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Mom, Dad and I made our way to the Kent in Russell Lake for a weekend of bbq’ing as a fundraiser for the Arthritis Society. It turned out to be a lot of fun in the end, but as of Friday night I wasn’t entirely enthused about my upcoming weekend plans. It would’ve been easy to think of ‘better’ things to do during those precious sunny hours: me lounging on the beach, Dad checking off his list of household to-do’s and Mom keeping busy with her loads of crafting. But to butcher a popular phrase, ’a watched piggy bank (pot) never grows (boils).’  Money needed to be raised so we got ‘er done. In the end, it was a great way to spend the weekend.  

And people appreciated it – especially Kent shoppers. Sure, we encountered many awkward fast-walkers and the no-eye-contact shoppers, but on occasion we met some pretty awesome people.

On bbq day #1, we met a man, let’s call him Al. Al approached my table and asked for a hot dog and a pop. We obliged him. And while Mom and Dad were getting together his dog, the two of us got to talking. This man was telling me about a book he came across not too long ago. A fiction…red helicopter on the front…about Everest, he described. His descriptions were pretty vague and he couldn’t think of the author, but I politely said I’d keep an eye out for it. He wished me luck and off he went . ‘A nice guy,’ my Mom and I both remarked. About two hours later from a distance, we saw Al approaching the table again. He came back. And he came with the book!  He went all the way home, found the book and gave it to me. He mumbled something quickly under his breath, wished me luck again and off he went. Perhaps a small gesture in his mind, but this really struck me. Wow. What a guy.

Day #2 came with a few small, but mighty memories.  Just as we were about to pack up, a couple started walking toward us hopefully looking for some sustenance (it was a slow day…). The woman asked what I was doing and I gave her the low-down: “Trekking to the base camp of Mount Everest…17,600 feet…leaving in October…very scary/exciting/all of the above” …and so on.

She then started telling me her story of her grandmother who passed away from arthritis. Near the end of her life, her grandmother couldn’t even brush her own hair let alone lift her own arm. Paralyzed from the neck down, she eventually died of related complications. This woman was interested to know of my reason for fundraising so I told her about my grandmother. In the midst of our stories, she passes me $5 (on top of the payment for the dogs), and then before she leaves, another $5. Now, I know she didn’t give millions, but it was her appreciation for my efforts that really hit home. You never really know the true affect of any illness, whether it be arthritis or any other debilitation, until you see it in the face of a child, a wife, a husband or in this case, a granddaughter.

Over the past few months (rightly or wrongly), I’ve gotten into the habit of seeing my fundraising from a 17,600-foot scale: One thousand instead of one dollar at a time…one person instead of one in four affected with arthritis. She really brought me back down to ground level - a ‘human’ level with her story.   She and her grandmother are the reason why I’m doing this. Connecting with people like Al and his book – that’s another reason why I’m doing this. And on the days when I’m feeling overwhelmed and thinking about how I’m going to raise the last few hundred, I’ll think of them.

I’m so grateful for my sunny weekend bbq’ing at Kent. Thank you to everyone who came out. And thank you to Mom and Dad for being there to help out.

I hope you enjoyed your hot dogs

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