Buddy Walk 2008

Our local Buddy Walk was held this past Sunday, September 28, 2008. Since this was our first year having a team (and since I had only a small idea of what I was supposed to be doing as Team Captain), I initially approached just a few people to join our team by donating or registering to walk. I set our fundraising goal at $500; uploaded a cute picture of Bridget; wrote a team message...and Bridget's Light 2008 was official.

Last year, we walked with friends of ours, who also have a child with Ds. This year, that same family walked as part of our team...and they brought along with them more walkers and donations.

I got an e-mail notification every time there was an addition to Bridget’s Buddy Walk team (each time someone registered to walk with--or donated to--our team). Chris had forwarded my original message, as did other family members and friends. Our kids talked to their friends at school about the event. The notification e-mails began to pour in.

For weeks, the messages came one after another to let me know of new registrations and donations, many of which were from people who have never met Bridget.

One day, while I was in the process of reading an article about prenatal testing (which estimated the termination rate of Ds pregnancies to be as high as 90-95%), a message appeared at the bottom right-hand of my computer screen to alert me to a new email in my Inbox. It was a message from DSACO--there was a new registration to Bridget's Buddy Walk team.

I was struck by the timing of the message and how much my heart--and my stomach--ached. I was reading, thinking about how much Bridget deserves to be here--and how, in someone else's eyes, she does not.

In that same moment, the words flashed on the side of my screen--a little reminder of all the goodness in the world. When I opened my Inbox, there was not just one message--there were five new registrations to our team.

I put my hand first over my eyes, then over my mouth, to try to contain the burst of emotion that bubbled up. It is hard to describe the gratitude--the heft of it--and the warmth I felt.

The Buddy Walk was a celebration. We had huge support from family and friends and neighbors. In a time of economic uncertainty, people gave--big. In the end, we raised almost four thousand dollars. Even more overwhelming than the monetary giving and generosity, was the enormous amount of love and support. We had eighty people walking with Bridget's Light...eighty people walking and celebrating--seeing how love makes us each take flight.


Thank You to everyone who gave support of any kind to show a little girl and her family the importance of their cause and how much they are loved.