The Max Mackeen Martin Foundation 2nd Annual Golf Fundraiser

It's crunch time!  Last night I got home at about 1:15am after spending a long (but satisfyingly, productive) 14 hours with my friend Krystal (and her mom, stepdad and friend Becky) working on things for the second annual Max Mackeen Martin Foundation golf tournament and fundraiser.   I posted about this amazing cause and family a few months back when they appeared in The Chronicle Herald (a local newspaper).

Max 2009

Jude 2011

It's really hard to work on this and not to get emotional thinking about my little buddy Max.  I am in charge of making the slide show that will be played throughout the day and let me tell you I had a few minor meltdowns while going through the thousands of photos of Max and his little brother Jude.  Such adorable, precious boys.  I  must say I am really proud of my friends for their ability to work through their grief and pain and do something postive.  I'm not sure I'd be so strong.

This year's event is going to be awesome.  We've learned a lot since the innagural year and I have a feeling things are going to go very smoothly and a lot of funds will be raised.  Along with golfing there will be a silent and live auction and musical entertainment by the band The Space Age.  I am excited to get my bid on some of these amazing auction items...sports memorabilia (hockey jersey's signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Sidney Crosby etc), amazing dinner/entertainment/hotel packages, golf packages, spa packages, gorgeous furniture, the mack daddy of all bbq's...you name it, they've got it! 

I am looking forward to a beautiful day with even more beautiful people, supporting a cause that I care very deeply about!  Maybe I'll even see you there tomorrow:)

Raising Awareness About Chronic Granulomatous Disease~For my buddies Max and Jude

This isn't the sort of thing I would normally post on my blog.  Generally I stick to crafty, cute and light-hearted topics. 

Today however, I would like to tell you about Max.

Max was a precious little guy who captured the hearts of anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.  Everyone knew with in a minute of meeting him what a cute, charismatic, kind, and an all round great kid he was.  What no one knew was that Max had a rare immunodeficiency disease which made his body susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections. Max's white blood cells didn’t have the ability to produce hydrogen peroxide, the body’s main weapon against these kinds of infections.

On August 5th, 2009 two of my closest friends in the whole world lost their son to a disease called Chronic Granulomatous Disease.  At the time of Max's passing his mom  was seven months pregnant with her second son Jude.  Jude also has CGD.  To read more about the Martin family (Adam, Krystal, Max and Jude) and CGD please check out the links to the stories "Living in Your Worst Nightmare" and "Exposure to Bacteria Can Kill" as posted in today's Chronicle Herald.

Please spread the word about Chronic Granulomatous Disease.  Also if you are interested in helping this cause please contact me or check out the Facebook page for the Max Mckeen Martin Foundation in which all money raised goes directly to the Immunology department at the Isaac Walton Killam Hospital in Halifax Nova Scotia.