Inspired

This past Sunday David was honored at the 5th annual IBDSF evening of inspiration. It is an event that we have been to many times in the past and one we have always supported. This year I was asked to chair the event, and seeing that David was being nominated and I wanted to give back to an organization that means so much to me, I said OK. I will admit that the process was pretty grueling. It was far more work than I anticipated, or even agreed to, and it created a fair amount of stress, but in the end I have to say that it was absolutely worth it and so rewarding to have contributed in such a meaningful way. The event was the best it had ever been, we had so many wonderful friends and family members there to support us, and I am finally feeling like we are part of the IBDSF community- so many familiar and friendly faces. Because David was honored he was asked to speak at the event. I very much wanted to keep what he had to say as a surprise. I didn't want to influence anything about the speech, and I felt the first and only time I should hear him say it was at the event. I was blown away by his openness, honesty, and very candid story. So much of it I of course know better than anyone, in fact I am not sure that I learned anything new about David, or his disease, but to hear him say the things that I already knew to such a large audience was a huge milestone, and one that made me feel pride in him and our family. I feel my friends got some new insight into what it is like to have a family member living with chronic illness, and perhaps why I make some of the choices that I do. In the end all of the work that I had done for the event and the organization was deeply appreciated and acknowledged, and David shined like he always does. Seeing him on the podium, so funny, so honest, so loving... it is a moment I will never forget. Those 15 minutes, I know will make a profound impact on several peoples lives.