An auction for a cure
August 28, 2008
By Laura Geggel
Snoqualmie auction to raise money for cystic fibrosis research
Team Jolene at the end of Great Strides 2007 walk in Snoqualmie. Photo contributed
Eleven-year-old Katie Gallagher is writing a speech for an auction she hopes will raise money to fight the disease she has lived with her whole life.
When she was 18-months-old, doctors diagnosed Gallagher with cystic fibrosis, a hereditary disease that affects mucus and sweat glands. Mucus is normally watery, but patients with cystic fibrosis have an abnormal gene that causes their mucus to be thick and sticky. The thick mucus often leads to lung infections and obstructs the pancreas’ ability to break down and absorb nutrients.
Medical advances have greatly improved the lifespan of cystic fibrosis patients, allowing the 30,000 people in the United States living with it a chance to live beyond their elementary school years and into middle age, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
The Snoqualmie Valley Night for the Cure dinner and auction, which will be held at the Cedar River Watershed and Education Center in North Bend at 5 p.m. Sept 12, will donate 100 percent of the money raised to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
“If you come to it and you help raise money, you can help find a cure for cystic fibrosis,” said Gallagher, who will be a sixth-grader at Snoqualmie Middle School next year.
Snoqualmie resident Erin Christensen organized the auction in honor of her friend Karine Waggoner’s sister, Jolene Armstrong. Armstrong, who used to live in Issaquah but moved to Eastern Washington several years ago, passed away from complications caused by cystic fibrosis at age 22 in 2006.
“Jolene is such an example of strength and integrity and faith,” said Christensen. “She was in and out of the hospital all of the time, but she never let her disease make her lose out on life. She never let it get her down.
“After she passed away, Karine and I wanted to find some way we could help the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation,” Christensen said.
Last year, Christensen honored Jolene by participating in Snoqualmie Valley’s Great Strides cystic fibrosis walk.
Cathy and Ray Gallagher, Katie’s parents, brought Great Strides to the Valley three years ago. In 2007, about 150 people raised about $42,000 for the walk, which starts in Centennial Park, goes up to the Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club and loops down the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, Cathy said.
This year, Cathy hopes to raise $45,000. Participants can sign up for the Sept. 27 walk by visiting www.snoqualmievalleygreatstrides.com.
After completing the walk last year, Christensen decided she wanted to do more to help raise money for cystic fibrosis research. She began calling area businesses and found about 60 packages from willing donors, from a private two-person flight around Seattle to a night at the five-star Alexis Hotel in Seattle. Locally, Acacia Salon, Bliss Spa on the Ridge and others are donating to the cause.
Tickets purchased before Sept. 1 cost $20. Call or e-mail Erin Christensen at (206) 355-6508 or erinbeth1@hotmail.com for more information.
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 x221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.
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