You do this 21,000 times every day and are generally unaware of it. But for some, it isn't so easy.
You BREATHE.
Let me explain... next time you grab for your Big Gulp, take a moment to pull the straw out and try breathing through it. Now breathe through it for 30 seconds. Next try breathing through it all day. Then consider what it's like to do this -- every day. Imagine 21,000 breaths like that.
If you frequent Two Salty Boys, you know that both of our sons have Cystic Fibrosis. CF is genetic disorder where two little genes create a LOT of problems.
Our boys spend a couple hours, yes you read that right, A COUPLE HOURS every day doing breathing treatments with special inhaled medications. They also do chest physiotherapy to clear their lungs of sticky mucus that is a magnet for dangerous bacteria and life-threatening lung infections. These lung infections are the culprit of progressive lung damage and lung decline. IV antibiotics are a given in the CF world. Not a matter of "if" they will have IV's, but "when". Treatments are labor-intensive and time-consuming. And they are 2 or 3x... EVERY DAY. That's approximately 2 months of their lives each year working hard to breathe.
They also take a regimen spanning 60 pills a day and countless medications to help them eat, digest food properly, and grow normally. Every time they eat or even simply drink a glass of milk, they are forced to take a handful of pills. Belly aches are a state of normal for them. Oh, and they need 150-200% more calories just to maintain weight and grow like other kids.
The hardest part for me is knowing that the clock is ticking... And every breath is precious. If you have made it this far, you probably aren't taking your 21,000 breaths for granted now.
My plea is a challenge to YOU, Two Salty Boys fans.
$21.
A buck for every 1,000 breaths you will breathe today to help my boys breathe easier.
And the catch is that you then SHARE this with all your friends with the same request -- $21.
That's 14 big gulps, if you're counting.
Or 4 coffees at a gourmet coffee shop.
Or 2 cocktails out on the town.
It's simple.
$21 and SHARE this with all your friends over email, Facebook, and Twitter
and ask them to donate $21.
And ask them to ask all their friends to donate. Just $21.
Pay it forward again. $21.
And so on.
Donate $21 TODAY at...
And pay it forward to help someone else BREATHE.
Wouldn't it be a miracle if we could get 21,000 people to donate $21? Let's see just how big we can take this.
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away." ~Anonymous
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