice Miller

2011

I wanted to share with you some pictures and stories from JFS’ experience at the 2011 BHBH.

This year the BHBH race was very special to JFS as our team ran in memory of Eric Keefauver, the husband of JFS Clinical Director, Lisa Keefauver. Our earnings will go to a fund we have established in Eric’s honor to help meet the emergency assistance needs of some of our clients. We also plan to make this an annual JFS event, bringing together our community with the Ann Arbor community to run together.

Alice Miller
Marketing and Development Intern
Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County

Paula Therese Papay

2011

I have nothing but good things to say about the Big House Big Heart race! I thought it was extremely well organized & I loved all of the different performers along the course. The volunteer effort was amazing & I thought that they did an awesome job of cheering the runners on. I will definitely be participating in this race next year!

Thanks & Go Blue!

Paula

Barb Kujawa

2011

Other than maybe adding one more water station for the 10K don\'t change a thing. You guys did a great job for a very worthwhile cause. Already planning my trip from North Carolina back to Michigan for next years race.

Keep up the great work.

Barb Kujawa

David Moore

2011

Sorry this is a couple weeks after the fact but I just wanted to let you know what an amazing experience I had with my Mott family at the Big House Big Heart. I visit Mott weekly and deeply enjoy the time I spend with the kids and families but the experience I had with Lucas Williams and his family is unforgettable. That boy and his family gave me a new outlook on life and I cannot thank them enough for that. I look forward to continuing to visit Mott and cannot wait to see Lucas as a part of the Wall of Hope in the new hospital. I hope you might be able to write and thank Lucas and his family for such a great experience and let him know to keep defying odds and live life to the greatest. I shared my experience with my team and I hope they know how much of an inspiration he is to us. I hope to see him and his family at a swim meet or two this season and wish them well.

Thanks again,
David Moore

Rosemary Brooks

2011

About six years ago, a Junior High teacher asked my grandson to do a paper on three low economy countries. One country that he chose was Nicaragua. All of these years I have carried a picture in my wallet so I would never forget what we found out. We ended the article with “I wish there was something I could do to help”.

Dr. Roger Anderburg’s son, a U of M student, died in New York after being struck by a car. His name was Tim so Dr. Anderburg started a Clinic in Nicaragua and called it Tim’s Place. When I researched it, children could receive medical treatment free and it only costs $3 to treat a child. If a person was lucky enough to get a job he only makes $2 a day so the children were unable to get medical treatment until the clinic opened.

My husband who has Parkinson’s Disease can’t walk, talk and is fed through a tube. We registered last year but he was ill so we could only give the money we collected but this year was a beautiful day and we did the one mile walk. I had fallen a few days before and it was hard to walk but all along the way were wonderful, cheerful young people saying “you can do it” and “you can make it”. It was a wonderful experience walking over the 50 yard line. As we were leaving and I was pushing the wheelchair up the ramp, a lady with a baby in a stroller came up beside me and offered to help me. My response was “you have your hands full” and she responded “I can help you”. I pushed in the back with one hand and one handle with the other. She pushed her stroller with one hand and the wheel chair handle with the other. We were about half way up the ramp and a lady came along and said “I’ll do it the rest of the way” and she pushed the wheel chair to the top of the ramp.

Thank you for letting me put my experience in words.

Rosemary Brooks

Heather Jose

2011

On Sunday I ran my first 10k. I am 39 years old, and a 13 year survivor of stage IV breast cancer. Want to know the coolest thing? I ran it with my oncologist.

Dr. Merajver (one of U of M's finest) and I met in 1998 after an oncologist in Grand Rapids had told me to 'get my affiars in order' at the age of 26. My daughter was 14 months old. She told me that I was a U of M patient and that we would start killing cancer immediately.

With her help and a lot of work myself I am happy and healthy almost 13 years later. When I told her I was going to make the Big House Run my first 10k she said she would do it with me. So on Sunday my husband and daughter (now almost 14) ran ahead of me while I started with Dr. M. After a few miles I went ahead a bit and finished on my own. Dr. Merajver came in a little later.

Thanks for a great day! I can't wait for next year!

Heather Jose
www.GoBeyondTreatment.com

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