Wacky Blog

First Descents Ball

Saturday, April 1st was the 6th annual First Descents Ball held in Vail, Colorado.  There were eighteen Wacky Warriors in attendance, including Lee and I, Kelsey & Carly, Grandma & Grandpa, Jennie & Dean, Jerry & Denise, Colin & Monica, Larry & Avree, Kelli, Kailey, Caitlin & Makelle.  Whew!  Most of us donned hats of some sort and arrived at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, ready to bid at the silent auction.


After a flurry of hugs and pictures, we wandered the tables of merchandise, hoping our bids would win us our respective items.  Soon, we were seated at our assigned tables and dinner was served while the silent auction continued (with the help of volunteers and their iPads to track all bids).  Now, let’s talk about dinner for a moment. I’m going to sound a bit ungrateful here, but really, I’m just trying to be accurate.  “Tian of Vegetable Ratatouille” for the starter appeared to be a well-packed portion of chunky salsa. “Eggplant Roll, Spiced Pumpkin Mash, Asparagus & Baby Carrots” represented the entrée.  This is where it really gets interesting with two extreme reactions: Kelsey gagged bringing tears to her eyes, so she ate her carrots –little, teeny baby carrots – both of them; Lee devoured his entire plate.  Lee could also eat bark and think it was dry granola. That and he is by far the healthiest among our entire entourage. The rest of us fought over the rolls and finally begged the server to just leave us the basket.  The menu was a good spirited source of humor for the rest of the evening.

Soon, Brad Ludden, founder of First Descents and close family friend, introduced the video clip (well done, Remix!) on “Nickname” Raitt, this year’s recipient of the FD Spirit Award.

http://firstdescents.org/media/media-center/photos-videos?tubepress_page=2

Applause broke out once the clip finished and as Brad introduced me and Lee, the entire room of over 450 people stood to give Nickname a standing ovation.  My heart ached as we walked towards the stage, and I allowed myself a few silent tears as I hugged Brad.  Lee accepted the beautiful bronze sculpture in Nick’s behalf and I nervously began my speech.  Between my three pages of notes, tissues and glasses, I felt completely out of sorts; thankfully Lee stayed right by my side.  I tried to relay just how much First Descents meant to Nick, and now to us – Nick’s family.


Following my speech, was another talk given by “Johnny” Beaty, a beautiful three-time FD camper and cancer survivor.  Her husband introduced her, perfectly blending humor and tenderness, obviously still head-over-heels in love with his wife.  Johnny shared her journey through laughter, courage and a strong voice – wavering only once.  She is a true heroine.

And then came the auctioneers kicking off the live auction.  The entire evening was an enormous success raising over $450,000!  Soon the band cranked up the music and we all hit the dance floor.  Lee and I spoke to many wishing to express their love for Nickname or simply to say they were sorry for our loss.  It was an emotional night for everyone attending.  Around midnight, just as we were off to our room, a dozen extra large pizzas arrived for those remaining on the dance floor.  Perfect ending to a perfect night!

Just as our group headed towards Moab the next day, First Descents hosted a group of new counselors for an intense three-day training – also in Moab.  In fact, it was the same lodge that Nickname stayed in last April for the inaugural rock climbing camp.  Brad and Corey asked me and Lee to stop by the lodge to say a few words to the new recruits, reminding them how impactful their new jobs are going to be to the young cancer survivors.  Well, sure!  So, on Monday afternoon, the whole family tipped up at the lodge.  Counselors and staff – new and seasoned – gathered in the living room.  What Lee and I were amazed to see is that part of the training included having each new counselor burdened with a handicap brought on by cancer.  One was blindfolded; another had one leg bound, forced to use crutches; another had pillows plumping up their appearance representing weight gain cancer treatments can bring to a patient.  The counselors had to bear their “handicaps” throughout the entire day.  It is so important to relate to young adult survivors and I thought it was appropriate to try and walk in their shoes in an effort to understand the magnitude of issues cancer can bring.  Lee spoke a few minutes about how their leadership is so critical to providing an environment of learning and growth and I spoke about Nick’s Wacky Warriors.


fd2012 13.jpg

The room was magical for me, and just as powerful as the FD ball.  I am so grateful Nick’s legacy is living strong through our association with First Descents.  I’m so humbled FD has embraced Nickname and his Wacky Warriors with such love.  I consider each staff member a family member.  So much so that Lee and I are going to be camp parents at the next rock climbing camp in Moab the end of May.  We will actually be there on the anniversary of Nick’s passing and I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.  I truly believe it was not a coincidence that Nick chose to be part of FD.  I believe he knew FD was a healing experience for him while he lived and would be a healing experience for me once he physically died.

For more information on First Descents, please visit: www.firstdescents.org.

Recent Posts