Okay, today is the 'big reveal' - what is inside the box?!
Thank you everyone for your patience as we were rookies pulling something like this off. I hope we don't fail anyone by saying, 'no, it's not a baby', 'no, we are not moving back to Utah', and 'no, there is no solid plan to take over the world, yet'. But, I hope you will be just as excited as I was when my incredible friend, Lindsay, approached me with her idea. She has been so good to me and I've invited her take over and share everything in her own words.
I lay awake as the minutes ticked on, late
into the night. The world around me was in quiet slumber as I forced my lungs
to maximum capacity, then squeezed out all the air, and tried again. What would
it be like to have 60 percent lung capacity? What about 36 percent?
My thoughts were troubled.
Mandie had mentioned her mother-in-law was
coming to town and, in nosey fashion, I wondered, why? It wasn't spring break
for our student-husbands. It wasn't anyone's birthday, as far as I knew. Easter
was coming; did that warrant a flight across the country?
Deep breath in. Push it all out. How had I
never realized the power of my lungs? How had I never thought about my
ability to breathe like this? I had always taken breathing for granted.
Then I played the worst case scenario game. A
game, my close friends know I'm good at, and has given us some good laughs.
As the sun rose, I forced myself to wait for a
decent hour to ask; because if you're going to be nosey, you should at least
wait until a normal hour of the day.
'Mandie, is your mother-in-law coming because
you're headed into the hospital for two weeks, again?'
When she replied, 'no' a rush of emotion came
over me, and I realized how much I truly care about this girl.
I first met Mandie at an end of the quarter
party held for our student-husbands. She opened a fizzy bottle of soda in the
grass so my child wouldn't have to wait, and later, as her baby lay asleep in
her arms, I overheard her say, 'this makes it all worth it'. I had no idea the
depth of those words. I had no idea I was looking at someone fighting a
terminal illness. I had no idea I was taking breathing for granted. I
had no idea what Cystic Fibrosis (CF) was.
I have since learned, CF is a progressive
genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability
to breathe over time. In people with CF, a defective gene causes a thick,
buildup of mucus in the lungs, pancreas, and other organs. In the lungs, the
mucus clogs the airways and traps bacteria leading to infections, extensive
lung damage, and eventually, respiratory failure. In the pancreas, the mucus
prevents the realease of digestive enzymes that allow the body to break down
food and absorb vital nutrients.
For Mandie this means an average life
expectancy of 36 years. Days filled with lots of hand sanitizer in attempts to
avoid any illness. A handful of medications taken before each meal (that she
can down all at once!). Unpredicted time spent in the hospital - always in
two week bursts, never less. Doing treatments daily and sometimes
throughout the night, that include wearing a vibrating vest to shake loose
built up mucus. Numerous doctor appointments, and stops at the pharmacy. Daily
exercises to push herself to stay as physically strong as possible to keep up
the fight. And a great amount of courage.
When I first met Mandie, I had no idea her
daily battle with this terminal illness because she doesn't let CF define her.
It is part of her life, but not her. Mandie is a daughter, a sister, a wife,
a mother, and a friend. She has completed multiple half marathons and a
sprint triathlon. She has traveled to four of the seven continents. She
feels at home at basketball games and plans to rock the soccer mom scene. She
is rarely without candy, and her favorite color is gray.
Mandie is an individual.
She is an individual who strives to conquer
all that steps in her way.
In recent years she has conquered
bringing a miracle baby into this world; not an easy feat for a CF individual.
Conquered sending her parents across the world on an LDS Mission; saying
goodbye to her mom, just as she, herself became a mom. Conquered moving to a
new state; supporting her husband's dreams. Conquered finding a new CF team;
twice, as the first did not fit well. The list goes on - all while
fighting this terminal illness and putting her trust in Christ.
Mandie let's the light of Christ shine through
her as she conquers. She knows that He set the example and conquered all, that
she may as well.
Mandie is not Cystic Fibrosis. Mandie is a
Christ-loving individual who, conquers all.
It was in those late night hours, breathing
deeply and playing worst case scenario, a dream was born. In the moment Mandie
said, 'no hospital stay' the dream grew legs and ran. And today it is with
great honor, I announce the dream come reality -
The Mandie Tee:
With Mandie's permission and input, I teamed
up with Elkhorn Embroidery - a small family owned shop - who worked to create a
t-shirt to share in Mandie's motto, and ability. A tee that allows us, as
ShermanArmy supporters, to join in her journey to conquer all.
AND after learning more about Mandie and her
journey, Elkhorn Embroidery has graciously offered to donate ALL profits from
each t-shirt purchase to assist with the Sherman family's medical expenses.
The Mandie Tee is a screenprinted, tri-blend
crew neck that comes in all sizes! To order your Mandie Tee, to show support
and ease the financial burden of medical costs follow this link and fill out this order form:
Wait there's MORE:
In honor of Mandie's upcoming birthday we
decided to take The Mandie Tee one step further and host a TEE PARTY in
Phoenix, AZ and a Mandie Tee Pick-Up party in Sandy, UT. Held the night of
Septemeber 8th!
If you would like to join in the fun, be
sure to use the code: AZPARTY (for the AZ Tee Party) or UTPARTY (for the Utah
party).
For both party locations you will receive
FREE shipping (as you will receive your tee at the party) and an invite with
party details.
The ORDER DEADLINE FOR THE PARTY is August
18th - so hurry, hurry.
I am honored to be a part of this, and hope
you are, too. Now let's show this girl some support and wear the Mandie
Tee!
