I have CF, but it will never have me!

Staying home and a hilarious response from Avery

2012-01-23T09:07:00.000-08:00

I decided it wasn't worth it to go to Chicago. My health was at risk and it's not worth it. It's snowing in Chicago and I'd be walking quite a bit. I'm stuffed up, coughing and on antibiotics but I will get better. Am I depressed? A little but only because I feel like CF got the better of me. HOWEVER I know I made the right decision.

I'm frustrated with the insurance I took on the tickets though. They are making me fill out 7 pages of paperwork and get a letter filled out by my doctor (I feel like I'm back in grade school). I thought the insurance was supposed to make it easier. The guy on the phone asked me why I cancelled. I told him I had CF. He said "But that was something you had before the trip and we don't cover that." I said "But I have a cold which makes it worse." I felt so angry as if this guy didn't trust me. I wanted to scream, but I didn't.

I filled out most of the forms this morning and sent the rest to my doctor. I started antibiotics on Saturday and am doing a decongestant every 4 hours. I will get better.

I did have something really funny happen though. Avery, Andrea and Ethan went and saw "Annie" at the Fox (picture attached). Avery came home and said "Daddy, I'm very lucky and I know it now." I said "Awwww...sweetie. You realize now how lucky you are to have 2 parents who love you because for a long time Annie didn't have that and neither did her friends at the Orphanage? I'm so proud of you. That's an important life lesson."
Her response is the true punchline:

"No, that's not it. Mommy, let me have a whole bag of Cheetos!!!"

Kids will be kids.

Have a good one.

Andy

A Disappointing Doctor's Appointment

2012-01-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

The great thing about having a blog is telling people when things are great. The tough part is being completely honest when things aren't so great. My appointment today was frustrating. My numbers were down 8 points after my all-time high 3 months ago. Still I'm back around my baseline so it's not like I should be freaking out.

This is the time of year where my numbers constantly decline. I'm looking at the positives. I stayed at my baseline despite having a slight cold, the weather being freezing and this time of year is always a tough one for me. I will have to continue to keep up my tough workout regimin.

Today was the first morning that I started using free weights instead of the machine. I could feel it in my muscles. I also ran up 5 floors of steps after my appointment to remind CF that I'm not backing down.

I now have to decide whether I'm taking my business trip to Chicago. It's freezing there and 10 inches of snow are expected Saturday. Is it worth it to go? Dr. Sueblinvong prescribed me Augmentin for safety. I have to weigh the factors and decide what I'm going to do.

I'll tell you one thing. In the past, frustration would have turned to sadness which would have ended up turning into depression. Today though, I can tell I'm mentally strong. Frustration has turned into anger which has turned into determination. I'm going to get right back on top in the next few months. Count on it!!!

Thanks for listening. I hope that everyone is well.

Andy

What's been going on?

2012-01-18T13:08:00.000-08:00

Well, I have some exciting news. I have several new tour stops. I will be in Columbia, Missouri to celebrate a CF Education day and speak and I will also be speaking just outside of Dublin, Ireland later this year. I also have several other stops that we are confirming. I'll keep everyone up to date.

The Drive at 35 continues to get great reviews and selling very well. If you haven't read it, please order your copy at www.andylipman.com/books.cfm and I will sign it and send it to you.

Today I broke my record in my run, bike and swim all in the same day. I ran a mile in 9 minutes. When I first started running for speed around September I was at 13 minutes. I was able to complete 3 miles on the stationary bike in 9 minutes. My previous record was 10 minutes and my speed in September was 12 minutes. I swam 10 laps in 9 minutes which beat my original best of 12 minutes. I have a doctor's appointment this Friday the 20th so I'm doing everything I can to be in my best shape. My weight has also gone from 187 since the cruise to a lighter 182. Those double-ups on dessert on the boat didn't help much.

I've been meeting several wonderful people in regards to this book. I'm enjoying the opportunity to make CF awareness a global matter. I won't stop until CF stands for Cure Found.

Thanks for your time!

Andy

Battling my fears

2012-01-18T12:48:00.001-08:00

Everyone has a fear of something. Here are my top 10 fears in life.

10. Not being good enough. I have a fear of waking up one day and thinking I could have done more. I learned how to fight this. Every day before I do something that I know is significant, I picture myself at 80 years old and how that 80 year old would look back and would want to take chances in life and not regret anything. Fortunately I feel like I can go back in time and make changes.

9. I fear not giving my family the life and love that they deserve. I want to treat Andrea, Avery and Ethan the way they should be treated. I want to be a great husband and father. I've had my moments where I feel that I have failed. But I have learned from those failures and will continue to work hard.

8. I have a fear of getting old and sick and dying from CF. I have this fear of a tube in my nose and an oxygen tank by my side. I fear that there may never be a cure. I try to remain positive but I'd be lying if I said that these thoughts don't populate my head from time to time.

7. Having social encounters - While I am not afraid to speak in public, I still get very nervous before any 1-on-1 encounter. I always have this fear of not knowing what to say or a level of discomfort. It reminds me of my college days and being afraid to leave my room.

6. Dealing with babysitters - since I was a kid and was beaten up by a babysitter and messed around with by a family friend, I've had a lot of insecurities about people and now having 2 kids of my own, I'm very worried with any new person we hire to watch them. I struggle with this quite a bit.

5. I'm scared of fire. I'm afraid to light candles but I've learned to do so with my kids wanting to light the menorah on Hanukkah. I burned my finger lighting a candle when I was a kid and it made it very difficult to light anything again. I've since worked on getting past it but I still have trouble even lighting matches. Good thing I don't smoke. Well, also a good thing I don't smoke since I have CF. Ha Ha!

4. Traveling. I'm not afraid to fly but I'm afraid that I will forget medicine or won't have the right adapter for my machine when I go overseas. I'm finally learning to get over the fear and am planning many out of the country trips this year.

3. Pulmonary Function Tests. While every person with CF has to give a PFT at least once a year, it's very scary for me. I know that the doctor can determine from that one test how my health is. It doesn't matter how much I'm running or working out, this is how I am judged.

2. Losing my fire. I'm afraid to lose my competitive fire because I know how much it has meant towards my fight against CF. When I lose at the smallest thing, I still want to win so badly the next time. I'm ok with that. I'm more than ok with it. I love it!

1. My sobriety. It's so important that I keep on the path of taking care of my depression and my addiction to social networking. I am more than two years sober but I have to continue to fight my issues.

Thanks for listening. I hope everyone is doing well.

Andy

It's been a quarter of a century

2012-01-10T12:39:00.000-08:00

25 years ago today, I had my Bar Mitzvah. Why is that significant? Back then I was thirteen years old and little did I know then that I'd reached a milestone that day and not the milestone many might think. Yes, in the Jewish religion, I'd officially become a man. But in reality, I'd exceeded the life expectancy many doctors had given me. I had no idea at the time how lucky I was to be alive.

Today I am 38 years old and once again I exceeded expectations this year by beating the median life expectancy that CF patients now have. It's strange how much not only I have changed in those twenty-five years but also how much expectations for patients like me have changed.

I hope everyone is well. Stay strong.

Andy

Winter

2011-12-31T06:32:00.000-08:00

Well, the winter has officially begun and the new year is here. As most of you know who follow my blog or have read my book, I can't stand the winter. It brings back tough memories and it also reminds me that these are the times when my pulmonary function numbers are their lowest. I see my doctor at the end of January to see how I'm doing. I'm not doing many triathlons at the gym right now basically because it's so cold outside and it's tough to come out of the gym after swimming and dealing with the cold.

I have been working out twice a day. I run in place for 17 minutes, do my strength (anaerobic) workouts for 20 minutes in the morning and do a 1+ mile run and 3+ mile bike ride at the gym. A lot of the 1+ mile run is sprinting and I do the 3 mile bike ride in 10 minutes on the stationary bike. Every now and then, I shoot hoops at the gym just to eliminate the monotony of running and biking.

I just finished my TOBI the other night. I did a lot of traveling this time around while doing it. We went to Knoxville to visit Andrea's dad, we went to visit my grandmother in Jacksonville, on our Disney cruise and visited Andrea's mom in Orlando. I managed not to skip one dose which I'm proud of.

I'm still devastated over the Falcons loss yesterday. I'm frustrated with my sports teams. I'm sick of getting to the playoffs. I want more. Is that too much to ask? Should I be happy my teams are good enough to get to the playoffs? I just am sick of coming up short time and again.

Happy New Year everyone.

Andy

Wish for Wendy Final Numbers!

2011-12-29T06:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all of you for supporting us in 2011. This year we set lofty expectations.

In 2011, A Wish for Wendy was blessed to have some amazing sponsors, volunteers, donors, players, captains and umpires. All of you played a part in our final number. Our highest gross figure was in 2009 when we raised $174,091.00. Our goal was to beat that in a tough economic year. We didn't beat it. What I meant to say is "Thanks to The Jerry and Anita Zucker Family Foundation, we didn't JUST beat it, we annihilated it!"

Our final gross number for 2011 is $252,710.00 which in 12 years puts us over $1.25 million raised. Thank you to all of you who have given up your time and energy to make this event a success. As a cure moves closer for patients like me, I thank you for not only giving me a longer time to live but also for giving my family a dad, husband, son and brother to spend many more holidays with God willing.

I wish all of you happy holidays and a safe New Year!

Andy

The Blogmaster returns...

2011-12-28T14:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm back to blogging today. Sorry about the long break. Andrea and I took the kids on a cruise with my cousins and their kids. We had a great time as it was a Disney Cruise. The kids absolutely loved the characters especially Mickey and Minnie. I had a terrific time with Andrea and seeing the kids interact with their cousins. I can however say that I have my Mickey fix for quite a long time.

The Drive at 35 is selling very well but that doesn't mean I'm going to slow down the publicity. I have a PR team that will start up in January but I'm doing all I can prior to that to move the book across the country and around the world. We've had orders from Taiwan, Ireland, England, France and Canada. It's really exciting. The feedback has been wonderful as well. Thanks to all of you who have bought a copy. Please continue to spread the word.

I'm waiting to find out when I am throwing out the first pitch at a Braves game. I can't wait. I have submitted the paperwork and am just waiting for a response from the Braves.

The final numbers for Wish for Wendy should be available at week's end. I will forward them on. Next year's Wish for Wendy will be Saturday November 10th so please mark it down on your calendars.

I hope that everyone had a Happy Hanukkah, a Merry Christmas and a Happy Kwanza. I also wish all of you a Happy New Year!

Here is my quick sports update: The Falcons look like the 3rd best team in the NFC. The problem is that they are far below the top 2 teams: GB and NO.

The Braves apparently have no money to spend this offseason. I'm looking forward to someone buying the team and spending money to make this team a true title contender.

The Hawks are...well, does anyone watch the NBA anymore? Here's an update. They are 1-0. Joe Johnson is still a Hawk. We still can't spend money.

The Thrashers are...the Winnipeg Jets and are in 2nd place in their division. Go Jets!

Why is it that whenever I go to the gym and grab a locker, someone always removes their stuff from the locker next to mine? It almost always happens. There could be 5 people in a locker room with 200 lockers but someone is always next to me. Deep thoughts.

Live your dreams and love your life!

Andy

My new book

2011-12-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

I am so excited about my new book being published. Even though the “official release” isn’t until after the first of the year, early release copies of The Drive at 35 are available now through my web site www.andylipman.com. The direct link is www.andylipman.com/books.cfm. Some people are ordering them for holiday gifts. If you order a gift copy and would like me to include a personalized autograph, just send an email to andy@andylipman.com when you place your order and I’ll be happy to inscribe it to whomever you name.

A lot of people have asked what The Drive at 35 is about. It is about looking back from the perspective of a 35 year old. It’s my story of what kept me going, having lived with the knowledge for my entire life, that I was just shy of the age I was expected to die of cystic fibrosis. It is about the journey I’ve taken to beat CF, but more importantly about applying what I’ve learned coping with CF to coping with all the things that have happened to me, many of which would seem to have nothing to do with the disease. It’s about where I am as an individual, and how I got here.
A significant portion of The Drive at 35 focuses on battles and triumphs that could be part of anyone’s experiences. The after-effects of childhood trauma, achieving athletic goals, getting married, the trials of In Vitro fertilization, the joys and terrors of becoming a parent, and suffering from clinical depression are a few examples. I also wrote about losing a sister to the same disease I have and deciding to start a foundation in her memory, then about all the wonderful friends who have helped and inspired me to do even more. Finally, I tell about what it was like to lose my dear friend, Rusty Sneiderman, and the ups and downs my wife and I have had dealing with his terrible murder.

I hope everyone who reads this blog will buy a copy of my new book; I’m donating $5 from every purchase to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Plus, it would be so cool if your purchase help put this book on the New York Times best seller list! Once you finish reading it, let me know your thoughts and questions at andy@andylipman.com.
Thank you so much for all your support.

Live your dreams and love your life.

Andy

2011-12-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

Please buy my book and forward it and retweet it to everyone you know. The book is "The Drive at 35" and the link is www.andylipman.com/books.cfm

$5 from every purchase will go to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Thank you for the support.

Andy

1 year ago since my life changed...

2011-11-17T11:47:00.001-08:00

Dear Rusty,

It has been a year since you passed. I should say a year since you were taken from us prematurely. I can't think of a single day when I haven't thought of you. Since you've died, I've looked at the world a lot differently. I have learned that friends come and go in this world but best friends stay in your heart forever. I have my Wish for Wendy Warriors shirt from 2010 that I still can't wear because your name is on the back and that was the last time you and I saw each other in person.

This year we took a moment of silence to remember and honor you. I've been there for your Andrea and my Andrea has been there nonstop for your Andrea. She's been incredible to your lovely bride. I've tried to honor your thoughts about Wish for Wendy by incorporating your sponsorship ideas. We even named the sponsorship program after you. Your ideas led to the greatest sponsorship dollars in Wish for Wendy history this past year. I've also worked on my speaking as you suggested I do.

There are things I especially miss about you. I miss you meeting me for lunch and dissecting my blog. You told me you were my biggest fan after reading it. I was always embarrassed when you called yourself my biggest fan. I miss your laugh and your amazing ability to make fun of yourself. No one made fun of Rusty like Rusty. I miss hearing you say "My Andrea" or "Your Andrea." Speaking of your Andrea, she has had a Hell of a lot to deal with the last 12 months but I think she's slowly mending. She has dealt with everything from losing her husband to the loss of the father of her children in a very remarkable way especially having to deal with the media in between.

None of us will ever completely heal from your loss. Whether you know it or not, you were irreplaceable. Giving your eulogy was the first speech I'd made in a long time but since then I've made dozens. You told me I could make a bigger difference. I'm trying. I even spoke in D.C. at the National CF Office and in Roswell at the Chipper Jones Golf Tournament.

Your kids are getting so big. Andrea's dad was showing off Ian's athletic skills the other day. While he may not be there yet, I promise to help him to be the athlete I know you wanted him to be. He and Ethan can play together when they're older and we'll see if we can get the Indians and Braves interested in drafting them though you and I both know that with our athletic prowess, our kids' best chances of making the big leagues are in the front office.

Sophia is a beautiful young girl and has lots of friends. I know your loss hurts her but it will not define her. She and Avery still play together from time to time.

This week I was thinking back to a year ago. This time a year ago our families were supposed to get together to go bowling. We'd just gone to see "The Social Network" a week before Wish for Wendy and we'd recently played on our Warriors team that won one out of three games.

I still remember the day you lost your life. It was a Thursday which strangely enough I figured out if you mixed up the letters in THURSDAY, you'd get "HAD RUSTY" and that was indeed the last day all of us had you in our life. I was shocked when my Andrea called me to tell me you'd been shot. I was interviewing a candidate at work. When I heard you'd been shot, I thought it was some random act and that you were not the target. I know now that you were but rest assured that we have the guy and he'll get what's coming to him though no punishment will ever make up for the fact that he took away a wonderful father, son, husband, brother, uncle and friend. I still remember driving at record speed to get to the hospital when I got the emotional call from my Andrea and those horrible two words "Rusty died." I'd never been so shaken and to this day I still haven't. I lost my "biggest fan" that day. More importantly, I lost as good a friend as a man could find.

There are days when I ask "Why?" There are days that I think God should have taken me and not you. I have spent a chunk of my therapy sessions dealing with your loss. I always wish I could joke with you and tell you how much you owe me for those parts of the session. I know I have to move on but it seems unfair that I can't move on with you and have conversations with you. I miss you, dude. I miss my biggest fan.

Well, my book is coming out officially in January. I know you, my biggest fan, were really excited about it. I have a whole chapter dedicated to you. My softball team finally won a title. I know you would appreciate the fact as a Clevelander and an Atlantan that championships don't grow on trees. Heck, we never seem to see them. The only pro title in this town was won because we played the team from your town to win it. I am also now a Board member of the CF Foundation and working hard to help us raise enough money and awareness to find a cure which seems closer by the day.

I wish I could ask you what Heaven is like. I'm sure you have already made a bunch of new friends (and fans) and are getting re-acquainted with some old ones. A lot of people in Cleveland and Atlanta have suffered since your loss. Please pray for them and if you can, reach out to them and tell them to find peace. The media has been tough but in most instances at least recently I've found that they have been respectful to the privacy of the Sneiderman family.

I wish the story wasn't about some evil man who killed his employee's husband but instead about some innocent man who lost his life yet still accomplished so much before the age of 40. You always got excited that I was going to beat the median life expectancy of 37 yet you didn't get there yourself and that just infuriates me.

Finally, I wanted to thank you. Thank you for being part of my life. While it was only a short time, I consider your friendship a gift...and I have not lost it even after you died. I'm taking everything you gave to me and I'm using it to make the world a better place. It's going to be tough to top the world that once featured a wonderful man named Rusty Sneiderman.

I love you, Rusty. And I'm very proud of the man you were and the man you've turned me into.

Your friend and your biggest fan always,

Andy

FINALLY!!!

2011-11-15T06:48:00.000-08:00

Off The Bench, my softball team which I have captained since the late-2000's, won our first competitive league softball championship last night winning all 4 of our playoff games in the last few weeks (include 3 by mercy rule). We also won our division. Congrats to the people in the picture:

Back row: Left to right: Scott, Jason, Felicia, Josh (co-captain), Cole
Middle Row: Left to right: Gary, Scarlett, Bethany, Ira (co-captain), Keri, Cheyanne
Front Row: Left to right: Jaime and me
Not pictured: Mike (in Japan - but a huge part of our team)
Subs not pictured: Steph, Kelly, Jeff and Kristin

We won on the premise that everyone plays in every single game and that we all play with a good attitude. I'm most proud of that than anything else.

Thanks to Gary, Ira and everyone else who carried me on their shoulders after the game. That was certainly a moment that I will never forget.

Congrats team. I'm a very proud captain today.

Oh and I went 1 for 1 with a walk, a triple, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI's last night. I may be old but I can still play a little ball.

The cutest thing was that Avery climbed into bed with Andrea this morning while I was doing my therapy and asked if daddy won. "Yes, sweetie...in more ways than one."

Andy

Off the Bench goes to the Championship Game

2011-11-14T07:21:00.000-08:00

After a hard-fought victory on Thursday, my softball team, Off the Bench, will play for the championship tonight at 7pm in Brookhaven. We have been to the finals only once before but fell short. Hopefully we can end the year with a championship. Wish us luck!

Andy

Off the Bench on to the final 4

2011-11-10T10:51:00.000-08:00

My softball team reached the Final Four last night. Off the Bench advanced to their first Final Four in several years. The game is at 7:35pm tonight. It's going to be cold out there. I'll keep everyone updated.

In other news, my book will officially be available in January.

I hope everyone is well.

Andy

A Whirlwind Weekend...from Wish to Chipper!

2011-11-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

So the weekend started with Wish for Wendy this Saturday. It was a tremendous success. We have raised over $241,000 (Gross) so far this year. That's a new record. We're still shooting for a quarter million.

Balls to the Wall turned back time and won their 3rd Wish for Wendy title and their first since 2004. The fundraising champion was General Paton's Third Army followed by the Demons and the Wish for Wendy Warriors. My team, the Warriors, went 1-2 and lost a heartbreaker to the hands of General Paton's Third Army 17-16 in their final at-bat.

Here are some of the other awards from the weekend:

Rookies of the Year: Courtney and Elliot Leson
MVP: Andrea Lipman
Hall of Fame: Pete Bok and Eva Lipman
Ceremonial First Pitch: Pete Bok

Brandon Beachy was as genuine a professional athlete/celebrity as I've ever met. He not only signed more balls than he needed to but he also gave us a generous donation to support the cause. If more people, forget just celebrities, were like Brandon, the world would be a far better place.

On Sunday night, I spoke at Chipper Jones' Golf Tournament. That was pretty cool. I even made fun of Chipper while I was up there as I chose that time to brag about my Dawgs beating his Gators. Even though I had very little voice from the day before, the speech still went over very well as they raised an additional $15,000 after my speech to help promote a cure for the children who battle terminal diseases like CF.

That same night, my dad bid on and won one of my Bucket List things to do. I am going to be throwing out a first pitch at a Braves game next season. I don't know when but I'll let everyone know. I'm really excited. Thanks dad.

My book also debuted this weekend. I'm still waiting for the initial reviews. The marketing campaign for the book will start in late November but I already have another big speech at the 19th annual Larry Bregman, M.D., Educational Conference which will be held at the Selig Center in Midtown on February 25 and 26, 2012.

It was a crazy weekend and to end it off, Monday morning I tore my thumb on my weight bench and had to go to a Physician's Care Center in Duluth. I got a tetanus shot and have my thumb fully wrapped. Our softball playoffs (Round 2) take place Wednesday and Thursday. I'll find a way to play.

I hope everyone had a good weekend. Thanks to all of you who supported Wish for Wendy and helped us move ever closer to a cure.

Andy

Spork?

2011-11-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

So I ordered a salad today at my gym. I got back to the office and I got the following eating tool (the one in the middle). What the heck is that? Is it a fork? I looked to the left and compared. No. Is it a spoon? I looked to the right and it's not a spoon. Is it a lollipop for Batman? Nope. I have no clue but I plan to spend the rest of my week figuring it out. Wish me luck!

Oh, and Avery's line of the week this week was when Andrea was going to the store and asked if I wanted her to pick up anything...I said Gummy Bears please. My daughter followed with "Gummy Bears, dad? I thought you were going to quit." I felt lower than low. At least I have the spork tool attached to keep my mind busy this week.

Andy

Wish for Wendy, The Drive at 35 and a hilarious Top 10

2011-11-01T11:54:00.001-07:00

I finished my 28 days of TOBI this morning and I'm glad I can finally get some rest prior to Wish for Wendy on Saturday. I am hoping that with our match that we can reach a quarter of a million dollars this year which would break our record by nearly $75,000. This is a great year to break the record as some really big CF treatments are soon to be FDA-approved and out on the market.

I think this is going to be by far the best Wish for Wendy ever. First off, the weather looks awesome for Saturday. Thanks Wendy! I start freaking around around the 10-day forecast until the morning of the event. I can't even watch the Weather Channel right now but I do check weather.com when I'm feeling gutsy. Our silent auction is definitely the best. We have already had a lot of great smaller events prior to the big event. The Demons did a terrific job with their event at Slacks last week. We have some cool personalities coming out to Wish. We have some neat new activities during the event. We are definitely getting more airtime locally as Wish for Wendy has become well-known in the Atlanta community. In fact, I was just on WSB promoting the event and we may have another big promotion on 680 the Fan later in the week. More to come...

My book The Drive at 35 will be arriving at my house this week. I can't wait to read it! Oh wait, I wrote it. I can't wait to make sure that there are no awful typos!

I'm proud of my Dawgs for beating Florida and continuing to make my early season prognostication come true. UGA in the SEC Championship Game where we will get ripped by Alabama or LSU.

The Braves are paying $10 million for Derek Lowe to pitch somewhere else. Wow, talk about a slap in the face. I think for that fact alone, Frank Wren should already be eliminated from GM of the year for 2012. I'm worse than Derek Lowe. Maybe he'll pay me $20 million not to pitch for the Braves. I'll make a call.

I trick-or-treated with my kids last night. Avery appears to enjoy handing out candy more than receiving it. Ethan loves grabbing candy and immediately asking if I can open it so he can eat it. I have been tabbed as the "guy who always wears his Braves jersey on Halloween" by my neighbors. Next year I'm going as one of the Kardashians. Let's see them laugh at me then...wait a minute...

Ok, it's time for my Top 10 "Why" questions from the last month:

1. Why does the school bus in my neighborhood stop at one house and then literally go 2 more houses and stop for another kid? Hey son, you are an example of why kids are not exercising in the world today. Move your butt over to the other house or compromise and have you both go to the house in between.

2. Why is it that when I'm trying to call a business and it's urgent and I hit ZERO, I always get "Sorry, that is not a valid extension?" Zero should always be a valid extension!

3. Why is it that political candidates spend a majority of their time criticizing their competitors? I'm looking for someone who can tell me what they CAN do for me rather than what their competitor CAN'T.

4. C.C. Sabathia just accepted a deal worth $122 Million over 5 years which he said had nothing to do with the money. There's no why here except maybe "Why am I laughing so hard?"

5. Why is it that when you turn your lights off after you're done giving out candy, there are still kids who come to your door and knock? Next time I'm putting a sign on our door..."We are old and tired. If you want candy, there is a CVS just 2 miles away. Ask the kid who waits for a bus from 2 houses away to walk you over there. He needs the exercise."

6. Why do kids say the darndest things? My daughter called a family meeting the other day and when she was done saying what she had to say, she said, "Ok, I'm done now." How old are you???

7. Why is it that Bernie Madoff seems to be the most hated man in America? I have a better one. I don't know his name nor do I even know if he is a male. What I do know is that this person invented something that ruins my day every day...the REPLY TO ALL button. That guy should be on the FBI's Most Wanted List. On the other side, the guy or woman who invented blind copying should be able to eat in any restaurant they want whether he or she has reservations or not.

8. What is more shocking? Kim Kardashian getting divorced before even reaching the century mark for days being married or Lindsay Lohan posing for Playboy? Take your time. Here's the "Why" for this one. Why should anyone care?

9. Why doesn't someone come up with the opposite of Facebook where you have enemies instead of friends. The more you have, the less people are going to want to be enemies with you. I can see it now. "Andy wants to be enemies with you. He thinks you seem like a schmuck. Please accept his invitation." We could call it Hatebook.

10. Why is it that in fancy restaurants there is a guy who gives you a towel to wash your hands in the restroom? I learned how to wash my hands a long time ago and I'm not paying someone to teach me something I learned for free years earlier. This might be perfect though for the kid waiting for the bus in my neighborhood. There's no doubt that he is too lazy to wash his own hands much less walk one house over...I know, I know. I'll get over it now.

Have a good one!

Andy

Blowing CF out of the water!!!

2011-10-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

First off, let me share some great news. My pulmonary function was up a record 9% today. It was the first time I've hit 90 percentile in my FVC in more than 2.5 years. FVC is Forced Vital Capacity meaning the amount of air which can be forcibly exhaled from the lungs after taking the deepest breath possible. It is the single most important indicator of an infection in the lungs.

I think the swimming and biking are really helping. I took a half day today so I immediately went to the gym after the great news. This is no time to get complacent. It's time to build on the great news. Last time, my doctor told me that science shows that our lung function declines as we get older. I told her I failed Science and therefore don't believe in it. I proved I'm more of a fan of "science fiction" than I am of science today. It's been an emotional day and I was thrilled to relay the news to Andrea this morning.

Wish for Wendy has broken the record for our sponsorship numbers this year and I'm going to credit that to Rusty Sneiderman. I worked my tail off to accomplish the ideas he had last year. Even while not with us, Rusty has made a difference for so many people.

How am I doing? I actually am doing well. Rejoining my gym has certainly helped as I am swimming, running and biking twice a week while still working out at home. TOBI is starting to take a toll on me. I only have one week left of my 28-day supply. I try to take a couple of 15-minute naps in my car during the week and I try to walk around as much as possible so I don't collapse from exhaustion.

The playoffs begin soon and my softball team is in first place. I hope I can win that first title as a captain.

My book will be arriving next week. I'm pretty nervous as to the reaction it will get but I know that it will make a difference for people who deal with difficult emotional and/or physical issues.

Thanks for your time. Have a nice weekend.

Andy

My book will be available at Wish and my new workout routine

2011-10-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

I'm excited that my new book "The Drive at 35" (cover attached) will be available in bookstores at the end of November and that 24 signed copies will be available at Wish for Wendy. My goal is to make this book a NY Times Best Seller and raise a lot of money for charity and especially raise awareness for this awful disease.

I joined Lifetime Fitness again this month after freezing my membership for a year. I have been doing one triathlon a week which includes 12 Olympic laps in the pool, a 1-mile run and a 3-mile bike ride. I do this all within 50 minutes. I'm not training for a triathlon right now. I just want to stay in good shape. This doesn't include the fact that I worked out for half-an-hour this morning and also ran for 17 minutes in place while doing my therapy. I also have softball tonight.

Jessica Black, Miss United States 2010, (attached) will be co-hosting Wish for Wendy this year. I'm excited to add Jessica to our fundraiser. Brandon Beachy (also attached), Braves rookie sensation, will also be signing balls this year for the cause.

There are a lot of things going on for cystic fibrosis research and I hope my book and Wish for Wendy can help us to raise awareness outside of the CF community as to how close we are to a cure.

Thanks,

Andy

The Dream is over! A cute pic of Ethan!

2011-10-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

While desperate to find a winning team in this city to root for, I happened upon the Atlanta Dream who had just reached the WNBA Finals. I tuned in to game 1. They lost. Then I turned on the end of game 2, another defeat. The other night, I tuned in and they were done. So much for making me feel better after my Braves collapsed. Now the Falcons are looking bad too and the Dream is done. The Thrashers are gone and the Hawks don't look like they'll have a season. On the bright side, my softball team is undefeated.

Go Dawgs! Speaking of the only team that wins for me, here is a picture of Ethan after my Dawgs won this past Saturday over Andrea's Vols. Avery decided not to take part this year. When we made the bet, I didn't put into consideration the fact that Avery would have a mind of her own and may not want to wear UGA stuff. Don't worry. She won't wear UT stuff either. Is this how a future Florida undergrad acts? Ut-oh!

I got some great news that Brandon Beachy will be coming out to Wish for Wendy this year and we'll have some representation from the Atlanta Beat organization. That's really exciting. Besides that, the Falcon cheerleaders, the Chick Fil-A cow and several local celebrities will be making an appearance. I will also be doing an interview for AM750, 95.5FM, 98.5FM, and 97.1 FM for later in the month.

Wish for Wendy is my big focus right now. We also have the Atlanta Beat coming and we just found out that Jessica Black, Ms. United States 2010, will be hosting our event this year. The news keeps getting more exciting for Wish for Wendy! Please come on out!

Also The Drive at 35 will be available at Wish for Wendy, at least 24 signed copies will be available. The book will be in stores by the end of November. I'm really excited and I hope everyone enjoys reading it.

Andy

Hell of a Trip

2011-10-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

Well, let me start out with the serious part. The speeches to the CF Foundation and CF Services went over extremely well. I spoke for 3 hours to 3 separate groups totalling 150 plus people. I received standing ovations and really good insight from everyone that was there. They even did a theme based on my fiction book "A Superhero Needs No Cape." I attached a picture of the big poster they had out. Each employee dressed as their favorite hero. It was the first time I attended the National CF Chapter and was thrilled with all of the wonderful people who care so much about patients like myself.

Now for the funny. And I promise if you thought it was called Murphy's Law, you will soon understand why it should be changed to Lipman's Law.

So Monday morning began innocently enough. I woke up early and got all of my stuff done. I was packed and ready to go in plenty of time. This trip was going to be easy. I usually worry about travel because of all of the meds I have to take on board.

As I was leaving, I was re-ordering some meds on-line when I noticed my Zenpep was not on the list and then I checked and I was down to only a couple of days of supply. I have to take 16 to 20 of these enzymes a day for my digestive system so they are critical to my health. I called my mail-order pharmacy to see why there was a delay and apparently they faxed a request to my doctor's office in August and never heard back. I then asked "Why didn't you tell me that back in August or even September?" After working it out, I called both the doctor and the mail-order pharmacy and they told me the soonest I'd get them was Friday. I was frustrated so I had my doctor call in a one-month supply at my CVS, which of course meant I'd have to pay about 20 times the normal fee to get it. Finally Andrea was able to talk the pharmacy into giving us a week's worth for a large fee but still much cheaper than the prior total.

So I'm driving along and running late now because of the time it took to get my meds on order. So who happens to stop me? A state trooper on a motorcycle. I begged him to let me go as I was running late for a flight but no, I was going 76 in a 65. Are you kidding me? Doesn't everyone on 285 do that at a minimum? Anyway, I got back to driving and got to the airport. When I parked, I hit a huge soda on the ground with my tire and I heard the cup explode under my car. I of course was only able to find a space in 71D!!! Row seventy freakin' one! When I got out, my ticket and flight info fell under the car. I had to crawl down and get them while the wind was moving them. Then I forgot my car had hit the full cup of soda when I parked so it was wet where I was reaching. Oh, it gets better.

So I finally walk to the airport with all my machinery and luggage (71 ROWS!!!!) and I get to the touchscreen to check in for my flight. My credit card would not go through. I went to the agent and asked why. He said "It says here your flight leaves at 12:45." I said "Yes, I know. That's not the issue." "Yes, it is." he said. "It leaves from Baltimore and we are in Atlanta." Oh my God, I reversed everything. I was supposed to fly out of Atlanta at 12:45. Instead I'd put depart from Baltimore on Monday and depart from Atlanta on Tuesday. Ahhh! So I had to pay extra to get on the 12:40 Atlanta flight. And I told him to change my Delta flight to around the same time as I had prior for Tuesday evening so he said "How about 7:45?" I said, "GREAT!" Finally, I made it to the flight. Things couldn't get worse, right? Wrong.

So I get to BWI airport and the luggage is coming out. What happens? One of the bags gets stuck. What's even funnier? After 5 minutes of fixing it, my bag is the next one in line. I finally rent my car and get to the hotel. I took a risk and did not rent a GPS as I wanted to prove I wasn't as direction-senseless as everyone thinks I am. I instead used my Google Maps and got to the hotel within an hour in Bethesda.

Tuesday went better. I got up early, worked out, had a protein bar and went to the CF Foundation. Things were getting better. My speeches all went great. I had to believe that the day before was just dumb luck. I was a better traveler than I thought. Then came the events after my speech. Thanks to being too proud to rent a GPS, I got lost trying to find my cousin who I was meeting there. Finally after 30 minutes of wrong turns and addresses, we found each other. Then I was leaving I saw that the guy gave me a 7:45 flight. I thought "piece of cake" even with the DC rush hour traffic.

Andrea called and said "You almost there?"

"I'm on the way. Traffic sucks. I hope I make my 7:45."

"7:45? I show your flight would be 7pm."

"Nope, I'm looking at it right here. 7:45." It's cool when the guy is actually right and not his wife. 30 minutes later as I was trying to sneak through traffic and starting to freak out, Andrea called me.

"Don't freak out, but..." My wife knows me so well. "Your flight is at 7pm."

"No honey, it says 7:45."

Andrea said "Is there an 'a' next to the 7:45?" Folks, letters are very critical when checking the time. I learned that in first grade but seemed to forget it this week. Apparently my flight was at 7:45 IN THE MORNING!!! I missed it. I called Delta in a panic to change it and called Enterprise to see if they could rush me over there. I finally got Delta to change my flight for another freakin' fee. I was so pissed at the Delta guy the prior day who was supposed to give me an evening flight but even more pissed at myself for not checking. By the way, Delta refused to waive the fee. Ugh! I told Andrea. It's ok. Worst case, I can get on a later flight.

"Andy," she said, "that's the last flight of the evening."

Are you kidding me? How bad could my luck get? She told me I could just go to Reagan and get a later flight but I was determined to get to BWI. I finally arrived at Enterprise at 6:15, got on the shuttle and was taken to Delta at 6:30. I begged people to let me ahead of them in line. The lady at the desk said she couldn't find my new 7pm reservation. Finally she said "Sorry Mr. Upman." I said "It's Lipman! Don't put the 'L' and 'I' together to make a 'U.'" She found it. I ran through security. For the first time in about 10 years, I didn't get stopped at security for my machine which was a relief but also a concern that they didn't even check it. I arrived at my flight. Things were getting better, right?

Wrong. The flight was at 7pm. We weren't in the air until about 7:30 as we had to wait in line for other planes to go. The pilot tells us that we will land at 8:30 instead of 9 and a gate has been reserved. AWESOME, I thought. Things are coming together. We did land at 8:30 but the gate was taken by someone else. 35 minutes later we got a gate. BUT the oldest lady on the plane was still in the restroom so we couldn't leave till she came out which was about 15 minutes later.

We were on the ground 30 minutes prior to that in Baltimore so technically we were in the air and on the ground about the same amount of time that we were in the air. The plane should not be called an "air" plane.

Finally I slowly trudged to my car at 71 Freakin' D and got home where I had to start my TOBI so I wouldn't have to do it during Wish for Wendy which is a month from now. I was in bed by 1am after having a nice midnight dinner while watching the playoff highlights which of course did not include my Braves.

I still look forward to more trips however I will make the following changes.

1. I will have someone else make my flight arrangements.
2. I will rent a GPS.
3. I will look at the letter next to the time for now on.
4. I will not speed in downtown Atlanta. Who am I kidding? Change that to "I will not get caught speeding in downtown Atlanta."
5. I will go onto Wikipedia and change the first word in the term "Murphy's Law."

I hope everyone is well. I'm glad I was able to avoid talking about the Braves but how about them Dawgs? I predicted an SEC East title and many of you laughed. They are now tied for first and my family's favorite game is on tap Saturday during the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. So for the first time since we started dating, Andrea and I will not attend UGA vs. Tennessee and will observe Yom Kippur. We'll still keep our traditional bet though and the winning team will be represented by our children the following day with their attire. Go Dawgs!

Speaking of sports, since we don't have a hockey team, my baseball team collapsed, there will not be a basketball season and the football season is too early, I decided to get on the bandwagon of the Atlanta Dream, Atlanta's WNBA team. I knew they were in a 3-out-of-5 championship series so why not? Since then, they have lost the first 2 games of the series and face elimination later in the week. Maybe it's me that is the problem. Oh well.

Take care!

Andy

The Drive has a Cover and Life is a Bear!

2011-09-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

The cover for my book "The Drive at 35" is officially out. I have posted to those of you who follow the blog. I hope you like it. Feel free to send me comments. Thanks.

So I’m on a new diet because I went from 182 to 189 in a few weeks. What is the culprit? More like who! Gummy Bears! I’ve been eating 1 or 2 bowls per night. Damn those little guys! They add up quickly. So I skipped them on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and have already lost 4 pounds. I’ve subbed them for oatmeal. I also am eating Lean Cuisine meals at lunch. My goal is to get down to 180 pounds by mid-October. I believe I'm becoming too obsessed with my weight but I also know that I have to eat healthier if I am going to give cystic fibrosis a good fight for an entire lifetime.

What’s up with sports in this town (Atlanta)? The Thrashers are gone. The Hawks are on strike. The Braves are choking at a historical (not hysterical) level and the Falcons are under-achieving. At least I have my Dawgs. Oh yeah, that’s right. They’re not even in the Top 25. Maybe I should move and bring bad luck to another city.

Any way the Braves have a big week now. They HAVE TO take at least 2 out of 3 from Philly since the Cards are playing the lowly Astros. I have a really bad feeling but I’ll be watching all 27 innings and beyond this week though I have a softball game at 9:45 tonight so I’ll be checking the score on my phone.

Speaking of softball, we are in first place and this team is really gelling. When you win, it's a lot more fun to play at 9:45 at night.

Ethan had some firsts this weekend. He used a urinal for the first time although honestly he thought it was a sink when we first walked in. I grabbed him before he made that mistake. As Andrea said, I hope he now doesn’t confuse our sink with a urinal. He also scored his first goal. Technically, he scored two goals at soccer but one was against his own goalie. Meanwhile, Avery is turning into a regular Mary Lou Retton. She’s doing somersaults with girls two or three years older than her. One of the girls told me she was amazed at how good she is.

I’m thinking the Georgia Bulldogs are going to run the table and win the SEC East. I know this sounds crazy but they have a favorable schedule and I think South Carolina is over-rated especially since they have some tough games still to come. Georgia can’t lose another SEC game and must hope that USC loses at least two more times. I think it’s going to happen. I’m not too crazy though as I think whoever we play (Alabama or LSU) will destroy us in Atlanta.

I’m still working hard to find Wish for Wendy teams or even free agents. If you’re interested in taking part, please e-mail me at andy@andylipman.com.

Happy New Year to all of my Jewish friends. The benefit of being Jewish is that we get two new year's days. The negative is we get to break our resolutions twice as often as everyone else.

I hope everyone has a good week.

Andy

In support of Andrea Sneiderman

2011-09-22T05:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I have read some of the news articles lately and heard all of the accusations against my friend Andrea Sneiderman. I'm honestly tired of reading about them and can't imagine how tired Andrea is of seeing them.

I told myself that I wouldn't blog about Rusty's case anymore but this isn't just about Rusty anymore. It's now about Andrea, the woman who meant so much to him and the woman who loved him from the days they were dating to the morning of November eighteenth and still loves him in memory today. So I am here to defend her against people that are out to hurt her. They have gone too far and they should back off.

My friend is grieving and while I've been asked to discuss her situation by countless media outlets, I refuse because I believe the prosecution of Hemy Neuman (This is the first time I've put his name on my blog) will best be helped by less public blathering during the preparation for the trial so we all make sure he goes to prison for the rest of his life.

Andrea will have her chance to say her piece and redeem her reputation, which by the way SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN TAINTED by this case. After all, it was Andrea and her children who have forever lost someone they loved. When Andrea does have her say, she will be redeemed as will all of her supporters.

I teach my kids everyday to do the right thing and think of others. All others should do the same and stop hurting people with their words. It's time to clean up the mess by allowing the professionals involved in the case to handle it and do their job prosecuting the cold blooded killer. It's bad enough that an innocent man was murdered. Let's not hurt countless others by the things we say to the public.

I love Andrea Sneiderman. I loved Rusty Sneiderman. I love their kids and their families. I know what good people they are and how much they loved each other. I refuse to sit quietly while Andrea's reputation takes a beating in the press.

Oh and to the AJC, 48 hours, The Today Show and everyone else who has contacted me, here are my comments.

I support Andrea Sneiderman. I love her and loved Rusty. I support their children, their parents, their siblings and their friends. Rusty made the world a better place. Please don't let his legacy be overshadowed by unfounded theories and fame seekers.

Andrea, if you ever need someone in your corner, just ring the bell. There are lots of "Andy Lipmans" out there who will stand by you during this fight. While you may not see our names or quotes in the newspaper, we are all around and only a call away.

Thank you,

Andy

D-Day: We'll call it a draw!

2011-09-15T03:15:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was D-Day or should I say Doctor's Day. I suppose that D-Day fits since seeing my doctor is my own internal war. I'm scared to death the week leading up to this day because I know that the outcome cannot only change my day but also my entire life.

Andrea went to a wonderful presentation the night before and brought me a signed ball from a man who was there who is also a doctor. You may know him as Dr. J. He was there supporting "Keeping Your Cord Blood" as he lost a brother to Sickle Cell Disease. Saving Ethan's Cord Blood probably helped our son immensely as we had his stem cells re-infused 7 months after he was born to help heal his brain where the stroke damaged it. Medical science is amazing if we take advantage of it. Thank goodness Andrea has so much scientific knowledge. I'm good with sports so I'll help Ethan when it comes to that. Ha Ha!

By the way, the picture attached is one of many we had taken in Charleston by my friend Melissa. She did a terrific job. The picture is a microcasm of my life. My mom, as seen here, has always been behind me (my dad too but he couldn't make it to pictures that day). My wife and kids are always in the front of my mind as I want to get better for them. As far as me, I'm smiling in more ways than one because I know how lucky I am and how much worse things could be.

Back to the doctor, my pulmonary function numbers were down 1% which to most would be no big deal but I'm not one that takes a small dip as a moral victory. I am competitive as Hell! I don't want to accept it. My doctor said that people as they get older, whether they have CF or not, have lower pulmonary function. Again, I won't accept it. Heck, I nearly failed science classes several times in high school so I have never really accepted anything that science has told me, granted I did marry a scientist so I do everything SHE tells me :)

I'm not getting all depressed about it though, just a bit disappointed. I'm at a good weight right now (185). I've never been stronger as far as my arms, legs and chest. I run 17 minutes a day in place while doing my therapy.

It's a tough time of year for me. My dad was telling me the other day that September is his favorite month because football is back, the World Series is near and the trees are beautiful. All of that is true for me except it being my favorite. As it gets colder, which it has this week, I start to flashback to my depression where I can't go outside, the day gets shorter and I'm more susceptible to colds. You'd think that my birth month would be my favorite time of year but truthfully it's the month I fear the most.

During my appointment, I did decide to take part in my first study with regards to sputum cultures and how the cultures can determine when an infection is near.

Life in general is good. The kids are enjoying school. Andrea bought me an X-Box 360 for my birthday so I'm learning how to play it. My softball team is 2-0 and just destroyed the top team in our league 20-7. My book just went through its final revision.

Congrats to my sister Emily on a terrific fashion show at Aja in Buckhead and to my wife Andrea for a very successful Pampered Chef party in Norcross. Both events raised a lot of money and even more importantly, a lot of awareness.

I could take my test results and say "Well, it's only 1% so no big deal." I know that sounds fine to some people but I can't look at it that way. If I looked at cystic fibrosis reports that way, I wouldn't be here today complaining about them. I look at this report as a chance to prove more people wrong including SCIENCE!

Here's to my next report in 8 weeks and proving that the only science I know is Science Fiction.

Have a good one.

Andy

I'm 38 and a new Top 10!

2011-09-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

Well I have finally exceeded the median life expectancy for someone with cystic fibrosis. It's a pretty proud accomplishment though I hope both my age and the median life expectancy continue to go up. I have a doctor's appointment Friday so I'm hoping for good news on my condition. Please keep your fingers crossed.

Andrea and I had a wonderful time in Florida where we surprised Andrea's mom for her birthday. I have enclosed a picture from the weekend. It was great to see her entire family there. Andrea also put together my birthday dinner there where we picked up my Nana Rose and all of us dined on Hibachi. The kids absolutely loved it! Andrea also got me "cake" lollipops with UGA logos on all of them and had them mailed to our hotel. It was very sweet of her.

Speaking of UGA, that Boise State game was depressing. Coach Richt is officially on the hot seat. Our conditioning coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator aren't far behind.

The Drive at 35 is still being edited but we are pretty sure that it will be available at the latest by February and quite possibly by this November at Wish for Wendy.

Speaking of Wish for Wendy, we still need 2 more teams if anyone knows of anyone.

I've been getting a lot of speaking gigs lately including a speech in D.C. to speak to the National Cystic Fibrosis Pharmacy.

I'm concerned about the Braves. Our pitching is a mess right now and our lineup needs to be adjusted so that the best OPS guys are at the top of the lineup. I'd have to give Fredi Gonzalez a C+ so far as our manager but I'll give him a chance to win back some points come October.

I'm excited for the Falcons season to begin this weekend. I think this team can win a Super Bowl.

Does anyone watch Entourage? That show is going absolutely nowhere heading into the finale. This show jumped the shark when Ari became a nice guy.

As an avid reader of People Magazine (yes, I'm a guy and still read it), I am sick of the following story lines: Jennifer Aniston has a new guy, Angelina and Brad are cool, the Kardashians are better than sliced bread, Julia Roberts is pretty and J-lo is the greatest. Please, People. I beg of you. Please do some different stories.

Now back to sports so I can regain my man card. The Phillies starting rotation is sick. If they don't win the World Series, I'll be shocked. I'm sick of hearing about the Packers. Does the NBA still exist? If not, I'm fine with that.

Finally, here is my Top 10 list of things that I question this week.

1. Why does the AJC still have an Atlanta Thrashers section?

2. Why when I have a doctor's appointment do I have to listen to a 5 minute message confirming my appointment and then pressing a number afterwards. Why can't they just call and say "You coming or what?"

3. Why is it when I get a bag of Gummy Bears it tells me how many calories per serving and how many servings per bag? Look Haribro or whatever company made these, I'm a Gummy Bear Whore! I'm eating the whole bag. I don't have time to do the math. Just break it to me. How many calories is the entire bag? Don't judge me!

4. Why do we still call it RSVP'ing? It's a French term. We're Americans. Let's go with a new acronym. ATEBIKYSI is a good one (Answer the Evite Because I Know You've Seen It!).

5. Why does my daughter listen to Katy Perry? Why does she have to listen to the same song 200 consecutive times?

6. Why does my son think it's funny when I put him on the potty and the truth is that he doesn't have to go and he knows I can't get that 30 seconds back? Fortunately I paused 90210 on the Soap Network. Man, now I have to get the Man Card back again.

7. Why is "Silence of the Lambs" on Lifetime? I was so excited to watch it until the commercial stated "Lifetime: Television for Women." The worst part is that "The Craig's List Killer" is on next and I really wanted to see it.

8. Why do they call zero "Love" in tennis? If someone beats me 6-LOVE, I don't feel like giving them a hug. How about calling it "Hate?"

9. Why are there toilet paper rolls that cannot be broken into more than a 2 inch section? In that case, can there be tape available so I can at least tape them together to form a normal piece of toilet paper. Charmin, can you hear me?

10. Is Paul Rudd in every movie? I have literally seen 20 Paul Rudd films this year. I wanted to figure out this question so I went back and checked out my Bar Mitzvah video from 1987 and low and behold, Paul was carrying the Torah. Son of A...

Thanks everyone. Have a wonderful week.

Andy

TOBI over and out; Avery is Pappageorgio!

2011-08-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

I finished my TOBI Sunday night. I'm hoping now that some of my exhaustion will subside.

I did take the kids to Malibu this past weekend (Picture enclosed). Avery, for the second time in as many trips to Malibu, won the big jackpot. 1100 TICKETS!!!! Look at the picture and notice all of the tickets behind the kids. I'm calling her Ms. Nicole Pappageogio (instead of Nick Pappageorgio from Vegas Vacation). We were able to get a stuffed animal for her and Ethan. Sure, we probably could have bought them for less money but where's the fun? I might have Avery start drafting my fantasy football teams; she seems to be very lucky.

LATE ADD: I'm very proud that my wife's 3.5 Tennis Team won the Atlanta City Championship of USTA. Andrea, congratulations on an undefeated season and a city championship.

I had my company retreat last week. I really enjoyed myself and really loved hanging out with the crew. Lake Lanier was a blast.

The Braves are now 9 games up in the Wild Card race and have a magic number of 19. I'm looking forward to clinching and I hope Tommy Hanson will be back by the end of the season.

UGA's season is only 3 days away. I can't wait to watch them destroy Boise State.

I have my next doctor's appointment next Friday the 9th. The good news is that I feel good. I've been able to swim across our full clubhouse pool from the shallow end to the deep end without taking a breath. I never used to be able to do that.

My book's cover is almost completed. I'll provide a sneak preview on my blog when it's done.

We won our opening softball game on Monday. I went 3 for 4 with 4 RBI's. It was hotter than the equator out there. We were able to add some women that I think will make our team pretty strong.

I wanted to send my condolences out to my friend and Wish for Wendy Director Susan Andre, who lost her brother in law to a horrific accident.

I want to wish my friend Ira, my mom, my mother n law, my cousin Ben and my Uncle Bobby a very Happy Birthday. Happy Anniversary to my dear wife Andrea as well. Andrea, I love you very much. Thanks for dealing with, I mean loving me.

I read on CaringBridge that my friend's grandson Luca is finishing up another round of Chemo. It was so sweet that his dad on his own birthday shaved his head to look like Luca. That was really cool. What a thoughtful thing to do. Continued health improvement Luca! I'm praying for you and your family.

I saw my therapist George this week and he is happy with my continued progress. We talked about Rusty and how I'm slowly getting past the loss of one of my best friends.

Have a great and safe Labor Day Weekend, everyone.

Andy

First day of school and Top 10 things I noticed this week

2011-08-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, today was Avery's first day of kindergarten. We were so excited. The best part for me was filming her in the car and telling her she only has 13 more years of school + college + grad school + her PHD left. Her reaction..."Are you kidding Dad? Mommy, is he kidding?" She looked a little frustrated that this was not a one and done thing. Oh well, I'm sure she'll love it at her new school. The picture attached is Avery hugging her little brother this morning prior to our drive to school.

Ethan starts preschool next week. Those teachers better be on their game for that little one.

The pretrial is still going on in Rusty's case. Part of me wants to attend and stare at his alleged killer for the couple of hours or so that it goes on. Another part of me knows that I should wait for the trial.

We've had a real encouraging response to our Sponsorship letter for Wish for Wendy. A lot of new sponsors are on board that I would not have thought to ask had it not been for Rusty. He gave Linda and I some great ideas last year. In fact, I found an e-mail the other day that Rusty sent me about asking every company I know regardless of my concern for the word "no." Rusty replied "Someone once told me that you might as well ask out the prettiest girls. One of them might just say "Yes." More than one has said yes (companies that is). Thanks Rusty.

Andrea's tennis team is still in the playoffs but sadly my softball team lost in the semifinals. It's the second consecutive season where the playoff game I've been absent has been a defeat. I think the connection is purely coincidence.

Ethan turned 3 the other day. He enjoyed his little party and is now officially out of the Terrible 2's. Now he's in the Threatening 3's.

Here are the top 10 things over the last week that have happened that were kind of cool:

10. Avery fell in love with the movie I bought her...the Wizard of Oz. She has watched parts of it every day since we first watched it. She asked if the black and white world is fake. Ah, to be young and naive.

9. I was really proud of Lego's Outlawz. MJ, their co-captain, organized an event through Toni and Guy (Hair salon) and they filled the house last night at Perimeter Mall. Congrats on all the money you raised for CF. We are really proud of you.

8. I just finished week 2 of my 4-week stint on TOBI. The exhaustion is starting to get to me.

7. I've been following my Braves and know that the next week is HUGE. If we can go 5-2, that almost assures us the wildcard in the National League Playoffs.

6. I was impressed with how the Falcons' starters looked especially Julio Jones.

5. I'm thrilled that someone bought the Hawks. The Atlanta Spirit had to go. I hope this guy turns this organization into winners like Mark Cuban did in Dallas. I know the Hawks have had winning records the last few years but there's a difference between just having a winning team and being a winning organization. Just ask the Thrashers, I mean Jets.

4. Why is it when you're working on something in your car when you're stopped at a stop light, the light turns green immediately BUT when you're in a hurry to be somewhere the light takes days? Deep thoughts by Jack Handy...

3. I'm pretty sure the city of Duluth, Georgia has more policemen than civilians and they will catch you for anything...and I mean anything.

2. If a Yankees-Red Sox game was played in the woods and not televised, would ESPN Sportscenter still start their coverage with that game?

1. For those of you with the Sci-Fi channel, where do they get these actors? Watching these individuals try to act gives me hope that I can be in "Great White Shark vs. the Giant Octopus 12: Tentacles are Forever."

I hope everyone is well.

Andy

Depression: What's it like? Plus a little good news too...

2011-08-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

I thought I'd update you on the innerworkings of Andy Lipman. I haven't done that in a while. I haven't talked in the third person in a while either. Ha Ha!

First though, some outstanding news. The Zucker Foundation and Wish for Wendy are working together to find a cure. The Zucker Foundation is going to match up to $100,000 at Wish for Wendy this year so if we raise $100,000, the Zucker Foundation will give us another $100,000. This gives us a chance to break our annual high and also allows us to raise more money for a cure that appears to be closer than ever. Thank you to the Zucker Family Foundation and my aunt, Anita Zucker.

I'm excited for Andrea as her USTA team continues to dominate. They are now in the second round of the playoffs. Avery starts kindergarten next week. Ethan starts preschool the following week and turns 3 this week. I will be 38 on September 4th. What is the significance? It will be the first time I have been ahead of the median life expectancy for cystic fibrosis. My softball team begins their quest for a championship tonight as we have the first round of the playoffs. This has been my best season since I was in my twenties. I've had 11 hits in my last 12 at-bats. I hadn't hit a triple in years. I have 3 this season and an inside the park homerun. It's kind of crazy. All of a sudden I've discovered the Fountain of Youth.

Now let me tell you how I've been feeling. Well, I've been seeing my therapist for more than 18 months now and he tells me that I'm doing great and to keep working on stuff. He also tells me that one of my issues is survivor's guilt. I've never heard of the expression but apparently it is a psychological term that means I feel guilty for still being here and my friend Rusty being gone. I still think about Rusty often but I try not to focus as much on talking about him in the blog. He was a very special guy who had a very profound effect on me, most of which I didn't realize until he was already gone. The pretrial hearing for Rusty's case begins tomorrow. I will be following it very closely. I pray that justice prevails.

What's it like to feel clinical depression as it is officially called? When I'm depressed, I think a lot about how horrible everything is. I feel like life is going along just fine and all of a sudden I hit a Dead End sign. I can't seem to find my way out. I start thinking about death and what's the point of what I do in life because one day everything will go to black. It's morbid. I know that. It's a sickness really. I go into these moments where I get crazy too. The months that I'm on my TOBI (like this month), I'm always rushing. I have a plan in my head. This is what a morning and evening in my head is like:

I have to do my therapy soon before I'm running late. I don't want to leave Andrea and the kids to go downstairs and do it for the next few hours. I hope they don't think I'm avoiding them. I have to do it now.

After I do my nasal treatments (5 minutes) and do my forty minutes of therapy (half of which are spent running in place), I spend the next 20 minutes working out (in the evening, I clean up or play with the kids or sometimes I shoot a few games of pool). After those 20 minutes, I do my 40 minute TOBI session. I work my meditation period into my TOBI. I usually do the serenity prayer and pray for the people I love or worry about. In the morning, as soon as my TOBI is over, I rush to shower and get ready and leave for work. In the evening, I rush to be with Andrea and the kids if they're not already asleep. The other night, I was shaking, wanting to get stuff done. It's not healthy and I need to just relax. It's difficult though. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing out on everything when I'm doing my therapy. I think that started when I was a kid and my cousins got to go to the beach while my parents did my postural drainage. I'd get there and they'd already found shells, built sand castles or swam in the waves. It was a never ending feeling of being behind.

The other thing about my therapy is hearing the TV. My machine is so loud that I probably should use closed captioning but instead I've learned to read lips while watching my shows. Fortunately, most of the time I'm watching the Braves so I don't need the commentators. I can do that myself.

I had a dark moment the other night while I watching "The Lovely Bones" with Mark Wahlberg about a girl who is killed and views the world from Heaven. I started thinking about death and being in a dark place and feeling helpless. Immediately I turned it off and coped by listening to some music.

I really do appreciate the friendships I have. I have some great people in my life but it saddens me the friendships that I've lost. I realize though that if I'm not willing to work on that friendship or that other person is not willing to put in any effort or neither of us feels the need to save the friendship then it's just not worth saving. Recently I realized that one of my most sacred friendships is just not worth fighting for anymore and that really hurts. That's life I suppose. Relationships change over time but that doesn't make the ones I lose less disappointing.

"Why do bad things happen to good people?"

I've been thinking about that expression lately. "Bad" things happen to everyone, but those people have some good memories too. I think about Rusty and how he got to meet both his children and marry a wonderful woman. I think about my uncle Jerry. He got to meet his grandchild before he passed. I think about Wendy. She got to see the world and while it was only 16 days, she got to meet her mommy and daddy and that's a wonderful gift. She also is going to be associated with a cure for CF one day. I plan on keeping that promise to her.

I'm so lucky if I look at all of the good things that have happened to me. I married a wonderful woman. I have 2 beautiful kids. I have great parents, a terrific sister, generous in-laws and amazing friends. I just recently became the first cystic fibrosis patient to be on the Georgia Chapter Board of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

I choose to look at all of these positive things and not worry so much about the negative. I can control my mindset so I'd prefer to be happy and look fondly upon my world. There have been and are going to be more "bad" things that happen to me but it can't take away from everything I've been blessed to be a part of. I know that but sometimes I need to remind myself of that fact.

Please stay positive and know that "good" things happen to "ALL" people. We just have to recognize them, remember them and use those memories on those "tougher" days.

I wish everyone a good week or at least I wish everyone a positive outlook.

Andy

Happy Birthday to Andrea and several other things

2011-08-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

First off, Happy Birthday to my wife Andrea!!! Andrea, I love you so much and you look just as beautiful as the day I met you. No comment on how I look please...ha ha!

Andrea, the kids and I had a wonderful vacation at the beach. I, as usual, got red instead of tan. Andrea and the kids look great though.

It was great to see my family. I was able to see 2 of my aunts, several of my cousins and my friend Melissa who took our photos at a mansion in Charleston. If you ever want a great photographer in Charleston, e-mail me. I'll recommend Melissa any time!

I'm excited for the Braves acquisition of Michael Bourn. I think he gives them the best chance to win a World Series this year.

We got some really good news about Wish for Wendy. I'll announce it soon but thanks to this bit of news, we are almost guaranteed to break our annual fundraising record.

I was recently asked to be on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Board in Georgia and I accepted. I'm thrilled to try and make a difference.

I hope that everyone is well.

Andy

How you can help: a horrible story

2011-07-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

Joshua and Robin Berry (picture attached along with their beautiful children) were on their way back from a trip when an SUV swerved into their lane and a happy family of five quickly turned into a devastated family of three. Joshua and Robin were killed and 2 of their sons were paralyzed from the waist down. The daughter had less severe wounds and is recovering at someone's home. Joshua was Andrea's sorority sister Simone Berry's brother-in-law. To lend a hand financially or inspirationally, please check out www.theberrychildren.org. The children will now live with Simone, Matt and their family. The 2 boys, 8 and 9, are now special needs kids. I hope that we can all help the Berry's.

You never know when you have a chance to make a difference. The best example was last month. I finally decided to go to my reunion. Danielle, my old high school friend, made the same decision. Her good friend Kari and her husband sat with us. Greg is a cancer doctor at St. Jude's in Memphis. That same weekend we found out that a family friend's grandson was diagnosed with liver cancer. Luca is only 2 years old. Andrea reminded me about Greg and what he does for a living. I reached out to him and he responded immediately. Thanks to Greg, Luca is now at St. Jude's and responding to chemotherapy. In short, things happen for a reason. If Andrea and I didn't go to the reunion and we wouldn't have met Greg, we would not have been able to get them into St. Jude's so quickly.

In closing, please help the Berry children. Everyone can make a difference. I learned that lesson just a month ago.

Here is the article for those interested.

Http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/12/berry-family-car-crash_n_896403.HTML

Thank you for your time. I pray that each of you is happy and safe.

Andy

20 crazy things I've thought about in the past week

2011-07-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a pretty good week other than catching this virus in my chest this weekend that has prevented me from going to work. I'm bored so I figured I'd write about the 20 things that have come to my mind over the last 72 hours. Enjoy!

20. I have coached my daughter's soccer team, played soccer in the past and even met model/USA soccer player Heather Mitts yet I have never been any sort of soccer fan...until yesterday afternoon. I watched a short-handed, resilient group of American women come back from the dead and knock off Brazil. I was telling Andrea all about it when she got home. I think she thought I was being sarcastic but that was single-handedly one of the best live games I've ever seen. I am now a big fan of Hope Solo and the girls and can't wait for their Wednesday game against France.

19. Also, being sick, I was able to watch the table tennis quarterfinals between some guy from the US and one from Russia. This wasn't exactly Rocky IV. First off, why are they sweating? Why are they bouncing the ball before serves and why are they getting pumped up after every point? It wasn't much of a match. I felt like I could play better which led me to this idea. What if I moved to Antartica with someone smart like Bill Gates (Andrea and the kids can come too - I heard the school system is great in Antartica - ok, now I'm being sarcastic). Gates could invent an igloo which gets central heat and air. I could live there for 5 years and get dual citizenship and then be the first ever Olympian ping pong player from Antartica and I can compete in the next Olympic Games. Tell me that no one has thought of that one.

18. What does CVS stand for? I read today it stands for Convenience, Value and Service. Sorry to give it away.

17. What is wrong with American tennis? The Williams sisters are all we have and they are getting up there. Roddick can't win a major to save his life. Marty Fish has our best chance and I don't see a guy named Marty Fish winning a major. His name sounds like a cartoon character on Spongebob Squarepants.

16. What is the big deal about the Duke and Dutchess? I get it. She's pretty and has a good looking sister. I get it that his mom died a tragic death and his father has been a prince for like 100+ years but can we all just move on?

15. Why did Casey Anthony go free? Great work by the defense? Terrible work by the prosecution? I think she was guilty as sin but I must admit that the defense was pretty good at letting jurors think that something else could have happened. Just because she's not guilty doesn't mean she's innocent. I just hope she doesn't profit off of this.

14. Why is it that UGA recruits some of the dumbest players in the country? Here's a tweet from UGA Tailback Caleb King who just became academically ineligible for the 2011 season.

First he posted: “Somethings u cant control, and what seems bad right now might turn out good. Too [sic] all of my homeboyz hold UGA down don’t let them brake [sic] u…”

Later he wrote: “I see u when I see u. U cant stress about it Just let God take control.”

All I can say is "Wow!" How did he graduate from Greater Atlanta Christian or should I say "Grater Atlanta Kristen."

I hope for his sake that he gets it together and purchases "Spell Check" with the money from boosters he probably received.

13. Want a good trivia question? Ask someone where the word "news" came from. The answer is the acronym for "North East West South."

12. Why is it at the Peachtree that the fast runners get to run when it's cool out and the more out of shape runners (ie: myself) have to run in the heat? Can't the race start earlier OR can the slow runners go first and have the fast runners dodge every out of shape walker and runner to win the race? Now that would make it more of a competition!

11. How is tennis player Caroline Wozniaki number one in the world without a major title? I think to be number one you have to win at least one major.

10. Why am I sick on the worst sports day of the year? There's no baseball, basketball, football or hockey on today. Why can't I get sick during March Madness?

9. Kim Kardashian tweeted about how she was shocked that Anthony got off when the case was so obvious against her. Kim, your father represented O.J. I rest my case.

8. If a tree fell in the middle of the forest and no one was there, would the Yankees-Red Sox still be the lead story, the middle story and the "closing remarks?" for ESPN Sportscenter? Derek Jeter has a mouth blister or the USA women's team just won the World Cup? I'd hate to make ESPN choose a lead story from those choices.

7. Never watch a horror movie before you fall asleep. The last 3 times I've done that I've dreamt that I was in the movie and I didn't even get a credit for the flick.

6. All these NBA players say that if the lockout lasts, they'll play in Europe next year. "Do you mean it? Don't tease me like that." Does that mean Lebron will be taking his talents to Paris? Bon Voyage!

5. Why is it that winning a negotiation with my daughter beats any business deal I've ever done?

4. Why do Hollywood stars have to name their kids ridiculous names? David Beckham named his daughter Harper Seven supposedly after his jersey number. There is now an Apple, Harper Seven, Blanket and my favorite Rob Morrow's child "Tu." Yes her name is Tu Morrow. There's going to be a generation of kids with a lot of issues. If I was a Hollywood star, Avery would be "Don't gimme no" so it would be "Don't gimme no Lip-man" and Ethan would be "Fat" Lipman. In Hollywood, I'd be called conservative with those choices.

3. So let me get this straight, the Hawks are on lockout, the Falcons are on lockout, we don't have a hockey team anymore and the Braves are all we have. It's great to be a sports fan in Atlanta but at least the Braves are good.

2. When is the time that you stop telling people how many months old your kid is? Does my mom tell people I'm 454 months? I thought I felt old at 37.

1. And the number one question that I've been mulling over the last few days is: Why is Bill Gates not listed in the phone book?

Extra Credit: Goatee or no goatee (see picture attached)? The only vote that matters is Andrea's so don't let this decision haunt you all day.

Peachtree #15 is a wrap!

2011-07-04T12:34:00.000-07:00

I have enclosed some pictures from this year's Peachtree. I don't know who the big Peach was but if I ever need a bodyguard, I'm calling him first.

This was the hottest Peachtree I've ever participated in. It was in the low to mid nineties from about the third mile to the finish line. The heat and the fact that I only ran inside to train made the race feel like 10 miles as opposed to the 6.2 miles it actually was.

I finished in about 70 minutes which was great since I was in a log-jam at the beginning and stopped momentarily for pictures at the 3 mile mark with my parents and Aunt Susie. At most stops, you get water or a snack. My mom re-applied sunblock to my face and arms...ah moms!

The night prior to the race, Avery gave me a kiss and hug and asked me to win the race for her. I wanted to tell her the following afternoon that I won. My skin color was just a few tints darker on television, my legs were about a foot longer and my name was a few more syllables. I knew she'd be confused by my humor (as most people are whether they're from Kenya, the U.S. or anywhere around the world) so it gave me a great opportunity to explain to her what winning truly is. I said to her, "Winning isn't always finishing first. It's doing your best to succeed and accepting whatever place you come in whether it's first place, second place or even last place." She quickly replied that she eats noodles all of the time and that's why she beats me up the stairs every night and that if I eat more pasta, I'll see some results. I was laughing pretty hard inside.

My Uncle Bobby ran his 34th race but swears that he doesn't have many left in him. It's kind of sad as I feel like a period of my life is slowly closing. My Uncle Bobby won't be running the Peachtree one day. He reminded me that someday soon my kids might be running with me. When I first started running, I didn't even have a girlfriend and now in my 15th year I have a beautiful wife and two amazing children. Bobby was the one who pushed me into running this race and the one who ridiculed me when as a youngster I was too scared to try it. He used to joke "I ran it again this year. Did you see me on TV?"

Now here is irony. It's my uncle who is scared that his races are numbered and me telling him he can't give up just yet. Still if in 2012, Bobby decides to hang 'em up, I know one thing for sure. Around 10am on July 4th, the first call will come from me. "I ran it again this year. Did you see me on TV?"

If this blog doesn't fire him up to compete, I don't know what will.

It's hard to believe I've run 15 consecutive Peachtrees. Heck, according to the median life expectancy when I was born I was only supposed to live TWELVE years! Yet here I am. I ran the entire Peachtree. This race used to be my biggest fear. It used to be my biggest enemy. Now I see that I love it. I love the feeling of accomplishing something so miraculous year after year. I love the fact that I can write about the 90+ miles I've run on Peachtree Street over the last 15 years and hopefully help other kids and young adults dealing with their own physical issues to believe that anything is possible.

The Peachtree, like cystic fibrosis, has become something that has made me stronger despite the physical and emotional stress it puts on me.

This race isn't just a part of my life; it's what gives me life. Running is a key to my health. Finishing this race is a key to my faith. If I can finish 6.2 miles under the scorching hot Georgia sun, well then in my opinion, anything is possible.

I hope all of you had a safe and happy 4th and that all of you that ran the Peachtree had a safe run. I also hope you realize what an amazing accomplishment it is regardless of what physical or mental health challenges you face. T-minus 365 days till I go for Sweet 16! I'm off to train in Kenya this time around so I can win one for my daughter...or I'll just eat a lot more noodles.

Have a good week.

Andy

Number 15

2011-06-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I run my 15th consecutive Peachtree Road Race. I didn't train as well as I normally do due to the heat but I did do a final 3 mile 35 minute run on Wednesday at the gym. I think I'm ready to go. It's hard to believe I've been able to attempt this race 15 times. Heck, it's hard to believe I can run 6.2 miles after not having the energy to walk to class during my tough days at UGA. I still think about how I walked into the disability office at UGA and looked into riding the disability bus to my classes everyday.

I leave you with a picture of my kids that Andrea took this week. I love the way my son looks up at his sister. It's a pretty accurate depiction of their relationship.

I wish all of you a Happy and Safe 4th of July.

Andy

The Reunion

2011-06-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

First off, let me get to the important things first. We had roast beef, pasta and an overall very good meal on Saturday night. I know that's what everyone was worried about. Ok, now for the other news.

We arrived at the Hilton at 7pm, right on time and then I realized, "What am I doing?" The first rule to any party is NEVER to get there on time. I think my parents thought the same thing about carpool when I was little but that's another story for another day. Andrea had told me that we should leave later but I was so ready to get there that I completely lost track of time.

Andrea and I hung out in the car for the next 15 minutes talking about how many people I remembered and who I looked forward to seeing. My biggest fear was not recognizing people or having those awkward moments eating alone because I didn't have a good conversation with anyone. At times, those things happened but they were pretty rare. Andrea was told by most of my classmates that I was just "a nice guy who flew under the radar." I wasn't really looked upon as a geek but just someone who kept to himself. Most people were shocked to know I had cystic fibrosis because I didn't make a big deal of it in school. I didn't want to stand out...especially in a social conscious place like high school.

I saw so many old friends when I arrived. For the most part, people looked the same. Maybe our hairlines were a bit higher, our faces looked a little older and our waistlines were a little bit larger. Okay, maybe I was just talking about myself for all three categories. Everyone looked pretty similar to the way they did in 1991. The cliques were still there. In high school, I was always hesitant to talk to people in a clique. I wasn't afraid to invade those cliques this time around as I spoke to people whether they were "cool" in high school, "geeks" in high school or those I hardly remembered. For the most part, we've all grown up.

When we stood up for the class picture, I felt as if it were the end of "A League of Their Own." I could hear Madonna's "This used to be my Playground" in my head. It was kind of sad knowing that I wouldn't see most of these people for another 10 years if at all. I knew for sure that we would never have this entire group of people in a room again.

The highlights for me were seeing people I hadn't seen in years, meeting some of my classmates' husbands and wives and showing off my beautiful wife to all of my old friends. I had an absolute blast and I was so happy Andrea was able to join me. She really helped make the evening for me.

Hopefully I can make connections, rekindle some friendships and start new friendships. I sent out e-mails Monday morning to people who I had good conversations with and who I want to continue to talk to prior to our next reunion (when I'll make sure to arrive at 7:30 at the earliest).

I'm really glad I went to my reunion. I'm glad I got to talk to some great people. Most importantly, I'm glad it's over with so I don't have to debate going anymore.

I hope all the dads out there had a Happy Father's Day. I was telling Avery that she made my Father's Day and she asked me why. I said that without her, I never would have been a dad to begin with so I thank every day that her and Ethan...and for that matter Andrea are in my life. Avery of course followed that moment by licking my cheek and laughing. Whatever...I'm still calling it a moment. That's why I enclosed a picture of me, Andrea and the kids.

This was my 6th Father's Day as a dad and doctors told me I'd be lucky to see my teens. I've never been happier to prove a group of people wrong.

We are assembling quite a committee for Wish for Wendy as we added two more members and may have a third soon. If you're interested in joining and helping us cure CF, please e-mail me at andy@andylipman.com.

Now it's time to prepare for the Peachtree Road Race. This will be my 15th straight Peachtree and I can't wait.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and I wish you all the best.

Andy

My 20 year reunion this Saturday

2011-06-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

A lot has changed since I walked out the doors for the final time at Dunwoody High School in June of 1991. I was a skinny kid with no confidence, aspirations or faith. I truly believed that my life would be cut dramatically short by cystic fibrosis and that I would never have a wife or kids. I really didn't believe I deserved any of those things anyway. I was a follower then. I would do anything my friends would do just so I wouldn't appear to be different. I wasn't the smartest kid in the class nor was I the funniest. I could not comb my hair straight to save my life and wore T-shirts from rock bands that I didn't even listen to in order to fit in.

High school is a tough place to be if you have no self-confidence and I didn't. I had a fear of public speaking then too because as I've said, I hated to stand out. I was bullied a lot in high school which I credit to my lack of confidence and the fact that I was skinny as a bean pole. I never lifted a single weight in high school and it showed in my bony physique. When it was time to sit with anyone in the cafeteria, I was always concerned that I would make them look bad by being in close proximity.

I was always embarrassed about my high school days as I considered it my "loser" years though I doubt I was looked upon that differently and it's just an example of my low self esteem back then getting to me.

Today, I'm not ashamed to admit that I had geeky qualities in high school. Those qualities make me who I am today. What other dad wears a Superman shirt with a red blanket tied behind it to make his kids scream "It's Superman?" I'm not ashamed to say that I studied quite frequently because I wanted to better myself and again those habits still help me today when preparing for speeches or charity events. I may look a bit bigger and have more self-confidence now but deep down I'm still the geek who didn't quite fit in during my high school days.

Does anyone really "fit in" when it comes to high school anyway?

This Saturday I'll be taking Andrea to my 20 year reunion. I'm a little nervous but more curious as to how everyone turned out. I look forward to seeing people I haven't seen in 20 years. There are several individuals who I have talked to on and off for the last two decades so it won't be as strange to see them.

I thought of playing jokes like wearing my Letterman's jacket (for tennis in case anyone cares which is about a step up from chess club when it comes to wearing a Letterman's jacket) or bringing an entourage with me. Alas I still prefer to be that high school kid who blends in with the crowd, but just like in high school, because of the things I deal with every day, I do tend to stand out.

But the difference is that I'm okay with that now. I actually have learned to not only accept that difference but to use it as an opportunity to raise awareness for my foundation so that a cure will some day be in the cards for cystic fibrosis.

I'll let you know how Saturday goes.

Andy

The doctor, TOBI and much more...

2011-06-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

Good morning. I hope everyone is prepared for a wonderful weekend. In Atlanta, I believe it's supposed to be a high of 150 degrees with a 0 wind chill and 100% humidity. At least, that's how it feels lately. The hot weather affects my CF. I feel like my breathing is off.

I went to the doctor last Friday and got some good news when I was actually expecting bad news. My numbers were up by a point. I thought they'd be way down due to the heat. Then I had a chest X-ray, a bone density scan that checks for osteoperosis and a sputum culture. The thing about a doctor's appointment is that it doesn't end the moment I walk out of the hospital. I still have to helplessly wait for the results for all of my tests.

Rusty's case is still in the news more than 6 months later. It's hard to see his picture come up even now but I know that he is up in the sky watching everything going on here.

Avery is doing great, loving camp and growing up into a little lady. Ethan is doing great, loving his big boy bed and growing into a little devil. Magic (picture attached) did not have good news this week. She was attacked by another lab mix at doggy day care and I had to take her to the vet and give her antibiotics twice a day. She has a cut above her eye and under her chin. I'm going to call her "Mike Tyson" for a while. Don't worry. She's going to be okay.

I've been doing pretty well. I started TOBI earlier in the week so that means an additional hour and a half per day of treatments. It's a little bit frustrating but I've been trying to do it earlier in the morning and earlier at night so it doesn't affect my sleep too much. It's funny that waking up at 6:00 AM for me means that I slept in.

I'm still working on my book, gathering contacts and putting together strategies on how to make it the most successful. I really want this book to help people who not only go through cystic fibrosis but also go through the emotional issues that anyone with a terminal illness has to go through.

My reunion is in a few more weeks and I'm noticing that a lot of people aren't going. I'm going to go though. If nothing else, the food should be good.

We are starting to work on Wish for Wendy now too. If anyone has any interest in being part of our committee, please let me know. The event is Saturday November 5th at Alpharetta's North Park. We are planning our first meeting for later this month.

Thanks,

Andy

The goings on in May

2011-05-28T11:21:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone,

Sorry it's been a while since my last entry. There have been lots of things going on. I played the week after I badly bruised my wrist and over a double-header I hit for the cycle (single, double, triple, homerun).

Andrea and I took a wonderful trip to the North Carolina mountains. It was a blast! We got to spend some quality time together while spending some time in a quaint Bed and Breakfast. I believe I mentioned this in the last blog but it was a big highlight this spring.

Andrea and I took the kids to Disney. It was exhausting but it was worth it to see the kids' reaction when they got to meet Mickey and the princesses. My parents came too and were very helpful. Ethan still won't wash his cheek since Snow White kissed it and Avery won't stop talking about the princesses.

I've been busy finding interested parties in my book, The Drive at 35. I've linked in with several parties who have an interest in raising money for cystic fibrosis. My publisher is working on the first draft now.

Avery graduated this past Friday. I still remember walking her in to her first day of preschool. She has grown up so much. I am so very proud of her.

I had lunch with Andrea Sneiderman. We had a really nice time. We both got to talk and I got to tell her a few of things I want to do in Rusty's memory and she was all for it. Beginning this year, our Wish Sponsorship program will be renamed the Russell J. Sneiderman Sponsorship Program. Speaking of Rusty (whose picture I attached because I miss him), I'm sick of reading about the trial in the news. I wish the media would give my friend a break. Isn't it enough that she lost her husband and the father of her children? Let her live her life the best that she can.

We celebrated a big milestone birthday for my father the other day. We surprised him. It was awesome. I'm really proud of my father. He has done so much for the community with little fanfare as has my mom. I'm very lucky to have the people I do in my life...Andrea, Emily, Avery, Ethan, my parents, my other family members and my friends. I might have been unlucky to have CF but I definitely hit the jackpot with my friends.

Speaking of jackpots, Avery, Ethan and I went to Malibu Grand Prix the other day and played mini-golf and played at the arcade. I won 100 tickets on one spin for the jackpot win and I was so excited. "Pretty good, huh Avery," I said. Avery of course had to outdo me. She won 550 TICKETS on one spin herself and won the big jackpot for all of Malibu. She was jumping up and down. "I won the jackpot! I won the jackpot!" I got home to hear her tell her mommy "Mommy I won 550 tickets and daddy only won a hundred." Maybe I've made her a bit too competitive.

My high school reunion is in a month. I'm looking forward to it. It will be fun to see a lot of my old friends and see how they've changed. I'm a little nervous about walking in but I'll gradually get more comfortable.

We start working on Wish for Wendy next month so if you're interested in helping, please let me know.

That's all I have today. I wish everyone the best.

Andy

Ouch!

2011-04-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

Today's blogger MVPs are my wife Andrea, my sister Emily, her boyfriend Justin and my stepfather-in-law Glenn. Thanks to my team too. I got hit on the wrist by a 90 mph fastball from our terrific SS, who incidentally used to pitch in the Dodgers organization. If I were a MLB first baseman, I probably catch that ball but I'm an old rec player so the ball tagged me on the wrist. Several OF on the team said they could hear the pop from where they were standing. My sister and her boyfriend picked me up at the field as I waited in the rain and lightning. Thanks to my friend Drew who let me hang out in his car while I waited.

The hospital photograph can be credited to Andrea. The highlight was when the doctor came in and looked at my chart, looked at me again and then down at my chart again. Andrea asked "What?" He showed it to her and she laughed. They had me as a female. Looks like I had a case of the Mondays.

Andrea and her stepdad met us at the hospital where the final analysis was a bad bone bruise, a week wearing a splint and seeing my Braves fall in extra innings. I got home just before 1am this morning. Here's the strange thing. I had a dream the night before that I needed surgery.

Anyway, I'm fine and won't seek out sympathy...except from my kids and Andrea and possibly the fine people at My Friends Place in Duluth where I dine several times a week. Maybe I'll get an extra fruit cup out of it.

Oh, and incidentally, Off the Bench won and we are slowly moving up the standings. I know that was your first question, right? I also worked out this morning but I only used my right arm to lift.

I have cut my CF routine a bit to give myself a break. I have removed Pulmozyme from my nightly therapy to give me an extra 20 minutes off. It has really helped me get more rest and hang out with my family more. Honestly, it also prevents me from procrastinating from doing all of my stuff because I don't have to dwell about the length of time my therapy takes at night. The doctor okayed the change. I do some of my meds at work now before I go home and just charge my portable machine here.

Andrea and I had a great weekend as well. We got to spend a lot of quality time together in a very relaxing place without the kiddos. Thanks to my in-laws for watching them. The coolest thing was that we got to see a lot of amazing waterfalls and got to see nature at its finest.

I'm in a good place both emotionally and physically (other than my forearm). I plan to be back on the field next Monday.

I hope everyone had a great Passover and a Happy Easter.

T-minus 63 days till my 20-year reunion. Is it time to start picking out a wardrobe? Ha Ha!

Andy

Happenings in April

2011-04-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

So I started Tobi two Saturdays ago and it's beginning to take a toll on me. It's always around the 2nd week that I start getting tired and fall asleep multiple times. It's frustrating.

There have been lots of treatment updates concerning cystic fibrosis over the last 6 months. There was some organism in the water that might have some type of effect on people with CF. Also the Vertex trials continue to offer wonderful results. As I said to my doctor the other day, I guess if I'm going to have a terminal lung disease, this is the one to have. It seemed funnier when I said it to her. Anyway, hearing about potential therapies and cures are great but I tend to believe that until there is a cure out there, I will give everything I have to be ready for it. A cure is pointless if I'm sick when it arrives.

I have increased the weights I'm lifting during my workouts to challenge myself (or perhaps to look good for my high school reunion or maybe just so I can go to a doctor for something other than CF - a hernia perhaps).

The book is still due out in February. I have recently reached out to a few different chapters of the CF Foundation just to introduce myself. I want to make sure that I talk to as many businesses that I know of that would be interested in buying my book and/or having me speak. I met with a gentleman, in fact, this morning to talk about that very thing.

The testimonial section of www.andylipman.com is starting to fill up. Apparently my speeches have had a big effect on people which I'm thrilled with. If you know of anyone who needs a motivational speaker, please have them go to my website.

Our family is at the end of the school-choosing process. I think it would be funny if Avery sat at a table and had 3 hats for the 3 schools we looked at and then she puts on the one we decided on. I'm not saying she has to act like Lebron James but if Jim Gray interviews her, I want her to at least mention me. I'm betting no kindergartener has put together a press conference like that. There always is a first.

That's it for now. I hope that all of you are well.

Andy

I have no other updates.

Opening Day, Howard and my numbers

2011-04-01T06:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my favorite sport began. I love baseball season and I love the Braves. This could be a very promising year. I'm as big of a Braves fan as you'll find. I've been a diehard fan since 1982. From the first pitch in April (although it was March this year) until the last pitch in October, I will follow this team through good times and bad. Their performance will affect my day. Still I'm glad we are 1-0 and only 161 games more to go and hopefully another 15 to 20 in the postseason. I have a really good feeling about this year. This is the first year Bobby Cox has not been managing this team since I was in high school. I think change can be good but I wish Bobby well.

Today is April 1st and while most people know this as April Fool's Day (in fact my phone and mouse were both taped this morning so I couldn't do any work and I had Charlie Sheen posters all over my office), this is not what I remember this day for. This was my dog, Howard's birthday. Howard was not just a dog. He was my best friend. He sat with a sickly kid everyday when I wasn't able to play a lot of sports. He listened to my deepest concerns and secrets. I miss him very much.

I received my bloodwork and sputum results and everything looked good. Now I just have to get my pulmonary numbers back up. I'm on antibiotics now and start Tobi up again this weekend. I have managed to move my glucose numbers from pre-diabetic to not even close to being a diabetic. I'm really happy about that.

That's about it for now. I'm looking forward to some nice weather this weekend.

Happy Birthday to my Aunt Loretta this week.

Andy

A trip to the doctor

2011-03-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

I went to see my doctor on Friday. The picture attached is me wearing my safety mask on Friday. All patients with cystic fibrosis are required to wear these masks so not to infect other patients.

The news was not as good as I hoped it would be however it was pretty much what I expected it to be. My lung function is down 6% so I am on oral antibiotics. I expected the low numbers because I'm fighting a cold and infection. I don't feel that bad. I'm just tired and a bit achy. My stomach is a little sore from the drugs, but that's really the extent of it. I've noticed that the mucous in my lungs appears to be looser as I'm having no problem spitting after my therapy. I think I can credit that to the antibiotics.

I had a glucose test on Friday again to test me for CFRD (Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes). People my age have a 50% chance of having this disease. I had to fast from midnight till about 11am. The nurse took 11 vials of blood and made me drink some disgusting "flat tasting Sunkist-like" beverage. It appears I'll have to take this test every 6 months for the rest of my life or until they diagnose me with the disease. I'll get the results back this week. I also did a sputum culture so they could have a better idea of what is causing the infection. I'll continue to update you on my progress but I know that I'll be ok.

My scientific calculator that I bought at an Eckerd’s (remember Eckerd’s) in October of 1991 has finally died. New batteries did not work though every now and then 0.00 appears. It was a great 20 years we spent together. Sure, calculus and statistics classes did not exactly bring us closer together and I never did understand half of its functions, but I will certainly miss it. It was this calculator that I learned how to write HELLO upside down. No calculator could replace it. So for the final time, I say HELLO (picture enclosed) and now Goodbye.

Tonight is the opening night of our softball season and I don't intend to let this infection affect me. I've lost about 15 pounds and gained some muscle since the end of last season so I'm looking forward to seeing how much that will contribute to my play or whether old age will still win out.

I've had four speeches over the last month and they've gone really well. I have to thank Bud Carter and the Vistage group for allowing me to speak to them.

I went to a Purim (Jewish holiday) carnival on Sunday. It was a lot of fun. The highlights other than winning a Coke bottle for answering Braves questions had to be my rabbi dressed as Charlie Sheen. Andrea and I saw a lot of people we knew and in some cases had not seen in a long time. I also saw an old high school friend at lunch. We hadn't seen each other in years. We both had two kids and I looked at him and said "Life changes, huh?" He laughed.

Congrats to my Cousin Andrea on the birth of her son.

I want to wish my wife Andrea good luck on a new tennis season. Kick some butt, honey!

I wish everyone health and happiness.

Best Wishes,

Andy

My daughter made this Youtube video

2011-03-17T07:57:00.000-07:00

I thought that Avery was playing one of her computer games last night while I was doing my therapy. It turns out that she was making a 14-second video of her daddy doing his therapy (link to the video is at the bottom of my blog entry). I had no idea. When she showed it to me, it moved me to tears. I didn't spend a lot of time with Avery when she was little because I could not deal with any of my issues. I regret that very much. This video tells me that my daughter still loves me and I hold that love very close to my heart. She is one of the many reasons I want to beat this disease. Avery, I love you so much. You'll never know how much this video meant to your daddy nor will you know how much you mean to me.

None of you realize how much a kind word, a show of support or even just a smile can meant to a friend. Andrea, Avery, Ethan, Mom and Dad, Emily, my entire family and friends, you mean the world to me. You provide me with so much hope and strength.

Tomorrow is my doctor's appointment and you better believe I'll be watching one particular video before my pulmonary function tests.

I love you all.

Andy

Here is Avery's video. It's very short. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO74HaCD5bw

Lipman Cowboys (and girls) through the years - A lighter blog

2011-03-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

This blog was just for fun. So many of my blogs are pretty serious so I thought I'd lighten it up a bit. Choose your favorite cowboy or cowgirl. I'd say I'm fairly certain that Ethan and Avery are my children. I'm hoping they look more like mommy as they get older especially Avery. Picture A is Ethan. Picture B is Avery. Picture C needs a haircut. Thanks mom.

Andy

A CFer must have a heck of a memory!

2011-03-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

So here are the 13 things I force myself to remember every morning (remove the workout and running in place when figuring out how many of these things I do at night too). This does not include the even months when I do my Tobi.

Therapy Routine
1) Pour my sinus mix into both nostrils
2) Spray my antibiotic in both nostrils
3) Spray my Sinus spray into both nostrils
4) Inhale my Xopenex
5) Do my Hypertonic Saline
6) Run in place for 15 minutes during Hypertonic Saline.
7) Start Vest Therapy
8) Do my Meditation for 5 minutes. That usually entails repeating the serenity prayer.
9) Do my foot medication (I have some dried up skin I have to put lotion on twice a day - not CF related)
10) Cough and spit up mucous after Hypertonic Saline.
11) Start Pulmozyme Aerosol.
12) After finishing Vest and Pulmozyme, go to the bathroom to spit up mucous.
13) Do my 30 minute workout (Monday - Chest and legs, Tuesday - bis and tris, Wed - shoulders, forearms and back, Thursday - Abs, Chest and Legs, Friday - Abs, bis and tris, Saturday - Shoulders, back and forearms, Sunday - rest).

Pill Preparation
Every morning I must remember to collect my pills - 20 Zen Pep (meals), 4 Juice Plus (supplements), 1 Nexium (for reflux), 3 Calcium Pills (for Ostopenia), 2 cholesterol pills, Lexapro and Buproprion (for emotional stress), ADEK (Vitamin A, D, E and K), 1 Zithromax (every Monday, Wed and Friday), 1 Vitamin on Mondays and Miralax Mondays and Thursdays.

The reason I put in an exact amount is because if I don't remember if I took pills or not, all I have to do is count. That makes it much easier than having to retrace my steps. It also allows me to have 5 meals per day (4 Zen Pep per meal) without running out of pills.

Also, these pills must be taken at the right time (prior to meals, during meals or right after meals). If I fail to do that, there was no point in taking them. My therapy machine is timed for 40 minutes. In those 40 minutes, I have five settings that I have to change the frequency (25 minutes, 20 minutes, 15 minutes, 10 minutes and 5 minutes).

Parental Responsibility
Try doing this and occasionally preventing a two year old and five year old from jumping on my shoulders so they can get the sensation of my vibrating vest and you have my morning and evening rituals.

Have a good one.

Andy

There is only fact that I care about...

2011-03-14T05:25:00.000-07:00

The rumors about the goings on in the trial concerning Andrea and the man who allegedly murdered my friend continue to swirl. I'm sure the facts will come out and everyone will get the answers they want. The biggest issue I have with this whole thing is that it seems that the one person who has been forgotten throughout all of this is Rusty. There is one fact I know of. Rusty Sneiderman, a doting father, a loving husband, a dear son, a good brother, a charitable person and a wonderful friend died. He's not coming back. People ask me why I continue to write about him. I suppose that part of me wants to avoid what the press has already done...forgetting about Rusty Sneiderman.

Rusty Sneiderman was the kind of guy who always made me feel better about myself. If he and I traded places, I know he would be going to every media outlet telling them that Andy Lipman was his friend and that he will do all he can to finish what I started. Rusty, I will continue to do that for you. You always told me you wanted me to hone my craft and become a great speaker. To this date I have spoken a handful of times since your death and have another handful in front of me. That's not just to relay my message or to sell books or to raise awareness for CF. It's for you, Rusty.

You were my friend. I support you. I will be there for your family regardless. You were the kind of guy who would give everything to your friends. Everyone deserves a friend like that but rarely do we find one. I had one of those. I had one of those for two plus years. I should have had him for longer. We all lost a terrific person.

I still see him from time to time. Sometimes when I play tennis, I can see him on the bench cheering me on. Sometimes when I'm having a crappy day, I think of Rusty and how he would tell me his day was crappier and then he'd laugh only the way he could. I always picture him on his boat. He loved his boat. I could see his hair blowing in the breeze. He was so great with my kids and of course his own. He was careful with them and showed them how wonderful riding on the lake could be. I have to imagine that he's riding that same boat in heaven and one day I look forward to being his passenger and riding the waves with my friend again.

I'm not in the position to judge anyone. Granted I am angry at the man who took my friend's life however I refuse to let his alleged actions consume me.

I have made mistakes in my life and I will be there for any of my friends regardless of the mistakes they have made. A friend is there for another friend during the good times and the bad. So whatever happened in this case, I will support Andrea, the children and Rusty's entire family. Rusty would have wanted that. I know he would have.

Rusty, I miss you but please know that I'm doing well and moving on with my life. Still I will talk about you any time I get the chance. It's not a downer to talk about you. It only inspires me to be better.

I love you, buddy.

Andy

Let's stop the sensationalism

2011-03-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

I get nauseas when I read the stories about Rusty's alleged killer (I refuse to use his name in my blog), Rusty and Andrea in the papers. I am annoyed how the press is getting private information from sources. You want to paint a picture? Here's a picture. Two wives lost their husbands. Several children lost their fathers. One wonderful man will never get a chance to see his two children graduate from college, marry and have their own children. All because one man gutlessly killed my friend.

I'm amazed how the press is spinning this story. Isn't it tough enough that my friend Andrea lost her husband, best friend and as she called him "her one true love?" No, apparently it's not. The press is spinning this into some Lifetime movie while Andrea's friends know the truth. Andrea loved Rusty with all of her heart. They were college sweethearts. I saw Andrea grabbing her husband's coffin, begging for all of this to be a bad dream, as it sank several feet below the earth. I saw her in shambles. I know how much she loved Rusty.

More importantly I saw these two when Rusty was alive. Their love was evident to everyone who knew them. I loved them as a couple and now sadly because of one man's (and yes, one man's) horrible act, I'll have to love them separately for now on.

This case is being sensationalized in the news. Let me give you one example. The articles have said that after Sneiderman's death, Andrea and her boss had "continuous conversations." Let me see. Something horrible happens in your life that means you'll be out of work for an undisclosed period of time. Whatever you do, don't call your boss, right? Of course you do. He will need to know how long you're gone or if he'll need to replace you for a short term or even the long term. He'll need to tell his other employees where shiva is being sat or how to donate in her husband's name. Just think about how much that makes sense.

Andrea Sneiderman is my friend. I will be on her bandwagon forever. I love her. I support her. And I'm so sorry she not only has to deal with the loss of her husband, her best friend and the father of her children, but she also has to deal with this in the media where this story is being totally twisted. By the way, Andrea did not ask me to write this. I'm writing this because I'm fed up from reading about this story and I'm sick of getting calls from the media for my "opinion" about what happened.

The right person is in jail. I will leave it there. I'm so sorry for the children in both families. They will have to live with this story long after it is out of the papers. They will have to explain to their friends and future husbands/wives what happened to their fathers. No one should have to do that.

All I'm asking is that you reserve judgment and put yourself in Andrea Sneiderman's shoes. If you can handle this traumatic event with half the class that she has, I will be impressed.

Andrea, ignore the naysayers. Your friends and family love you. Stay strong. And to the man who allegedly killed my friend and destroyed two families and several friends' lives in the process, I speak for Rusty when I say "You will get yours."

Andy

The Drive at 35 will be available early next year!

2011-03-01T09:38:00.000-08:00

After several years of writing and contacting agents, I just received a signed contract from The Dunham Group out of Nashville for the rights to publish The Drive at 35.

David Dunham, CEO of The Dunham Group, has spent three decades in virtually every aspect of publishing. His personalized attention to his clients has resulted in over 50 bestselling books, 25 of them on the New York Times best-seller’s list. He has also worked with several famous authors.

We expect The Drive at 35 (this is the working title) to come out in early 2012. Forewords include Boomer Esiason, Frank Deford, Dale Murphy, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation President Robert Beall, Garth Brooks and Celine Dion!

The book will detail my battle with cystic fibrosis and depression. The proceeds will go to the Wish for Wendy Foundation which benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Speaking of the CF Foundation, a new treatment that the CFF is backing is having amazing results in clinical trials for CF patients. A cure might be closer than we think. The link is below.

http://www.cff.org/aboutCFFoundation/NewsEvents/2011NewsArchive/2-23-Phase-3-Study-VX-770-Shows-Positive-Results.cfm

Thanks everyone for your support especially my wife Andrea, my parents Charles and Eva, my sister Emily and our foundation director Susan Andre!

I also want to thank my late friend Rusty who taught me the value of hard work and the significance of my message. I promise to make the most of this opportunity, Rusty. I won't let you down.

Andy

TRIUMPH!

2011-02-28T12:51:00.000-08:00

Will and I won our final match on Sunday. I told him that if we won that we would be the only topic on this blog. We won 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6). It was a heck of a match. Game ball to Mr. Shields!!! As they say, it's not how you start, it's how you finish. We have a 1-game winning streak!!!

It only took us 6 match points to put these guys away. A win is a win though.

Wahoo!

Andy

The book is closer to becoming a reality and other news...

2011-02-25T06:08:00.000-08:00

Before I begin, the first 2 pictures are of Ethan (the pimp) and Avery (the swimsuit model).The third picture is what happens when your aunt gives your daughter an array of dress-up clothes and you are the only "model" in the house.

I wanted to report that I'm doing very well. Things haven't been this well in a long time. Still I recognize that with my emotional issues, that it only takes one thing to happen for me to spiral out of control so I have to be on top of things.

Here are a list of the good things. We had a nice birthday dinner with Avery, Andrea's dad and his girlfriend, my parents and one of Avery's best friends. Everyone in our family is really healthy so we're blessed with that news.

I will hopefully have a deal with a publisher today or Monday which would mean publication of my new book The Drive at 35 in early 2012. I did an extensive revision this week and I feel like the book flows better than it ever has. I can't wait to put it in print and hopefully help a lot of people that deal with not only physical issues but emotional issues as well.

I'm enjoying playing tennis with my buddy Will. We may not have a winning record but it's nice driving to the ends of the earth to play matches and catch up on our lives. Will is a really good friend to have. Sunday is our last match and we will win. Yes, Will, we will win!

Softball starts in 2 weeks. I believe we have put together our best team ever. I'm looking forward to a good time this season.

I saw a couple of really good high school friends last week. We had a really nice time catching up. They are not only high school friends but they are good friends. I'm proud of both of them for all they've accomplished.

I also was able to catch up with some friends for dinner this past week. It was great to catch up and play some trivia.

Ethan is going through his terrible 2's. On the bright side, he has shown me what a good baby Avery was. Ethan is a nut but we love him and his speech continues to improve from his stroke at birth. He is truly a miracle.

We are in the midst of looking at schools for Avery. There are so many good schools out there so it's tough to decide. We have narrowed it down to a few choices. I never knew how competitive these schools were and how the assessment process works. I don't think I could get into some of these schools...now!

Avery will be at Disney with my in-laws next week and Ethan will have a few sleepovers with our nanny and while I'll miss them both very much, I look forward to getting some much deserved alone time with Andrea.

I have gotten three new speeches for the month of March so far. I'm looking forward to spreading my message of hope and determination. I also had a speech last night at Raw Love which my sister did an amazing job putting together. Thanks to Raw Denim and East Andrews for putting on a terrific event and thanks to all of the models who did a terrific job at the fashion show. Emily, please pass my blog information and contact information on to them. I love you and am proud of you! I met several new contacts including Falcons QB John Parker Wilson and also ran into an old high school friend there. Andrea and I had a terrific time.

A friend of mine started her own cupcake business. We tried them out for Avery's birthday dinner and they were amazing. Let me know if you want her information. I highly recommend her.

Don't forget to check out Emily's store in Buckhead called Raw Denim. It's a cool little boutique with some cool clothes. I'm not a fashion guru (duh!) but Emily has dressed me better of late. Try out her store. You can find Raw Denim on Facebook.

Some of you have asked how I'm dealing with the loss of Rusty. It's been about three months. I'm doing better. There are still times that I miss hearing his voice or his self-deprecating humor, but I realize that he will always be in my heart. When this trial is over, I want to focus on naming something at Wish for Wendy after him much like we did in Dr. Wolfenden's memory last year. I got to spend some quality time with Rusty's Andrea last night. She looks amazing and is doing well. My Andrea and I are both really proud of her.

That's about it for now. I hope that everyone has a good weekend. Live your dreams and love your life.

Andy

Pills, Treatments and Workouts - oh my!

2011-02-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

The picture enclosed is Ethan holding a poster of me as a young boy. It was shot by my Aunt Susie in the late seventies. I'm glad that Ethan will not have to spend time taking pills and doing treatments like his daddy.

As a young boy, I probably took ten pills per day, did not work out and only did treatments once a day for about an hour at the most. Things have changed as I've gotten older. I need more maintenance. Sadly, the clock has become my enemy as I spend so much time watching it to see when I can finish my treatments and get on with being a dad, a husband and a human being.

Here is my medical routine for the week:

I have to make sure to grab my 33 pills each day. Thirteen of those pills are for maintenance and the other 20 are for meals and snacks. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I add one antibiotic per day. Also on Mondays, I take an extra pill. On Mondays and Thursdays, I take a powder called Miralax for my digestive system. So over a week's time, I take about 235 pills. If I forget my pills, I can't eat. My digestive system has issues without these pancreatic enzymes. That's why packing for trips is so nerve-wracking. The pills are primarily for my digestive system.

On months that I do my Tobi (a 35 to 40 minute inhaled treatment), I spend about 1,155 minutes of therapy per week plus six days of workouts which equal another 180 minutes. I also run in place during my Pulmozyme for another 13 minutes a day six times per week. I also have a required 20 minute break between my Pulmozyme and Tobi. In other words, between workouts and therapy, I spend about 1,515 minutes or roughly 15% of my week including sleep and my daily 20 minute breaks. I also take 2 one minute breaks in between my treatments to cough out my phlegm into the toilet. These numbers don't even factor in taking my pills, ordering my meds with our on-line pharmacy or going to doctor's appointments. My treatments and workouts are primarily to help my lungs. Due to the fact that I have CF, I cough a lot more than the average person but coughing is actually necessary for me to get rid of the phlegm in my lungs. I need to do treatments and workouts to help me get rid of the mucous.

In short, coughing is good for someone with CF.

My daily routine features doing nasal treatments for five minutes (clears my sinuses), working out for 30 minutes, administering Hypertonic Saline treatment, Running in Place (Running for about 13 of the 20 minutes) and doing my Vest for a total of 20 minutes. Then I take a coughing break and then it's on to my Pulmozyme and Vest for 20 minutes, another cough break, the 20 minute required break between Pulmozyme and Tobi, and then 35 to 40 minutes of Tobi. On months without Tobi, I can remove 840 minutes from this total (60 min x 2 times daily x 7 days). I guess you understand now why most people with CF do not have full time jobs. I'm proud of the fact that I have one and that I have been successful achieving my goals in my profession.

Fitting in the time to be a parent, husband, philanthropist, author, full-time worker and having my own life is not easy but it's worth it. My family comes first. Sadly it took me some time to see that, but now I cannot see it any other way.

It's funny how my Tobi routine is the same every month.

Week 1: Bring it on!

I do my Tobi early at night and usually am finished by 11:30 p.m. at the latest. I'm up at 5:00 a.m. for my morning treatments and am done by 7am.

Weeks 2 & 3: Return of the Nebulizer Driver!

I fall asleep before and during most of my treatments and wait till the last minute to do them. I'm fortunate to have a wife who is willing to wake me when I pass out in the bed or on the couch. I wake up late because of that. I'm up at 6:30 a.m. for my morning treatments and do my evening treatments at 10:30 p.m. and after falling asleep several times, I'm usually done at 2:00 to 2:30 a.m. I do my TOBI in the car in the mornings because of the late wake up.

Week 4: The Finish Line

I can see the finish line now. I tend to do my treatments earlier most days and wake up a bit earlier most mornings. I'm up at 5:45 a.m. and finish my treatments around 7:45 a.m. I do my treatments around 10:00 p.m. and finish around midnight. I still do my Tobi treatments in the car for the most part.

My last day of Tobi is this Sunday and I can't wait.

So that's my CF routine and the scary thing is that there are a lot of patients who do more than me. So when you donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or the Wish for Wendy Foundation, please know that your gift will go a long way towards making our days a lot easier.

Please help us make CF stand for Cure Found so patients like myself can have it stand for Cough Free or at least Clock Friendly!

I hope everyone is having a good week.

Andy

A Picture says a thousand words...

2011-02-04T20:38:00.001-08:00

I was going through the 2010 Wish pictures the other day when I found this one. It's a picture of a batter with his third base coach in the background. I'm the batter but that's no ordinary third base coach. That was my friend Rusty twelve days before he was murdered. This picture tells a thousand words. I always felt Rusty was looking after me. I looked up to him. Rusty will always be my third base coach and I will always try to hit a homerun in life in his memory.

I'm finishing my final week of Tobi this week. In the interim, I have found a great way to stay awake while doing it. I have gotten into Wii sports and play about 40 minutes of tennis, baseball and bowling during my treatments. Still I'm sure people on Buford Highway will miss the Nebulizer Driver. Attached is a picture of me parked in front of a light doing my Tobi. Doing Tobi in the car every morning allows me an extra 40 minutes to sleep.

Last week was exceptionally busy and I got some good news from my doctor that my blood pressure, cholesterol and weight looked great. I'm between 179 and 180 pounds, a loss of nearly 20 pounds since September. I do not intend to lose anymore but plan to stay around 180 pounds. 165 pounds is the ideal weight for my height but I have to factor in CF and therefore can't lose anymore weight. I continue to work out with heavy weights and jokingly nicknamed my home gym "AL Fitness."

I'm excited for my sister's fashion show later this month to benefit Wish for Wendy. Raw Denim has done pretty well thus far but be sure to check it out if you haven't gone. If you have gone, please check it out again.

I'm also looking forward to my little girl's 5th birthday ten days from today. It's hard to believe Avery's already turning 5 years old! She has me wrapped around her little finger, but don't tell her. I'll spring that upon her when she leaves the nest.

I found out that my 20th high school reunion is in June. Part of me is really looking forward to seeing everyone. On the other hand, I'm a little nervous as most of these people I haven't seen in two decades. I had a lot of friends but I wasn't in the "cool" crowd. I know we're beyond the cool crowd now, but I felt like I greatly underachieved in high school with my social skills and my academic work. I matured much later in life. Still I do talk to a few of my former classmates today and there is definitely a different relationship than there was in school. Maybe in honor of the occasion, I'll grow out the mullet I tried for part of my 9th grade year and throw on my old Led Zepplin T-shirt and see what kind of response I get. My guess is Andrea will want to hang out at another table. Alright, I'll wear slacks and a nice shirt but I at least hope they're serving those egg roll Hors d'œuvres and not those awful corndogs they served on "What animal did these get made with" Wednesdays at the cafeteria.

Anyway, I hope everyone is healthy and happy.

Andy

The longest poem I've ever written about my life

2011-02-02T20:49:00.000-08:00

Nothing Can Be Accomplished Without Dreams

I was once the little boy who lived in a bubble,
Now I have to face the doctors when my health is in trouble.
I miss the days when I didn't concern myself with death,
Now it's as much a part of my day as stopping to take a breath.

Days pass, I wish they would wait,
But alas, I'm on year thirty-eight.
Some days I wish I could just hit rewind,
Memories of no responsibility enter my mind.

My hair was blonde, then brown, now gray,
My youth grows more distant every day.
A tragedy was once a report card full of C's,
Now it's losing friends to murder or disease.

A decade ago I ran with the Olympic torch,
But my mind still wandered to those old days on my porch.
I sat with my best friend Howard then, the dog with just one trick,
He could turn my day from bad to good with just a single lick.

I miss my days on West Fontainebleau,
Going to school at Kingsley and Mt. Vernon too.
I miss the days when Van Halen ruled,
And seeing my friends at the neighborhood pool.

I remember thinking I would never be on my own,
I'd be living with my parents until I was full grown.
Finally that changed when I was sixteen,
With the arrival of my therapy machine.

I got to go to college where I learned a lot about me,
Confidence was an issue along with irresponsibility.
I wish I'd been stronger and had more fun,
But that part of my life is already done.

That's not to say I have many regrets,
I have a beautiful family and have loved all of my pets.
Statistics told me that I wouldn't see thirteen,
And having children would be a pipe dream.

Life is fair; that much I know,
I just don't understand why we all have to go.
What happens after life, I question it every day.
Do things just turn to black or are we going to be okay?

I tell my kids to always treat people fair,
Yet when it comes to good or bad, death doesn't care.
God has his reasons, he knows our outcome from birth,
He must have bigger things for us once we leave earth.

That's the only explanation I could come up with why,
So many amazing young people in this world unexplicitly die.
That's why we must make the most of our lives,
Appreciate the kisses, hugs and high fives.

I sometimes ponder if I made the right choices,
Did I listen to myself or to too many uncaring voices?
Peer pressure was an issue for me,
I had no idea what I wanted to be.

Sometimes I think about how I will be remembered,
To my parents as their miracle baby who was born one September.
To my kids as a dad who loved to make them laugh,
To my wife who I was blessed to have as my better half.

To my sister, who I wanted to give sage advice,
To my friends, who I wanted to treat them so nice.
Will I be remembered for what I did to combat CF,
Though odds are this disease will take my last breath.

Each day I look in the mirror and it's an older man I see,
I miss the kid whose only concern was watching the Braves on TV.
It's hard to believe that I've been out of high school for twenty,
For the last fifteen years I've been in the real world earning money.

I'm 37 years old and received awards for displaying bravery,
Yet my two biggest trophies are my Ethan and my Avery.
I was given a sentence of twelve years when I arrived,
Yet thirty-seven years later I am still alive.

Why am I here waiting for my thirty-eighth birthday cake?
Yet others have gone; I'm not sure how much more I can take.
I miss my friends, I miss my youth,
I miss dreams of becoming the next Babe Ruth.

I miss feeling I could do no wrong,
I miss feeling that I was too damn strong.
I used to feel invincible but I've seen serious regression,
My cystic fibrosis has gotten stronger and so has my depression.

I'm a better person for having the people in my life,
From hard working parents to a beautiful loving wife.
Each day with me is not always a piece of cake,
Sometimes I need help with the choices that I make.

Along with the positive things, I've made my share of mistakes,
Some resembled tremors, while others were more like earthquakes.
I could recount my poor decisions, but the list is too long,
Certainly I've learned more in life from the things I've done wrong.

Failing doesn't make you a loser, you are defined by your reaction,
Get back up on your feet and avoid any distraction.
Dreams aren't meant to disappoint, they're meant to show us hope,
Don't give up on the possibilities, that's not a healthy way to cope.

I look back at the doctors and now I can laugh,
My life is literally a book, not the predicted paragraph.
I got to have children, I got the joy of experiencing my own wedding,
If I'd bet on those things when I was little, I wonder what odds I'd be getting.

Sometimes I get down when I think of my late sister,
I never got to hug her; I never even kissed her.
While she's a source of my sadness, she also motivates me year round,
To beat this disease in her memory and help CF stand for Cure Found.

I've run the Peachtree Road Race fourteen straight years,
I got to compete in a triathlon and face my biggest fears.
I've been able to write several books and help those in need,
I've been able to speak to others, I've had the chance to lead.

I've lived in fear for most of my life,
My mind has lived in constant strife.
But I'm stronger today than I've ever been before,
And I'm far from being done, I have dreams I can't ignore.

In life, there is good luck and in life there is bad,
There are times to be happy and times to be sad.
Remember the good times but don't dwell on the present,
Follow those rules and your future will be pleasant.

Life is full of tough times but it also has its glory,
I think I've shown you that by telling my true story.
Thirty-seven years ago, my doctors feared I was in trouble,
But if it weren't for having dreams, I'd still be stuck in that bubble.

The first picture was one of me during my youth. The second is this year's Foundation team. I'm on the far left and my good friend the late Rusty Sneiderman was on the far right wearing his famous Cleveland Indians hat. We miss him very much.

Best Wishes,

Andy
div

Another funeral, Day 1 of Tobi and Remembering Rusty

2011-01-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last post so let me tell you what's been going on. The attached photo is the poster I have in my workout room by the way. It's a collage I created for inspiration back when I lived with Ross in old Dunwoody Courtyards. I have my first 2 Peachtree numbers on there as well as a childhood picture of me with my dog Howard, my best friend from my youth. I also have several motivational phrases included on the poster.

Most of last week, I was up at 5:30am and had very solid workouts.

I started TOBI this past Monday morning and will be on it for the next 28 days.

Last weekend was absolutely exhausting. On Friday, we went to a funeral for my cousin Laura's father. Laura is my cousin out of marriage so I was not related to her father. David was a good man who endured a lot of health issues yet he lived long enough to see his two beautiful grandchildren. My heart and condolences go out to the Funk family especially my cousins Jonathan and his wife Laura. The funeral took place at the same cemetery that Rusty was buried. I could do without a funeral for a while.

Last Saturday, we went to a kids' birthday party in Smyrna. I was put in charge of videotaping the cake ceremony which was difficult after I found out that typically that was Rusty's job. Rusty filmed Ethan's last birthday too. We sat Shiva that night in Sandy Springs for Laura's dad (Sitting Shiva is the Jewish tradition for the week following the burial where family and friends get together to mourn), and finally we had dinner with our good friends Ross and Summer. I promised Ross I would not watch the Falcons game during dinner but I did keep an eye on the score from my phone. Let's just say I went straight home and deleted it from our TIVO. The Falcons got blown out by the Packers and were eliminated from the playoffs. The miserable luck of Atlanta sports teams continues. ONE Championship between four teams in approximately 45 years!!! We are the Cleveland of the South.

Last Sunday, we had brunch with my aunts and a few others in Dunwoody. After that, we visited our cousins Laura and Jonathan, their kids and several members of the Funk and Zucker families to get the little cousins together. Following the visit, we went home to meet the babysitter and then joined our friends Tammi and Steve as they invited us to the Georgia Tech/North Carolina basketball game. We had a great time.

I find myself very angry lately and I'm having difficulty sleeping. I am having nightmares thinking about the fact that I could have been in the Dunwoody Prep parking lot and stop this guy. I guess the tragedy in Tucson and how the gunman was disarmed after his initial round makes me wish I could have done the same for my friend. I know there is no way I could have known about this guy and where Rusty was going to be, but there is a part of me who wishes I could have just coincidentally been there. He and I had talked earlier that week about getting lunch. I wish I'd agreed to that Wednesday (the day before the shooting) and I could have done something to change his schedule the following day plus I would have gotten one more lunch with my friend. Rusty deserved to see his son play little league and his daughter go to prom. I'm still having trouble getting a grip on his death...I'm not alone.

At the funeral on Friday for Laura's father, I thought how sad it was that everyone was slowly getting older. I remember when I was the kid amongst the group and everyone else was in their forties and fifties. Now everyone is in their seventies and eighties. Relatives who used to walk over and hug me now struggle just to walk. Brunettes and Blondes are now gray. It reminds me that I better do all I want now before I am not strong enough to do the things I once wanted to do.

In other sad news, my big fish tank had toxicity issues and I lost four fish and had to clean it three different times in a week. They're all happy now...well, except for the ones I flushed.

I might have some exciting news on my book. I will know in the next week but I'm currently in talks with a potential publisher. I also have been working with my friend Traci on a business card for the foundation. I'm pretty excited about it. My sister has put together a cool fashion show for Wish for Wendy in February. More details to come. Monday the Australian Open started so expect Andrea and I to be in Melbourne every morning at about 5am for the next two weeks. I actually begin in Orlando since I do my therapy while the kids watch Disney in the basement but then I travel upstairs to a crazy crowd in the land down under. Speaking of tennis, I will be playing T2 this season with my friend Will. I haven't picked up a racket in 2 years so it could be ugly.

This past Saturday was awesome. The kids spent the night at my parents' house on Friday night and Andrea and I got a night out at The W Hotel in Buckhead and a dinner at the Capital Grille. We had a terrific time. Thanks Mom and Dad.

On Sunday, we were at the synagogue for a memorial for Rusty. Several people including myself said a few words and then Rusty's Andrea spoke. She did a beautiful job expressing her love for Rusty. Finally, we were greeted by a slideshow detailing Rusty and Andrea's life together. I was moved to tears watching it. It was the first time I really broke down since Rusty's death. I miss him very much. A day doesn't go by without me thinking about him.

I hope everyone is healthy and happy. Enjoy each day.

Best Wishes,

Andy

Snow, Rusty and The Good Things from 2010

2011-01-12T08:49:00.000-08:00

I haven't written a blog in a while so I figured I'd write to tell you what is going through my head. First off, the picture I enclosed is from the Monday Night Football Game between the Falcons and Saints a few weeks back. Unfortunately, the Falcons lost but Andrea and I had a great time anyway.

We had 4 to 6 inches of snow in Atlanta. That's the equivalent of 24 inches in the northeast. Snow is like a nuclear weapon in the south. Everything closes and everyone heads to the store to buy several gallons of milk and dozens of loaves of bread. We are fine at our house. We used an old inner-tube for a sled to slide down our driveway multiple times. Andrea and I spent the last couple of days shoveling the driveway so we could get out today.

It's been about two months since Rusty passed away but I still think about him constantly. I'm glad they have a suspect in custody and while I'm full of hateful thoughts about this man, I know Rusty would tell me not to focus on him. I miss the big guy. I miss getting random e-mails about meeting for lunch or hitting the batting cage or just coming over for dinner.

I'm sorry for his wife and kids. I know they are hurting too and I know how much they loved him. I remember a few weeks before Rusty's death, the four of us double-dated and saw The Social Network. Afterwards, my Andrea and I talked about the movie's theme, how it was very interesting and how the acting was superb. Rusty and his Andrea were giggling amongst themselves during the movie about something and when the movie concluded finally I asked "What is so funny?" He told me that the Harvard scenes were incorrect. It was something about the bridge in one scene. I didn't go to Harvard so I'm not familiar with the landscape. I would have applied to this Ivy League giant, only I wasn't sure if the dean of admissions had a sense of humor or not. The fact that both of them could laugh at a bridge being out of place shows how perfect they were for each other and what a great couple they were. I continue to pray for Rusty's entire family from his wife and kids to his parents and brother and in-laws. I know they all loved him very much and the pain of losing him will never go away.

Now onto some positives.

I'm looking forward to the Falcons game on Saturday night. This city has not had a winning team in so long. We are overdue. I hope the dome is loud for the Packers on Saturday and that the Falcons move on to the NFC Championship Game.

I'm still keeping my weight around 182 which is 15 pounds better than September. I have several speeches on tap this year and am working on becoming a better public speaker. I found myself putting together a few photo albums this weekend as I didn't want to lose any of our old pictures that were just sitting around. I've found myself getting sentimental lately. Maybe it just replaces depression during the winter. Either way, it's positive so I'm not going to try to find reason in it. I'm putting more pictures in frames. I'm taking more pictures and videos of the children and Andrea. I'm stopping to take a breath and look at the sky at least once a day. I don't know if it was Rusty's death that has caused me to do that or if I'm just realizing that the kids will only be little once.

Everyone keeps telling me that they hope 2011 will be better than 2010. There were parts of 2010 that were awful. I'm not going to lie, however; there were some good things too. My father's health is much improved. Andrea and I got to take the kids to Disney for the first time. I got to know Rusty a lot better before he died. His friendship meant a lot to me and his Andrea's friendship means a lot to me. I got to take my Andrea to her first playoff game. I lost 15 pounds and improved all of my health numbers. Andrea's brother got to come into town to see the kids and we got to visit him in Los Angeles. My best friend Ross got married and I got to be the best man. I was able to make some new friends and able to rekindle friendships with old ones. Ethan's speaking has continued to improve. I was able to watch Avery at gymnastics. I successfully made it through my first of many years of emotional sobriety. I was thrilled that Andrea got to go to the Emmy's with my sister and that Emily's store "Raw Denim" has opened and is successful. I was thrilled to meet Garth Brooks and go with Andrea, Emily, my mom and my Aunt Anita to see his Teammates for Kids Gala. Wish for Wendy eclipsed the million dollar mark. Playing catch with Ethan and Avery.

Thanks for reading. I hope that all of you have good health and great happenings in 2011. Make everyday special because it truly is.

Andy

The Killer has been found

2011-01-05T06:07:00.001-08:00

My new blog was going to be about my New Year's resolutions for 2011.

Unfortunately, this will have to wait for a later blog. I found out last night that the killer in my close friend's case has been identified and arrested. Here is the link.

http://wsbradio.com/localnews/2011/01/buckhead-man-charged-in-day-ca.html

I know everyone wants the facts right now and I'm sure they will come out in the next few days. Either way, I am highly confident that Rusty did nothing to provoke these actions. Regardless, being that this is still an open investigation, I cannot comment on this case. I hope that you will respect that.

It's crazy that for so long I wanted this guy to be found and NOW that I see his picture, I have so much anger towards him. I already have two raw fists from hitting the bag so much lately. I really took to the bag this morning. All I could do was picture this guy's face. This man took one of my best friends. Rusty should still be here. He was robbed. All of us were. His Andrea and the kids will continue to be in our thoughts and prayers and we will be there for them always.

My Andrea and I are hurting right now as I'm sure so many are. I couldn't even talk about it last night. It's ironic that I was watching the Craig's List Killer movie on TV the night before. Yesterday I did some research on him because I wondered why someone could take someone else's life. In strange ways, I understood some of his issues. For example, I know what it was like to have secrets and even the double-life part dealing with my own depression issues. I just didn't understand how someone could commit murder. Now I'm back pondering that again...but this time it hits close to home.

Rusty's vigil has been postponed but I hope he knows that justice will finally prevail. Rusty, this man will never go free. We will make sure of that fact. We love you.

I have enclosed a picture of my good friend Rusty holding my son and also a picture of the man who was arrested in the case. Please keep Rusty's family in your prayers.

Andy

Good news from Cholesterol Central

2010-12-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

My numbers went from 223 to 185, which is a 17% improvement. In other words, I don't have to go on cholesterol meds at this time. Very exciting!!!

I hope all of you are well.

Andy

Good news

2010-12-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

All of my numbers were up: My FEV1 and FVC were up 3% and 12% respectively. FVC is Forced Vital Capacity and is the volume of air that can forcibly be blown out after full inspiration, measured in liters. FVC is the most basic maneuver in spirometry tests. FEV1 is the Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second and is the most important test that a doctor looks at. My FVC is up from 89% to 101% (which means I'm essentially normal compared to people without CF) and my FEV1 went from 84% to 87% which is the highest it has been in some time. I won't get the cholesterol test results for another week but I ended up only having to get one vial taken this time. My weight went from 197 pounds last time to 184 pounds. The doctors were really thrilled with my progress. Thanks for listening. Have a nice weekend.

Andy

Tomorrow - Tests, tests and more tests...

2010-12-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

This week is extremely busy. Tuesday I had a one hour speech I had to give to a group of CEOs about my foundation. I think it went pretty well. The reviews were very favorable. I met with George, my therapist, on Wednesday and he said I was doing well. We mostly talked about my depression from losing one of my best friends. He recommended some books for me. Tonight I have a meeting for my emotional issues. I'm looking forward to seeing the guys.

Tomorrow is going to be the toughest though. I have to begin fasting at 11pm tonight and go in for my 3-hour glucose test (16 vials of blood will be taken and I have to drink this awful orange drink that is like a flat version of Sunkist) at 7:30am tomorrow and I have a doctor's appointment at 8:30 along with my Pulmonary Function tests and then I have another vial of blood taken before I can finally eat around 10am. That same night I have my company party (which I look forward to escorting my beautiful wife there) and a birthday party to attend. It's safe to say I'll sleep in on Saturday. At least I'm done with Tobi. I finished Sunday night.

It is so cold right now that my fingers are frost-bitten. The things I hate most about winter are that my health gets worse, the days get shorter and it seems like all of the people I have lost in my life all died around this time (Jon Barkan, my sister Wendy who I didn't get to even meet and now my close friend Rusty Sneiderman).

I've felt a bit depressed lately but I can't put my finger on it. Obviously I know that losing Rusty is a big part of that. I just feel overwhelmed and I don't look forward to tomorrows as much as I seem to during the spring, summer and fall.

There is not that much else going on. I slipped on the ice this morning but no major injuries. I am looking forward to showing the doctors how much weight I've lost and how much better shape I am in. I continue to stay between 182 and 184 pounds. I also continue to increase the weight on my workouts. I decided to show the following 2 pictures on this blog. The bottom picture shows how skinny I was (a result of CF) when I had a picture with Braves players' Dale Murphy and Bruce Benedict and the top picture shows how much I've filled out thanks to new treatments and hard work as I'm with current Brave Chipper Jones (as well as my family).

Andrea and the kids are doing well. Ethan just got over a virus but he's feeling better. Avery talks more like an adult everyday. It seems as she matures, I grow more immature so we should be the same age in about 8 years.

Please check out Raw Denim on Facebook. My sister has done a great job with the story.
I hope everyone is doing ok. Please stay safe this holiday season.

Andy

Getting stronger...

2010-12-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

As far as health goes, I am still working hard. As far as my emotional health goes, I'm feeling pretty well. I still think about Rusty but I have been able to separate it and focus on my own mission to get stronger. I continue to go to meetings, recently reached my first year of full sobriety and will soon be sponsoring my own sponsee.

I continue to maintain my weight between 182 and 185 pounds. I'm currently at 182 pounds which is 15 pounds lighter than my weight back in September. I have enclosed a picture of me at 197 with my beautiful wife at the beach and a picture of me today 15 pounds lighter.

I don't drink sodas anymore except on rare occasions and I've cut my sweets down considerably. It helps also that whenever I eat a Twizzler in front of Ethan, he says "Some?" and I have to give him a Twizzler, usually mine. So I'm not only contributing to my cavities, I have to worry about his teeth too.

I also continue to take fish oils twice a day. I will be taking my glucose test next week to determine if I need to go on cholesterol drugs. The glucose test is the one where I have to starve from about 10pm the night before and can't eat till about noon the following day. Meanwhile the nurses take about 14 vials of my blood to see if I have CF-related diabetes as well as high cholesterol. I'm sorry but if you take 14 vials of my blood and I'm still alive, I should get a standing ovation from the staff.

I think I've done everything I can to improve my health so I'm hoping that my cholesterol is down. I've also increased my weightlifting lately because I feel the need to overachieve right now. I just feel like I really want to push myself. I haven't done that with weights in quite a while. Here are the changes I have made:

CURLS: Instead of lifting 20 pound weights for 3 sets of 20, 16 and 12, I now do the same amount of sets and reps but I do them with 30 pound dumbells.

SHOULDERS AND BACK: Instead of lifting 100 pounds for 3 sets of 20, 16 and 12, I now do the same amount of sets and reps but I lift 160, then 170 and then 180 pounds respectively.

CHEST: Instead of working out primarily on the machine, I'm now using the flat bench. I was lifting 120 pounds on the machine for 3 sets of 20, 16 and 12. Now I'm doing 200 pounds for 20, 16 and 12 reps.

CARDIO: Instead of just running in place and doing jumping jacks or jumping rope, I've now added the punching bag to the mix. I do about 10 to 15 minutes on the bag every other day.

ABS: I haven't changed my ab workout much. I am looking for other exercises if anyone knows some good ones other than crunches and situps.

LEGS: I've gone from lifting 100 pounds with my legs to doubling the weight to 200 pounds. Again, I do 20, 16 and 12.

I have other exercises that I do per body part but those are just examples of my biggest changes.

Every day, I do 5 sets of one body part, 5 sets of another and 3 sets of either cardio or abs or a combination of the two.

I can definitely feel a change in my strength after just a few weeks. I hope to continue to keep off the weight and add some muscle over the next few months.

Add this to about 3 to 4 hours of therapy, a full-time job and two rambuncious kids and it's a pretty busy day.

Only four more days of Tobi so it will be nice to finish that. I call myself the Nebulizer driver as I actually do my TOBI on my way to work which is perfectly legal but I must look like some guy who has taken smoking to a new level.

I hope all of you are well. Never give up.

Best Wishes,

Andy

FOR JUSTICE!

2010-12-08T07:30:00.000-08:00

First off, thank you to everyone expressing your condolences. I have to admit I feel selfish because I know there are others who hurt more than me because Rusty was a wonderful husband, father, son and brother not to mention a best friend to so many. I can't really compare my feelings to others. I just know it hurts not having Rusty around, but I'm starting to open up a little about it.

I can only encourage those who knew him to send any potentially valid tips or e-mails to the Dunwoody police. I have left them a message recently. I believe it takes about 2 weeks to get a response as they must be receiving a lot of tips.

I think all of us who loved Rusty should call ourselves FOR JUSTICE, an acronym I came up with for Friends Of Rusty Joining Up So That Information Can Emerge. By giving any tips to the police and helping to try to find the perpetrator(s), you are an active member of For Justice. Justice is all I want; Rusty's family deserves that outcome.

With all of the tragedies surrounding me lately, I have really had to lean on my family. Andrea has been there for me and I love her very much. I know this tragedy has been just as difficult on her as she loved Rusty and of course loves his Andrea as do I. The kids, well, they do something new every day. Ethan is talking more than ever. The other day his Uncle Alistair was in town and we went upstairs and Alistair asked him which room was his. Ethan said Avery's room and pointed the other way and then pointed at his floor and said Ethan's room. Whenever he does something wrong now, he says "Sorry, mommy. Sorry, daddy. Sorry, Avery." Then he repeats the wrong but I guess at least he's polite. Avery (picture enclosed), well, here's our funny story from a few weeks ago.

So Avery and I had a daddy-daughter day the other day and I took her bowling. After we played 4 games, we went to the arcade and decided to play the crane game. After I tried to win her a stuffed animal and failed about 10 times, Avery said she wanted to try. "Okay, sweetie," I laughed. The claw was barely even closing and I knew it was set up so no one could win. She tried three times and did not come close and then as if I was Mr. Myagi and she was Daniel LaRusso squeezing the fly with chopsticks, her claw grabbed the pink monkey at the bottom of the pile which should be physically impossible to reach. Apparently the animal's thread got stuck on the claw. The problem is that we couldn't get the animal off the claw. Since no one at the bowling alley was available to help us even after I asked several times, I decided to do it myself. After about 25 shakes and about 10 attempts to tilt the machine, the pink monkey finally fell off the claw and Avery got to take it home. I was so proud of her...until we got home. Here was her exact explanation to mommy as she walked in looking fresh as a daisy and I was sweating profusely after nearly separating a shoulder on the crane machine.

"Mommy, I won the pink monkey by myself and daddy didn't win anything." Not exactly a crowning achievement when your 4 year old can claim victory over her dad. I'm sure it will be one in a million times daddy will be proven wrong by his little girl.

I hope everyone is well. Let's continue to fight "FOR JUSTICE!"

Andy

Rusty Sneiderman - one in a million!

2010-12-03T14:30:00.001-08:00

As a speaker, the one comment I never wanted to hear was "You seemed a bit rusty." I heard it a few times during my Toastmasters speeches. They critiqued my grammar and I was fine. They commented on how many times I said "um..." and I could deal with that. They even said they didn't understand the point of my speech and I could handle that, but if I heard, "You seemed a bit rusty," I got really frustrated. To me it meant that people didn't think I wasn't working at my craft and I knew I worked hard when it came to my passion for public speaking.

Lately, my passion for motivational speaking has diminished due to my battle with clinical depression. Through the years, there have been two people who really pushed me to make my speaking more of a priority. One was my father, the other was Russell J. Sneiderman. I, like pretty much all of his friends, called him Rusty.

Andrea and I met Rusty, his wife Andrea and their kids Sophia and Ian at a friend's party. Soon afterward, we went to Gwinnett Braves games together, went to their lake house on several occasions and took in some Atlanta Braves games together. As our couple friendship developed, the Andreas (Rusty and I had to use the terms "My Andrea" or "Your Andrea" to avoid confusion) became even closer as did Rusty and myself.

Rusty and I talked pretty regularly. Sometimes we talked while our wives were with the kids. Rusty once told me that it was nice to be friends with a couple both he and his wife liked individually. Often we had lunch together because we both worked in Duluth. Each time a lunch with Rusty concluded, he'd ask me, "Now how can I help you to be more of a success." I remember the first time he came to dinner and he said he wanted to repay us for making the meal. So what did he do? He went outside and fixed our gutter. That's when I knew I found a one-in-a-million type friend. I also realized if we wanted the pilot light fixed and the leaks in our sky lights sealed up, we better keep providing food for Rusty.

Rusty was a big fan of mine for some reason. He told me that I inspired him and he told my parents that he loved me and would do whatever I wanted to help make Wish for Wendy a success. Those weren't just words. Rusty was a doer. He believed in me and in turn I believed in him. Rusty was always hungry for success. He wanted to make a difference.

Rusty played on the only two foundation teams we've ever had at Wish for Wendy and agreed to take on the heavy responsibility of being our sponsorship chairman this year. He came up with some great ideas and helped us find several new corporate sponsors. He's a big reason why we eclipsed the million dollar mark this year.

Rusty had an amazing personality and sense of humor. He was known for making fun of his athletic activity though he was no slouch as he proved on the softball field. He once bought a Wii FIT and said after he took the fitness test that the Wii told him that his fitness was equal to that of a grossly obese 75 year old. Rusty laughed, "I paid money for a machine to tell me I'm old and fat. No thank you!"

The Wish for Wendy Warriors foundation team in 2010 had a lot of new names but one name stayed the same and that was Rusty Sneiderman. Rusty played softball once a year and this was it. Rusty was always introducing me to people he thought could help further my career and/or my foundation. He got along with every person I introduced him to. My parents really loved him. He and my dad had the same bug about starting a business on their own. They talked frequently. Rusty was looking forward to starting his own business.

Rusty Sneiderman was a brilliant guy. He graduated from Indiana University and later got his MBA from Harvard. He and his wife Andrea, who also graduated from Indiana and got her masters at Harvard, moved down to Atlanta where Rusty worked for JP Morgan.

I'd only known Rusty for two years and I considered him one of my best friends. We talked about growing old and all of the trips we were going to take together. We each had two children, a girl first and then a boy. The kids were almost the same age. We talked about his next business venture and how he was really excited to get started. No matter how much a lunch was full of talking about his business, it always ended with, "Now how I can I help you to be successful."

Rusty wanted to create a plan to help me. The man was starting up a business, was married, was raising two children and had many charitable obligations, yet he always wanted to help me. I wish I'd taken him up on it...at least in the professional sense.

The Thursday prior to Thanksgiving, I was working on a very important chapter for my book, coincidentally another project of mine Rusty frequently asked about. I got a call from my Andrea. She was crying. My first thought was something happened to one of the kids.

"Rusty's been shot," she said. "WHATTTTTT?" I said. "Where, when, how..." Rusty was one of the least violent people I knew; surely this was a mistake. Apparently, a half hour earlier Russell J. Sneiderman walked out of Dunwoody Prep, a preschool in a safe area of Atlanta, after dropping off his son and was shot several times at close range. An hour or so later as I pulled into the hospital's parking lot, I got a called from Andrea. I can only remember the two words that had difficulty leaving her mouth, "He died."

"NO!" I said. No way. Our families were going bowling the following night. Rusty and I had plans for lunch the following week. This couldn't be happening. He and I just talked the other day. I still have a text from him congratulating me on Wish for Wendy which was only about a week and a half earlier. My mom, dad, Andrea and I were at the hospital. Andrea was a real rock for Rusty's Andrea. Many of his Andrea's friends came to support their friend. The prevailing question was "Why? Why would someone do this to such an amazing man?" I can't answer that question. That's the job of the police. I can only say what an honor it was to know Rusty Sneiderman. He wasn't just a friend. He was a best friend. He wasn't just a guy who gave to charity; he contributed to causes to help them to become successful. I'm richer for having known Rusty.

I did a couple of news interviews on Friday with permission from his family. Rusty made everyone around him smile and laugh. He made you feel like you were the center of attention. He made me feel comfortable no matter what the situation. The world is far worse off without Rusty in it.

Rusty always told me that I inspired him. I wish I'd had time to tell him what an amazing friend he was to me. "Rusty, I loved you like a brother. I miss you so much. I will do things in your memory because you believed in me."

It's been a few weeks since Rusty's death and I still can't get him out of my mind. I see his smiling face. I've found videos of him on my phone. I miss his laugh. I miss his humor. I miss him.

On the Sunday following his death I gave the biggest speech in my life. Rusty would have wanted me to do that. The speech was his eulogy. I had to say goodbye to a man that should still be here. I had to say goodbye to a man who will miss out on so many amazing things because of one senseless act. I had to say goodbye to a man who I planned to spend so much time with over the next few decades.

Please pray for Rusty's family and everyone who knew him...we lost an amazing man, father, son, brother, husband and a friend. Rusty, you always had dreams of being a big success and making a difference. Little did you know that you accomplished both missions. You made everyone around you better. That's the greatest success one man can have. I'll miss you, my brother. It was an honor to be friends with you. You were a gift to this world and that gift will never be forgotten. I will honor you, as will many others, till the day we die.

And the next time I give a speech and I get that comment that would once infuriate me, my reaction might be a little different. I can just hear it now.

"Andy, you seemed a bit Rusty."

God, I hope so...I really hope so.

Missing Rusty every moment of everyday,

Andy
p.s. I have posted a sketch of Rusty's killer. Please send this to everyone you know. Justice will prevail! Below is a picture of Rusty with my son Ethan. It's not coincidence that my son looks comfortable with him; everyone did.

Tragedy strikes once again

2010-11-28T05:07:00.000-08:00

The truth is that death surrounds us all. It's always around us whether it's on the news, a few blocks away from us or even affecting our own family at one time or another. I guess for me lately it just seems that it's a black cloud around me and I can't seem to shake it. As many of you know, my close friend Rusty Sneiderman was shot and killed one week before Thanksgiving. I have enclosed a picture of Rusty holding my son, Ethan as well as a sketch of the killer. Please pass the sketch along so we can find the guy. It's been really tough. I have written an entire piece on Rusty but I want to wait until after a lot of the media exposure has died down before I share it.

Andrea has been an a true rock for both ours and Rusty's family. I don't know where she finds the strength but I am really proud of her. I am having a hard time dealing with my friend's loss. It's been very difficult for me to put into words. I'm sorry if I have not called some of you back. This is how I get sometimes when I'm upset but I promise to make the return calls soon.

Losing my doctor earlier in the year (July), finding out about my friend's five year old son dying (October) and now getting the devastating news about Rusty has been very difficult to take. Not only do I feel awful for the families who were affected, I also can't get the thought of death off my mind. Andrea and I had to explain death to Avery since Rusty's children and Avery and Ethan are very close. She's had several questions over the last few weeks, questions that we've reluctantly had to answer. Some of her questions have included "Do only boys die? Don't people only die when they have gray hair? I'm not going to die, right Daddy?" Try explaining that to a four-year-old.

I appreciate all of you that have written me and Andrea. I also appreciate you keeping Rusty's family as well as the other families recently affected by death in your prayers.

I really miss Rusty. He not only was a good friend but he was always a big supporter of me and this blog. Whenever we'd get together, he'd say "I'd ask you how you've been but I read your blog religiously so I already think I know." He always wanted me to do more in life and take advantage of my public speaking ability. I hope to honor him by persevering in my motivational speaking role.

Writing and reading a eulogy at Rusty's funeral was the one speech I never wanted to make. Rusty and I only knew each other for 2+ years but he was such an amazing friend that it felt like much longer. I only wish I could have gotten more time with him. We had all of these plans and I'm sad that we won't be able to see them through. Over the last week or so since his death, all I can think about is his smiling face. He had such a great personality. I miss calling him or getting lunch with him and laughing at his self-deprecating humor.

The other day I set up my punching bag that I hadn't set up in 6 months. I needed it. All of the horrible things surrounding me lately stirred a lot of anger in me. I had to hit that bag. I have used it four times in the last two days.

It's ironic that none of the three people around me who have died had cystic fibrosis. For a long time, the only friends I lost were due to this disease. It's not that it makes it any easier but it's a fact that I cannot ignore. I have reached out to my sponsor and even my rabbi to talk further about death. I actually have to thank Andrea who called Rabbi Heller and had him meet with me. I'm not the most religious person in the world but I needed to talk someone who is close to God. I needed to talk to him as far as why I questioned God and his decisions. He took away an amazing friend, an extremely bright doctor and a five-year old who had yet to make his mark in the world. I question God's decisions. At the same time, I know the cliché that life is unpredictable and you have to appreciate each day. I'm just sick of being reminded of this fact.

I know that there are things that I should be thankful for. Ethan continues to persevere with his speaking, my father is doing amazing and my family's overall health is pretty good. Negative issues tend to overshadow the positive stuff when I am depressed. Of course, it's close to winter time which is when I usually get physically sick as well as mentally irrational. At least though, I can see that as a problem instead of ignoring these feelings and letting them fester.

I will be continuing all of my emotional therapy by praying daily and seeking support from my group. I also see George every 3 weeks and Dr. Rad every 2 months. That certainly gives me an advantage over past winters when I tried to deal with all of my issues in my own head. To quote a peer who also deals with depression, "When we take advice from our own minds, we are behind enemy lines."

Hanukkah is coming up in less than a week and I look forward to seeing the kids and Andrea smile as we celebrate the eight days of lights. I'm really not sure of Hanukkah's true significance except that my children get to unwrap gifts and play with their new toys. Maybe the significance for me is that it will take my mind off the awful things that have surrounded me over the last few months. I sure hope so.

I wish all of you well and I wish you a happy and healthy holiday season...and please be safe.

Best Wishes,

Andy

Tobi time, Wish is over and looking forward to family

2010-11-15T06:54:00.000-08:00

This is always a tough time for me. While I might be handling my depression, it is almost winter, the days are over earlier and I'm back on Tobi for a month. I also know that I have a doctor's appointment 4 weeks from now and will also be taking another glucose test to determine if I need to go on cholesterol drugs.

This morning I started my Tobi treatments so 55 more to go after this morning's episode. I'm still between 183 and 185 pounds which is 12 to 14 pounds lower than I was in mid-September. I have to keep at this weight and continue to take my fish oil in order to try and avoid cholesterol meds. I have enough meds to take.

I think I've found a song that really describes me. It's "Long December" by the Counting Crows. Take a listen. December feels like the longest month for me.

My depression and other emotional issues have been kept in check for over a year now. I don't consider it a milestone though, only a mile marker in the marathon of life. I'll talk about it in my next meeting to encourage others and I'll be sponsoring my own sponsee probably in January.

I'm really excited to reach over a million dollars at Wish. I think when everything is said and done, I'll visit Wendy's grave. The last time I was there was when I first attended Ridgeview for my emotional issues. I want to tell her that I'm going to be okay and that her name is going to lead us to a cure one day. Twelve months ago, I placed a softball on her grave that told her that I would always give it my all for her and that we are going to cure CF in her name. I still believe that. I just hope I'm here to see it. On her birthday this year in December, I'll be placing another softball on her grave. I have enclosed a picture of it on this blog.

All and all, life is good. Andrea and I have some fun plans this week. The kids are continuing to grow. Georgia's football season is mercifully coming to an end. I'm ready to close out Wish for Wendy and focus on even more important things - my family.

I hope all of you are well.

Andy

Wish for Wendy

2010-11-12T12:44:00.000-08:00

Well, last weekend was exhausting. On Friday, Andrea and I went to the CF Foundation and loaded the truck essentially by ourselves. It's tough to find volunteers on a Friday afternoon. Then we found out that the Wish for Wendy shirts were still at the press so we had to pick them up Friday night. Then Ethan had a 102 degree fever when he woke up Saturday morning and so we told our nanny not to bring him to the event. I can't tell you how much Andrea did this weekend between helping me with the truck, organizing the signs and dealing with my concern every time a drop of rain hit the pavement over the last week. She was a life saver. Thanks honey!!!

So that was pre-event. The event itself went great. Chipper Jones came out and signed autographs for 25 thrilled donors. My team, the Wish for Wendy Foundation Warriors, won our first fundraising crown and won a game in the tournament. Lego's Outlawz and For Josh met in a rematch of last year's final and this time it was For Josh taking the crown preventing Lego's Outlawz from 4-peating.

Other people who appeared included 10 of the Atlanta Falcon Cheerleaders, The Atlanta Beat women's professional team, Ray Mariner and Star 94, Nick Green, Paul Ossmann, Mark Bowman from MLB.com, Caboose the Clown, Les the Magnificent and the Chick Fil-A cow.

We eclipsed the million dollar mark and will have our final numbers in mid-December after our on-line silent auction and all of the team donations come in.

I'm really excited that we raised so much and that my sister's name will some day be synonymous with a cure.

Thanks to all of you who donated and volunteered to this event.

My sister (picture enclosed) is smiling somewhere. I just know it.

Andy

Trick or treat

2010-11-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great Halloween. Only 5 more days till Wish for Wendy!!! I'm really excited.

I just wanted to share my experience with the kids last night. Avery, Ethan and I went trick-or-treating. Avery kept telling me she was bored. Well, in her words, "Daddy, I'm boring." Ethan kept running as fast as he could and then when we got candy, wanted to eat it on the spot! So I thought this Halloween would be a failure. I was wrong.

We got home and I told Avery that she and I could hand out candy. She wanted to sit outside though and of course Ethan followed. What I thought would be a 5 to 10 minute experiment that would be the equivalent of watching paint dry (Andrea hadn't seen a trick or treater all night) turned out to be anything but that. Avery and I came up with chants. Here they are:

If you can make it up the hill, you can get your fill.
We are fine and dandy, come get some candy, love Ethan, Avery and Andy.
The candy is free so come see me.
Come get your candy. We have candy! (This was Avery's favorite.)

We ended up with about 120 trick-or-treaters and were out there for about an hour. Ethan even was talking and saying "Happy Halloween" to every trick-or-treater that made the trek up our hill. Both the kids gave out candy and really enjoyed it. It was awesome.

Here are some cute pictures from last night. Costume credit goes to Andrea as she bought these adorable outfits for A & E. I hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween. I know Woody and Buzz did.

Andy

The 25 ways that CF contributed to making me the man that I am

2010-10-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

The other day I wrote the 25 reasons why I hate CF and I got a lot of positive feedback from it. Now I figured I’d show you the top 25 ways that CF molded me as an individual.

25. Loner – While a lot of you may think I’m a people person, I’m not. I tend to want to do everything on my own and crave time to myself. When I was little, my parents did my therapy which meant closing the door away from other people. When I got the vest, it was just me and I learned to close the door on everyone else. Other than my parents, my sister, my kids and my wife, I don’t feel terribly comfortable doing my therapy around anyone.

24. Feeling Different – I’ve always felt that I was hiding something. When I was younger, it was hiding the fact that I had CF. As I got older, I had to hide my therapy equipment and pills from prospective girlfriends in fear that they would look at me as an alien.

23. Being Competitive – I’m a very competitive person. Maybe that’s because doctors were already gambling against me from the time I was born. I’ve always felt I needed to prove myself to everyone because I wasn’t supposed to live this long.

22. Feeling fortunate to have children – I would not have been able to have children had it not been for In Vitro Fertilization. And I would not have had to go through IVF had I not had cystic fibrosis. The process itself was heart-wrenching for Andrea and I, but the end result has made me feel very lucky to have children. I really try to enjoy each day with them.

21. Being a big fundraiser – If I didn’t have a cause to fight for, I doubt I would have ever started Wish for Wendy. My mother created the Santa Claus House when I was little to help beat CF. I learned a lot from her. She taught me that when it comes to fundraising “You’ll never know unless you ask.”

20. Spirituality – I doubt I’d be as spiritual as I am had CF not taken my sister at a very young age. I still believe she’s out there helping me get through this life.

19. Emily – I probably wouldn’t have Emily in my life had CF not been in my life. First off, I believe my parents only wanted 2 kids so Wendy would have still been here. Secondly, my parents would not have gone through the adoption process if they knew they could have kids without the chance of them having CF. I’m thankful for Emily but sad that I never got to meet Wendy.

18. Depression – I doubt I would have had so many depression issues if it hadn’t been for CF. Doctor’s appointments were always scary. Reading about my life expectancy was disheartening. Growing up before I was ready was not what every child dreams about.

17. Author – I know that my story would put the average reader to sleep had I not had to deal with CF. I can see the title now “I grew up in Doraville in a 2 story house with a Basement.” Not exactly a title that makes you want to rip open a book.

16. Speaking – When I was little, I was very afraid of public speaking ever since a poem reading in 5th grade went horribly wrong. I probably never would have done public speaking again however it was a must if I wanted to tell my tale regarding CF and help others. Now I’ve really learned to excel at the art of motivational speaking. I guess I can thank CF.

15. Things I’ve gotten to do – There’s no way I would have run with the Olympic Torch, met celebrities like Garth Brooks, been a ball boy with the Hawks or even participated as a batboy with the Braves if I didn’t have CF. That’s for sure.

14. Growing up quickly – I definitely would not have matured as quickly as I did had it not been for CF. When I was a kid, my friends were worried about having girlfriends, winning at sports and doing homework. While those three topics certainly crossed my mind, my main concern was my health and not having to go on antibiotics.

13. Swallowing pills – I take pills at a record pace. If pill-taking was an Olympic sport, I’d be the Michael Phelps of pill-taking. I can take 10 pills in about 20 seconds going one by one. It’s pretty impressive. I don’t think I would have had this gift without CF.

12. Not taking life for granted – The old cliché is “Don’t take life for granted.” Well, most people do for a majority of their life. That’s not the case for someone born with a terminal illness. Every day is a battle and most every day is a struggle, but if you are breathing by night’s end, then you have succeeded. That’s also why I lift weights and take care of my body like I do. I wouldn’t be in this kind of shape if I didn’t have a terminal disease breathing down my neck.

11. Reading backwards - I would not be able to read any word backwards without CF. That strange habit is kind of my secret trick. I can read any word backwards in seconds. I credit this to the days when I was in high school and just started using my vest. I was bored and couldn’t find anything else to do so I learned to read backwards and after a while I just got really good at it.

10. Meeting Mrs. “RIGHT!” – You learn with a terminal disease how to find the “right” person to spend your life with. I certainly did. Andrea did not judge me for the disease I had. She accepted it and accepted the fact that things were not always going to come easy. She is an amazing woman.

9. Not meeting other people with CF – If I didn’t have CF, I would certainly have met more people with CF in person. Unfortunately, having the disease means that cross-contamination is a big risk in meeting others with the disease. It’s another reason CF can make you feel like a loner.

8. My iguana - This is a funny one but there is no way I’d have an iguana in college named CF Phlegmington. That was a name my friend Aaron came up with so that I didn’t take CF so seriously. Unfortunately I didn’t take very good care of the iguana and my mom ended up giving him away. There’s no truth to the rumor that the little guy once used my vest, but Aaron did.

7. Addiction – While I blame only myself for my addiction problems, certainly some of my symptoms could be caused by CF. As an addict, I always want to do more. Some of that comes from having CF and always wanting to prove myself more.

6. Starting a foundation – If I didn’t have CF, I doubt I’d care much about awareness for the disease. Since I do and since my sister died from it, it is a passion of mine to spread awareness about the disease. That’s why we started the Wish for Wendy Foundation.

5. The kinship with my son – I don’t think I’d feel as close to Ethan as I do without having CF. Ethan had a brain infarct at birth and the doctors were very pessimistic about our young son. Having CF though, I knew that it was possible to defy the odds. My son is a daddy’s boy today and I believe he feels that kinship too. We both proved our doctors wrong.

4. My knowledge of CF and my politics – I definitely would be like the majority of the planet and had no idea what cystic fibrosis was if I didn’t have the disease. I also wouldn’t be voting for aggressive stem cell research if I didn’t have a disease to worry about. However now that I have a wife with MS and a son who had an infarct, it wouldn’t matter if I had CF. I am in favor of stem cell research.

3. My parents – I definitely would not have appreciated my parents as much if I didn’t have CF. My parents administered my postural drainage from the time I was an infant until 10th grade when I got the vest. That required a half hour a day of hitting my back, sides and front so the phlegm in my lungs would loosen. I’m sure there were days that they actually enjoyed hitting me though as I was kind of a smart ass. Hard to believe I’m sure.

2. Can’t you see that I can fight it but remember only strong individuals survive – I definitely wouldn’t use that line or even come up with that line if I didn’t have CF. The phrase is actually an acronym. Take the first letter from each word and it spells out two words – cystic fibrosis.

1. Getting to know many of you – I would not know others who have associations to CF or have the friends I have from Wish for Wendy if I didn’t have cystic fibrosis. I’m pretty grateful to have you in my life. I’ve learned a lot from you. I’m certainly better for knowing you.

Do I owe cystic fibrosis my gratitude for this list of 25? Nah, but I do want the disease to know that I CAN find 25 things to be thankful for despite having a life-threatening disease. “If a man brushes everything aside that is negative, greatness can flourish!” That’s a self-created quote as well and another acronym. I’ll let you figure it out.

Have a good one!

Andy

Wish for Wendy is only 10 days away!

2010-10-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

Well, we are closing on a million at Wish for Wendy. We had another meeting last night and everything is coming together. We have a lot of sponsors involved and some great guests at the event including: The Atlanta Falcon Cheerleaders, Caboose the Clown, Monkey Joe, The Chick Fil-A Cow, EEP Events (our DJ) and Star 94 who will do a 3-hour remote from the event. Also If you live in Atlanta, tune in as they are airing several spots for us. I'm also looking forward to the person(s) throwing out the first pitch. It's going to be very emotional. There will be a presentation made. You don't want to miss it. This usually takes place around 9:45 am. We are also pursuing a few celebrities and one of them is very big. I don't know that we'll get him but we are continuing to try.

A Wish for Wendy has raised about $980,000 overall as we speak. That means we are very close to hitting the magic number. I'm looking forward to seeing my cousin Barrett and my Aunt Loretta as they are flying in for the event.

As far as how I'm doing, I am still learning what it is to be an addict though I've probably unknowingly been one for most of my life. I have learned that I not only have to be cautious but attentive when it comes to dealing with my issues. I have to be smart and not emotional. I have to avoid justifying and learn to recognize. Being an addict means accepting that I will always be a recovering addict and never a "recovered" addict because addictions are never gone for good.

Along this course, I have met several other people dealing with addiction and/or depression. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one. We all have different ways to get better but as long as they give us the same healthy outcome, that's certainly ok.

I have been taking fish oil gel capsules lately and I feel a lot more alert lately. My mind is thinking better and I feel a lot more awake during the day. It's quite incredible. I've read that it lowers cholesterol too. I've also been eating more oatmeal and trying to cut out cheese, sodas and other high cholesterol products. To date, I have gone from 197 pounds on September 10th which is when I was diagnosed with high cholesterol to 183 pounds on October 27th which is a 14 pound weight loss in about 7 weeks. I don't plan to lose any more weight. I also want to continue to eat foods that are low in cholesterol. I go back for my glucose test in a month and I want a lower cholesterol score so I don't have to go on cholesterol meds.

Funny moment of the week:

I got home Monday last week and put my head on the pillow. I looked over at Avery and just closed my eyes and took a deep breath. She then said to me:

"Long day, huh?"

I responded a bit in shock as to how mature she sounded, "Yeah."

"Me too, daddy. I had school all day."

I swear to you my daughter gains a few years every week. She passed my maturity level months ago (That's not saying much as Ethan passed it yesterday). I look forward to having some daddy-daughter time this weekend. Maybe we'll go to Malibu. Maybe we'll hit the park. At the pace she's learning, maybe she can do my taxes while we play putt-putt.

I wish everyone a good weekend. Don't forget our 11 for 11 at Wish for Wendy. It's sure to be a big hit. You have a chance to win 2 airline tickets to anywhere in the continental US!

Thanks,

Andy

Rough week

2010-10-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough last 7 days. As I continue making my amends, I finally decided to e-mail the babysitter who beat me up when I was a kid. The letter wasn't the easy part but hitting "send" was even harder. My therapist told me I could write the note and then trash it and just never send it but that seemed cowardly to me. This guy beat the absolute crap out of me and scared me to death as a kid. I won't stand for that anymore. I figured if anything I owed it to Andy Lipman the little kid who feared for his life. Needless to say, I have e-mailed him and will hopefully get a response.

Last Friday, I got some very disheartening news. A friend of mine who I buy from at work and who talks about family every time we meet had something horrible happen. This is the guy who always asks about your family before he talks about anything work-related. He's offered to take my whole family to dinner in the past. Well, about 10 days ago, his son was killed in a freak home accident. His son was only 5. It's horrible and I can't stop thinking about John and I can't stop thinking about my kids and how delicate life truly is. That's why I enclosed a picture of my babies. They are literally all I can think about since I got the news from John.

My year of sobriety is around the corner and I was thinking what I've learned through the process. Here is my list.

1) Just because you are taking the steps to get better, doesn't mean you'll get better.
2) No one is perfect and thinking you have to be perfect is more dangerous than being incredibly imperfect.
3) People aren't necessarily bad because of their actions. Their actions are bad but maybe there's a good person living inside the person whose actions were awful. Maybe that person, with the right help, can not only recover but make the world a better place by helping others who have been through similar issues.
4) It's not easy to be open and honest but it's incredibly worthwhile.
5) Asking for help doesn't make you weak. Never asking for help when you definitely need it is a sign of weakness in my opinion.
6) No matter how bad you think your problems are, there are many people who have encountered worse.
7) It's not hard to find motivation when you have a beautiful family to look at every day.
8) It's not helpful to be hard on yourself. It makes everything worse for you and everyone around you.
9) Being humbled every now and then is a pretty good cure for an addict.
10) Family is priority. While we all say that, sometimes you (or at least I) didn't make my family the priority I should have. That's never happening again.

I'm doing pretty well healthwise. My softball team won again last night. We are now 5-0. Andrea and the kids have been under the weather but thankfully all of them are coming out of it. I am currently working on 4 projects at work that could add significant savings for our company. We have a Wish for Wendy meeting tonight and Emily's birthday is tomorrow night (Don't forget her store Raw Denim!!!). Dad is doing well and adjusting to being back home.

Please pray for my friend John. My heart still aches for him and his family.

Best Wishes,

Andy
Thanks for listening.

The top 25 things I hate about CF

2010-10-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

The 25 things that I despise about having CF.

25. Therapy - Doing my vest and aerosol therapies everyday and losing a couple of hours that I could spend with my wife and children. When I was little, it always made me feel different and alone because I was not allowed to do certain things or go to certain places.

24. Coughing - I hate coughing. I feel like everyone looks at me as if I'm sick and contagious. And quite honestly if you have a coughing attack, it can become really painful.

23. Taking pills - Just once, I'd like the only things I have to remember for a meal to be my fork and knife. Having to remember pills and take them in front of people tends to make every meal an ordeal and it can be quite uncomfortable as well.

22. Life expectancy - I hate having a life expectancy. When I was born, it was 12. When I was 7, it was 25. Now it's 37. Who cares? No one knows their median life expectancy. Life is full of surprises.

21. Going to the doctor - Going to the doctor at least a half dozen times a year is not fun especially when you are going for something life-threatening.

20. Having to go through IVF to have our children - I wish we could have done it the easier, more fun way. I'm sure Andrea agrees there.

19. CF makes your bowels smellier - As if it's not bad enough that it limits having children and forces you to take pills and do treatments, it also makes your trips to the restroom an uncomfortable experience.

18. Cancer - CF makes it more likely that I can have certain types of cancer. I believe I have enough life-threatening things, but thank you.

17. Colds - I can't get near anyone who is sick or who smokes. Bars are pretty much out of the question because of the smoke. If I catch a cold, it doesn't last a couple of days. Sometimes it can last weeks and worst case it can cause a major infection.

16. IV antibiotics - I am lucky to have only done them once but having needles stuck in your arm and having nurses poke and prod me for weeks is not exactly my fantasy.

15. No Marketing Plan - There isn't much recognition of the disease. Everyone knows about cancer, AIDS and heart disease but CF kind of falls by the wasteside. We need more spokespersons.

14. Death of Peers - I have lost a lot of friends who have the disease that I know through the Web.

13. Alienation - I can't be around others with the same disease due to the possibility of spreading bacterial infections. Talk about feeling alone.

12. Explanation - Having to explain it to people. It's not always easy to explain. Plus it makes me feel like a freak because I have all of these problems.

11. Having to explain it to my kids - How do you explain to your children that you have a life-threatening disease? How do you tell them that their dad isn't expected to be here as long as most dads? If you know, please tell me because I have no idea. I'm also worried that my kids will need to grow up a lot faster than their peers because of my disease.

10. Lab Rat - Asked to be a part of all of these case studies and experiments. I'm not a lab rat. I'm a person. I have people tell me you're a perfect candidate for this because of these issues that you have. Do they realize that's not exactly a way to make me feel good?

9. Acronyms - I've found myself coming up with Acronyms for CF like the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation did with Cure Found. So far I have "Can Fight, Can Function, Can't Fail, Cape Fear (I like horror movies), and Can Fundraise! It's annoying but I can't stop.

8. Depression and other mental issues - I'm not letting CF take all of the blame for my problems but there is a good portion that I can credit to growing up with this disease and being scared and unsure of how to deal.

7. Fear - I fear dying before my children grow up. I fear leaving Andrea without a husband. I fear getting sick.

6. CF Related Diabetes - or CFRD - it's a type of CF Diabetes that is very common. That's why I have a glucose test every year.

5. I'm the patient - CF is still known as a young person's disease so sometimes when I get X-rays they ask where the patient is and they ask if it's my son.

4. Where's the Cure - I believe there will be a cure one day but I've been told a cure could be 7 to 10 years away for the last 25 years. It makes the doctors seem like the boy who cried wolf.

3. Knowing that a lung transplant is a good possibility - It's scary to think that there's a pretty good chance I could get a lung transplant. I'm scared of having that surgery as it can be fatal. I'm scared of feeling so sick that a transplant will seem like a relief. I'm scared I'll be carrying oxygen around one day.

2. Knowing that my kids will be carriers of this awful disease - I just want it to die and not be carried on. My kids and their spouses will have to be screened before having kids. I wish I could take that worry away from them.

1. Losing Wendy to this damn disease! I would have liked to have an older sister that I could talk about these other 24 concerns with. It's hard to believe that you could never meet someone yet still miss them. That's the case when it comes to my feelings for my big sister. May she rest in peace.

Andy's sports weekend

2010-10-11T07:26:00.000-07:00

The Rivalry

Well, it was a semi-good weekend. Andrea and I went to our 10th installment of Georgia-Florida. This wonderful rivalry began in 2001 when Georgia shocked Tennessee on a last-second touchdown in Knoxville. Andrea and I now have a bet where the kids have to wear the shirts of the winning team. Well, this year the Dawgs gave me a 6-4 advantage in the all-time rivaly with a 41-14 triumph over the Vols! Pictures of my beautiful children (even more beautiful in this picture) are enclosed.

The Braves

I'm still crying on the inside. We were there last night as Brooks Conrad made 3 errors to cost the Braves a victory but I don't blame that BC as much as I do the other BC! Bobby Cox should have never had him in there and should have never taken out our new closer, Craig Kimbrell. I know players love Cox because he's loyal but I claim he's loyal to a MAJOR fault. He gives guys too many chances. Conrad had about 6 errors in his last 6 games yet Cox still left him in there. It was frustrating to watch as ball after ball went through Brooks' glove. What made things worse is we were stuck in the Turner Field parking lot for about 90 minutes as the parking attendants tried to figure out how to let cars out one at a time. Talk about frustrating!

Emily got to sit in the Suntrust seats and was a few seats over from Dr. J, President Jimmy Carter and Ted Turner. We also saw Jason Bateman on the Jumbotron as he was there filming a movie. Maybe he can do the Brooks Conrad story as another project.

The Falcons

I'm really proud of the Falcons. We're now 4-1 and on the path towards a high seed in the NFC playoffs. The Birds won a big road game in Cleveland yesterday. In the past, we would have lost a game like this but we hung tough and got the victory.

That was the weekend. I hope all of you had a good weekend. If you're interested in donating to Wish for Wendy and supporting my Wish page, please go to http://www.cff.org/LWC/AndyLipman14477. Thanks.

Andy

Today's Health Update

2010-10-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I went to the doctor on Wednesday and found out my cholesterol was indeed high but they'll give me 4 more months to lower it. I have been on a diet for four weeks and actually weighed myself this morning and realized I've lost 10 of the 12 pounds I set as a goal by the middle of this month. I've completely cut out sodas and have lowered my sugar intake quite a bit. I still have my Twizzlers from time to time but much less of them. I finished Tobi yesterday. I was thrilled about that. That's two more hours of my time per day that I can now spend with Andrea and the kids.

I was going through my pill bottles this morning and I found one bottle that still has Dr. Wolfenden's name on it because she put in the prescription. It's going to be sad when her name disappears from future prescriptions. I miss her.

I had an addiction meeting last night. It went really well. I had a friend join me who was going through something similar to what I was going through nearly a year ago. I hope he got a lot out of it. I also completed my 12 steps yesterday. I was really excited. I'm not ready to sponsor yet. I want to wait till after Wish for Wendy but also I want to work on things to continue to improve my family life first. Family is my number one priority.

This cold weather of late only reminds me that winter is near. The days will be shorter and the opportunities to go outside will lessen. I also realize that my health is always at risk the colder it gets. I will keep it together this time though as I realize how important my sobriety is to keeping my loved ones happy.

A Wish for Wendy is going well. We are close to $950,000 which means we are getting closer to $1 million. We also have a few celebrities that have committed. I'll announce the entire group when we get them. If you want to donate under my name for our cause, please go to http://www.cff.org/LWC/dsp_DonationPage.cfm?idEvent=14477&idUser=348812. Thanks.

Tonight we are celebrating my dad and mom's return and my dad's good health. He's really happy to be home. We are really excited to have the whole family back together again. I have included a picture of dad, or as Andrea calls him "Andy Lipman in 30 years" because of our clone-like looks.

I stayed up to watch the Braves game last night. Here is my analysis. Conrad needs to be a pinch-hitter only. Glaus deserves a shot at third. Lincecum is a heck of a pitcher. The announcers were not that good but I still prefer TBS to Fox. Game 2 is today so hopefully the Braves will show up.

Tomorrow we head to Athens for Georgia-Tennessee or what some people will probably call it "The Toilet Bowl." Our program has regressed the last few years so much so that we don't get the primetime game anymore and the proof is the announcing crew that makes me cringe every Saturday. Sunday I have Avery's soccer game, then my friend Seth's son's bris. Then the day will close with Andrea, myself, Emily and my dad going to the Braves playoff game. This will be Andrea's first playoff game so I'm excited that she gets to go. Needless to say, this weekend is jam-packed with stuff to do.

I hope everyone else is well. Keep up the fight. Live your dreams and love your life.

Best Wishes,

Andy

Dad's Home, Tobi's almost done, the Braves made the playoffs!

2010-10-05T17:27:00.000-07:00

Here's what is going on with me.

Tobi

It's Tuesday and I only have 2 days of Tobi left. I'm so ready to take that 2 hours of therapy out of my day. I have to do Tobi every other month as it is one of the prime drugs to keep pseudomonas away.

More about my speech

I recently was told by another Kiwanis club member that my speech last month was the first in his 27 years at the club that he ever remembered seeing a standing ovation. That was really nice to hear.

Life is busy

Well, the last 7 days have been interesting and especially busy. Last Thursday I had my addiction meeting. It went really well. One of the guys said something that really hit me. He said "You can't help having your addiction, but you can help being a victim of it." I love that line and it's true. When I think of my addiction and how down I was, I thought of the song from Creed called "I've created my own prison." That's what I did. By having more faith in God and myself, I believe I'm destroying that prison and living a healthy life. I want to apply my new coping skills to being a good daddy and husband. These are the two most important roles I've ever had.

Zenpep

I started Zenpep which is a drug that replaces my Pancrease MT-16. This may sound like no big deal to you but I'd been taking Pancrease for over 30 years so this change had me worried. Pancrease is no longer approved by the FDA so that's why it is no longer available. Zenpep helps me digest food. Two days in and no side effects.

Seeing Family

On Friday, Andrea and I went to one of my cousins' bar mitzvahs. I think he's my cousin twice removed or once removed or he was put on probation and now he's allowed to be my cousin again. Anyway, it was nice. It was at the synagogue I grew up in. We met some really cool people and got to hang out with some family that I hadn't seen in years. I even learned that the Lipman family is cursed with people with no direction sense. I was wondering where I got that wonderful trait.

The Braves

On Saturday, Andrea, myself, Emily and a friend of hers went to Bobby Cox day. It was pretty cool to see all of the past players that were there. We actually sat near the suite where most of the players hung out during the game so I got to talk to Fred McGriff briefly. The Braves got crushed so it was another horrible sports day for me as my Dawgs lost to Colorado later that night.

Sunday made up for the bad sports day. After Avery's soccer game, I went home to watch the Braves clinch the wildcard and the Falcons win a last second nailbiter. I can't wait to go to the first playoff game Sunday night. Hopefully we won't be down 2-0 by that point.

Dad

Mom and Dad are coming home tonight. I'm so happy they are back. Dad is doing great. We had a Wish for Wendy meeting at my house tonight. Wednesday, Andrea is playing tennis so I have the kids. Thursday I have my meeting. Friday, we are going to dinner with my dad to celebrate his return. Saturday Andrea and I are going to our rivalry game. This will be our 10th consecutive year going to Tennessee-Georgia. I believe I lead the all-time series but it's close as the Dawgs have choked recently. We have a deal that our kids get to wear the winning team's outfits the following day. I will enclose a picture next week HOPEFULLY of the kids wearing red and black. Sunday we are going to the Braves playoff game. It's been about 6 years since a playoff game was played at Turner Field. I hope the crowd is as revved up as I am.

Yesterday my softball team won 10-5 and moved to 3-0. I had a hit but didn't do much else. The team is having fun though and I think we have a real shot to compete for a title if everyone stays healthy. It was cool to see my sister come out and cheer us on. She might just be our good luck charm.

I met with my sponsor today and completed Step 10 and began Step 11. I will be working on Step 11 next week and then turning in my work to my sponsor...and then we will work on the 12th and final step of my recovery process. I'm excited to complete this program. I'm also looking forward to a year of addiction sobriety.

I am going to the doctor tomorrow morning to have my cholesterol looked at. It was high a few weeks ago so I will probably be on more meds. I went to my dietician and got some facts about lowering cholesterol and continue to lose weight by giving up most sodas and some candy. I've gone from 197 three weeks ago to 188. The goal is 185 within 4 weeks. We'll see.

Have a great day!

Andy

Life after Disney

2010-09-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

Disney

Well this past week we took the kids to Disney. I tell you what. Taking 2 small kids to Disney World is no small feat. First, they are off schedule which means they are CRAZY!!! Second, you have to watch their every move. Third, you have to tell them "no" every five minutes when you pass an ice cream parlor or a souvenir stand. It was fun though and it was awesome to see their reactions to the characters and the rides. Ethan got to meet Buzz Lightyear and Avery got to meet Mary Poppins among others. Andrea and I were exhausted upon returning late Saturday night but it was worth it. Before we arrived at Disney, we stopped at my Nana's house for a night. It was the first time that the kids had been there and Nana was so excited. She had so many toys that Geoffrey the Giraffe was jealous. We also saw Andrea's mom and her husband. The kids love them especially Avery. It was nice to see family. The older you get, the more you appreciate your loved ones. At least that's what I've found.

Today's picture

Enclosed is a picture of the kids in their Halloween costumes. Apparently Disney doesn't disappear just because I left Orlando.

Health

I'm still on Tobi. I believe this is week 3 of 4. It's getting a bit exhausting especially since I was up till 1 a.m. every night at Disney finishing up my treatments. It's like being on Pacific Coast Time but having to arrange your schedule around East Coast time as I still have to work out, do my therapy and be at work in the morning. Still I got some pretty good health news. My sputum culture was normal and my numbers were all pretty good except my cholesteral which was quite high. That's all I need is more medicine. I'll see my doctor and see what I need to do to treat this. I've also lost about 7 pounds on my diet so far. It's been 2.5 weeks. My goal is to lose 12 pounds in 4 weeks so we'll see.

Softball

My softball team is now 2-0 as we blew out yet another opponent last week 18-9. I went 4 for 4 and drove in several runs and played a solid first base. We have a former minor league player from the Dodgers organization throwing it 90mph to me at SS and I'm making the plays so I'm thrilled with that.

Braves

The Braves are 1.5 games up in the wild card race so it's coming down to the final week. Andrea and I are going Saturday. Maybe that will be the clincher. Either way, it's Bobby Cox day and I'm ready to say "Bon Voyage!" I appreciate what he's done for the organization but I think his managing skills have definitely declined over the last decade. It will be nice to get some new blood in here.

Falcons

I'm really proud of my Falcons. Great win against the Saints the other day. Matt Ryan is my QB. I know Vick is having a great year but Ryan is going to win us a Super Bowl in the next 5 years. You can take that to the bank.

Soccer

Avery's soccer team is 1-1 in our first 2 games. The kids have a great time and I'm having fun coaching them. I ordered trading cards of my soccer player if anyone is interested in a definite collector's piece.

My depression

I saw my therapist this week and agreed that since it's fall and almost winter that I will be seeing him more often. This is the time of year where I get depressed. I already feel a hint of it. I've also made some more discoveries about my youth that have caused me to really think hard about how much I really want to know about my past. I've missed my addiction meetings the last 2 weeks due to travel and seeing friends and I look forward to returning on Thursday. These meetings have become part of my life. The phone calls to friends from my group have also become a necessity. I spoke to several of these friends the last few days. My sponsor and I completed Step 9 on Wednesday which has been a grueling step. I will be working on Step 10 next week. That is basically continuing to do the right things and react the right way to things. I've made amends to a few people but I have several more amends to go.

Conclusion

Wish for Wendy is going well. We are having a lot of volunteers sign up and several new sponsors are on board thanks to Rusty Sneiderman our sponsorship chairman. Our goal is to hit $1 million cumulative over the past 11 years. I believe we're around $950 thousand right now. I'm excited that my parents are coming home next week. I miss them very much. My dad is doing great and can't wait to get home. Thanks to all of you who have asked about him. Andrea and the kids are well. Andrea starts her tennis matches again soon. I look forward to hearing about her kick-butt performances.

Well, that's it. I'll try to update my blog once a week for now on. Have a great week everyone. I hope all of you are healthy and happy.

Best Wishes,

Andy

Return of the Speaker

2010-09-17T05:36:00.000-07:00

It had been over a year since my last big talk. I wasn't that nervous to get back out there. I was ready. I was speaking to the Kiwanis Club of Northside Atlanta over by the High Museum. There were about 25 people there. Most of them were between 65 and 75 years of age. One guy told me as soon as I walked in, "So you're the speaker? You better be good." He wasn't kidding either.

I'd been a pretty good speaker to this point. I don't want it to sound like bragging but I knew that I could do a good job. My last really big speech had probably been at the 11 Alive Community Service Awards about 4 years ago. I enclosed a picture from that night with Atlanta Falcons defensive pro bowler Patrick Kerney.

It was a pretty serious crowd yesterday. I put some brochures and booklets on the table, grabbed some lunch and waited for Joel Isenberg, a friend of my father's, to introduce me.

I did not have any notes. I hadn't practiced. I hadn't given a speech in a year and a half. How would I do?

I began speaking at 1:30 and finished my speech around 5 till 2pm. I took 10 minutes of questions. And when I finished, I got a rousing standing ovation. This one woman who just come back fom a mission in Africa couldn't stop hugging me. She said she didn't know me but was so proud of me. I had one man tell me that he'd been in this club for 30 years and he'd never seen a standing ovation with everyone getting up at the same time and clapping like that. He said he'd heard many people speak in his 70+ years on this earth and he would group me with one other man that he'd heard speak...Harry S. Truman. I was honored that he would put me in that company. I know I have a gift for speaking but I also think my story is really what captures an audience, not necessarily how I tell it.

I got a donation of $50 from the group after shaking everyone's hands afterwards. I felt like a rock star which is dangerous for an addict. You never want to get too high on yourself. I got in my car and stopped for a moment. I said my serenity prayer and got myself to a place of calm.

Joel e-mailed me last night to tell me that the speech was the most inspirational he had seen. I then got a donation on-line from one of the guys in the audience. I got a lot of compliments and was very happy with the response. I guess motivational speaking is what I'm meant to do. This is my talent. When I was young, public speaking was nowhere on my list of careers I'd like to do. I wanted to be a baseball player,a veterinarian, a doctor, a fireman or even a teacher. In 5th grade, I had to memorize a 14-line sonnet and I choked. I couldn't remember a single line. I knew the whole sonnet the night before but I'd totally forgotten it by the time I stood up. Ms. Stansberry gave me a D and asked me to sit down. I was humiliated. I never wanted to get in front of a crowd again. I remember though when that changed.

I was in high school. This was my senior year and everyone was doing reports on diseases that affect this country. My disease was AIDS. One afternoon. my teacher said, "Andy, are you ready to give your presentation?"

"Ummmm...sure," I said, "but can we eat lunch first so I can get something to eat. I'm hungry." We had the choice and the teacher was cool with it. I totally forgot about the presentation. I hadn't done any work for it. Most people spent weeks researching their project. I had less than an hour to put together a 20 minute speech on a disease that I'd barely heard of except for the death of Rock Hudson, a famous Hollywood actor.

I researched for 20 minutes and found very little in our library. AIDS was still not that well known and views about it were different depending on where you looked. Twenty minutes later, I almost went to my teacher and asked for an F, but I knew I needed this class to graduate and this presentation was almost half my grade. I was going to have to wing it. So sadly I made up half of my statistics but I spoke from the heart telling people how tough a disease AIDS was. Looking back, I should have been ashamed for my lack of preparation and misinformation concerning statistics. But that report was half my grade and I had to graduate. The teacher even started to cry. Twenty-five minutes later, I'd given the speech of my life. I'd made up for the 5th grade disaster with an impromptu act that would have made some of the great public speakers cheer. I got an A. The story is something I'm not proud of, but sometimes great things come when you least expect them. It was then that I knew I had this gift. I just never knew how I could use it. I do now. I'll use it to spread awareness and hopefully help us find a cure for CF and save so many people's lives. I'd like to find Ms. Stansberry and have her hear me now.

Today was Yom Kippur, the day of atonement for Jews. I know I have a lot of atoning to do. Yesterday afternoon I finally began Step 9 by contacting a few people who were on my list of people I harmed. Both appreciated my gesture and said the feeling was mutual. It ended on good terms and I felt some relief. My sponsor told me after a few of these responses I was going to feel better about myself. He was right. Still there are more people to contact. There is more closure to receive.

Avery has her first soccer game tomorrow and I'm really excited. I hope the kids have fun in my soccer coaching debut. Andrea has a big tennis match tomorrow. I'll be cheering on my Braves and hoping they can sweep the Mets. We're 1.5 games up pending the SF-Milwaukee game tonight.

I hope everyone has a good night.

Andy

Morning treatments

2010-09-16T03:51:00.000-07:00

Well, since I thought the evening treatment play-by-play was a good idea, now I'm showing you how the morning treatments work while I also discuss another blog topic.

6:00am: I got out of bed, prepared my medications and went to my little workout room which I jokingly call AL (Andy Lipman) Fitness. I hope LA Fitness doesn't sue me. The great thing about the name is that Andrea can work out there too. And Avery. Sorry Ethan.

6:40am: I finished my bicep/tricep workout while I watched season 1 of The Office for about the 200th time. I used to love that show but it kind of jumped the shark when Jim and Pam got married.

6:45am: I did my sinus wash, my sinus spray, my nasal antibiotic and my Xopenex inhaler. I then clean my hands and start my hypertonic saline.

Last night was difficult to write about. It's hard to write about your flaws as a person especially when your life is essentially a book. I used to be so afraid to tell people about myself that I locked myself in my room for days without coming out. Those were my college days, but there are still mornings in which I feel that way. I force myself sometimes to be social. People have a hard time believing that I'm very shy because once I get going I could talk to a fire hydrant. The truth is that I sometimes have to give myself a pep talk before I walk into a big room of people. The irony is that I love public speaking. I've yet to figure that one out. In fact, I have a speech this Friday at a Kiwanis Club in Atlanta near the High Museum. It's my first speech in about a year since I finally started working on my problems.

6:59am: I have started my vest therapy while still being on my hypertonic saline.

I'm a bit lonely right now as Ethan usually joins me in the basement by now. It used to be a pain to have him run around and grab me and throw things at me. Now I realize that I love it. I love having the company sometimes. Therapy I suppose has always been my isolation. Ever since I got the machine, no one really hangs out with me while I do my therapy. Andrea used to offer to hang with me but it's gotten a lot tougher now that we have two kids because she has to listen out for them. My therapy is so loud that it doesn't allow us to hear them. When I say therapy is my isolation, I also mean that by the fact that it makes me different. I've always felt that way. Unless I'm making a speech because people know I have CF, it's difficult to admit that I'm different to the unsuspecting peer. Still, this is all I know. I don't know what it's like to wake up, shower, brush my teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast and go to work. I do all of those things but I add about two hours of therapy and medical treatments to that every morning and every night.

Whenever I take a moment to think of all the meds/treatments I do during a day, I have to admit that it's overwhelming. I try to look at it though that there are other people in much more dire circumstances and I should feel fortunate. I also remember that my sister Wendy would have traded with me in a heartbeat. She only got 16 days on this earth. By my count, I'm over 10,000 days. I hated taking pills growing up. My mom used to stick them in oatmeal and make me take them that way. As far as my postural drainage (when my parents hit my back, sides and front before there was a vest machine), I used to wiggle, jump up and annoy my parents because I hated just laying there. Heck, look at me when I do my therapy now. I have to be doing something else like writing a blog or watching TV.

Where is Ethan? Come on buddy. Daddy's ready to be harrassed. He has become such a good talker now. You would never know he had a stroke. When I come home now, he grabs my hand and says "Daddy, look." He shows me something he's been playing with. After about 15 minutes, when I try to go to the bathroom or upstairs to take a breath, he whines "Daddy, uppy!!! Uppy!" He doesn't want me to leave so I pick him up and he hangs out with me. Avery has been a more difficult project for me and I blame that on me. I was not a good father to her during her first couple of years on this earth. I ignored her at times and didn't appreciate the amazing little girl she was turned into. I regret those moments but I've learned that you can't look back. We now have our time together either through daddy-daughter days or just a simple talk when I drive her somewhere. Having my alone time with her is so special. She's definitely got me wrapped around her little finger but don't tell her. I can't afford anymore Barbies.

I never knew I could feel the way about someone that I do about my children. They are a huge part of my life. I would die for them.

7:16am: I'm done with my hypertonic saline and have now moved on to my Pulmozyme aerosol. I'm still doing the vest as I'll finish them both in about 25 minutes.

This weekend is going to be a busy one. We have Yom Kippur Friday night and Saturday morning, which I mentioned in the previous blog is the Jewish Day of Atonement. Friday night is called Kol Nidre which is the holiest night of the year. Andrea and I will be in synagogue Friday night and Saturday morning. We are supposed to fast during that time. Due to taking meds and doing treatments, I usually grab something small to eat and drink water throughout the day. I like to think that God understands. I have fasted before but I've noticed that it affects me a little more than the average person to go without food.

Okay, if Ethan doesn't show up soon, I'm going to start throwing toys at myself. Maybe Avery will arrive first. Sometimes she just walks down and sits next to me. That of course means the end of this blog because it will be time for Starfall which is a kid's educational website that she and Ethan love.

Did I mention that with my therapy, I have to pay special attention to the time. I start my therapy at 40 minutes but I have to increase the frequency at 25 minutes, 20 minutes, 15 minutes, 10 minutes and 5 minutes. There is no buzzer or timer to tell me when to make the adjustments. I just have to be cognizant of the time.

The one thing I don't like about Tobi besides taking time away from hanging out with Andrea and the kids is that it makes me late for work. Most people with CF don't have full time jobs because with our medical agenda, it's almost impossible. I've made it work thanks to a very understanding workplace. Yes, it helps that my father plays a large role in the company but also I have some very understanding co-workers. I do the best I can to be as "normal" as possible. It' just difficult. Most people show up between 8:00am and 8:30am. I'm there closer to 9:00am. Sure I could wake up at 4:30am and do my therapy then but per my doctor and my wife I need to get my rest. It's not healthy to get four hours of sleep per night.

Since I've already worked out, I have to come up with something else to do during my 20 minute hiatus between my Pulmozyme and my Tobi. Today I think I'm going to run laps in the basement for about 5 minutes and then maybe check out my sports scores (although it's tough on mornings after the Braves lose) or my Facebook account. I've added a lot of friends. People think I'm crazy by doing that and maybe it is the addict in me because some of the people I friend don't know me, but they have a tie to cystic fibrosis so I figure it's a good way to tell them about my blog. It's also a good way to educate myself about things they might be doing that I have not tried to stay healthy. Also by starting Facebook groups, I'm learning that I'm not the only one that goes through depression partially because of this disease. There are many others who at one point thought they were alone too.

Well I'm one of the few East coasters that watched the entire Giants-Dodgers game last night. Sadly the Giants won and the Braves are about to be chasing a playoff spot instead of being able to control their own destiny. I love baseball. I don't know if I love it because it's a distraction from CF or if it's because it was the first true thing that my father and I both loved. It was our bond. It was the only show he and I agreed on when I was growing up. He would compromise his "60 minutes" and I would give up "The Facts of Life."

Speaking of my dad, he's doing better. His spirits are high. He'll be home soon. Everyone at work asks about him. I have to wear the strong face at work but I do worry at times. I'm his son and I love him, but I also know that he's doing well and this time in our lives is going to allow me to never take my father for granted again. I can say the same thing for my mother. She has been a rock. I love her so much. Yes, she nags me and worries about me but I believe those are two requisites in the Jewish mother handbook. If you ever lose your "Real White Pages" and you need to get a number, my mom can be your source. She knows everyone. Not only will you get a number, but you can have a background check added on for free whether you want it or not. For example, "Larry, oh I know his mom. Do they still live on Rocky Street? How's her arthritis? Does he still have that birthmark on his right knee?" You laugh but it's incredible. My parents are my heroes. They fight for me and they believe in me. I haven't always deserved their encouragement but they still give it to me and love me as if I was perfect. They show me a love that I not only want to give back to them but that I want to give to my kids and my wife.

7:41am: Vest is done. Pulmozyme is therefore done. I hear Andrea's footsteps which means Ethan and Avery are near. I can't wait to see the three of them. That's how I will spend my twenty minute break. I want to hang out with my family. During my problematic days, I never said nor felt that and that's really sad.

8:09am: I'm starting my Tobi aerosol treatment.

So I did a little running in place, hung out with the kids and Andrea for 5 minutes and then took the quickest shower I could. I also got all my meds together that I'll have to take while I'm at work. That's a total of about 20 pills. I also found out that I'm losing my mind because apparently when I woke up, Ethan woke up but since I left before he saw me, he didn't really think to hang out with me. I also want to bring up another thing. I hope I don't make it look like I do all of this and Andrea is sitting on the couch eating bon bons. That's not the case. That's not even close to the case. She has to get Avery prepared for her day at school. She has to straighten things up for the cleaners who come every other week. She has to watch the kids part of the time I'm doing my therapy. She has to get ready for work. Remember she's also a cancer survivor and has multiple sclerosis. There are so many others things I can mention that she does for me and the kids. She's my lucky star which is kind of what I think about when I look at the picture attached. Yes, funny people, I know that this is a picture of the moon but it's shining and moon metaphors don't go over as well.

Andrea is an overachiever herself. I just try to tell this blog from my end so sometimes I fail to mention things about others in the house. Magic, I'll write about you in the next blog and how you allow me to feed you every morning and give you treats. I know your life is not a picnic either.

Speaking of others in the house, I hear "Daddy, Daddy!" Here comes my little man. I can't believe how much I took my children for granted. I was mentally sick. Depression isn't something that goes away nor are my other emotional/mental issues. I have to be proactive and that's why I attend meetings and seek therapy. I don't want to let my family down again.

8:45am: Well, I'm done with my Tobi and off to work. I took Ethan upstairs, grabbed some breakfast on the run and should be at work a few minutes after 9:00am.

Thanks for spending time with me over the last 10 hours and 2 blogs. Hopefully it gave you a small peak into my CF world. Have a great day. For my Jewish friends, have an easy fast. For my other friends, have a wonderful weekend and never take for granted the time you have with family and friends. In fact, never take for granted any time you have just being alive. It truly is the greatest gift you'll ever have. I have to go now. Someone is throwing toys at me.

Live your dreams and love your life,

Andy

Making amends, dealing with regrets and a chance to join me during my treatments

2010-09-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

I figured I'd give you details of what my therapy is like while I blog. I'll give you a blow by blow call of what I'm doing at each moment.

10:40pm: Two puffs on my Xopenex inhaler, pouring sinus medicine in both nostrils, spraying nasal antibiotic in both nostrils and squirting sinus spray in both nostrils

10:45pm: Starting my hypertonic saline

As I mentioned in my last blog, I'm on Step 9 which means making amends. I'm currently writing letters to those people that I've hurt in some way to amend my wrongs. How fitting that it occurs on the eve of Yom Kippur which is the Day of Atonement in Jewish tradition.

11:00pm: starting my 40 minute vest session

I am having a tough time right now because I'm having to re-live my past mistakes. I've heard the line "Everyone is human" but that sounds more like an excuse to me than a simple cliche. I have made mistakes and I'm far from perfect. I have let my compulsion and depression issues get the best of me. I have hurt several people in my life including many who I love very much.

Not only have I had to look at my recent past but I've had to remember things from my childhood that have played a role in my actions as I grew up. George, my therapist, and I have gone over these issues frequently. I've tried to look up some of the people who affected me negatively as a child but I could only find one and I promised my sponsor I would wait till I finish my 12th step before I call or e-mail him. The other person is unreachable at this point. I looked her up on Facebook, Linkedin, MySpace and Google. It's as if she doesn't exist except in my mind. I'm sorry to be so vague when I speak of my wrongs but I'm not ready to release that skeleton yet. I've released so many already.

I'm about a week into Tobi and I'm spending a lot of late nights and early mornings staring at this computer screen pondering life. I start thinking about my problems and wondering if it was God's grand plan to put me through these things because I'm the type of person who is not afraid to speak about his problems. Maybe I'm a spokesman who can help others. That's my hope. I'm not being cocky when I say that; it's just I hope these things in my life happened for a reason. I have to believe that in order to keep going.

11:17pm: Done with hypertonic saline, still doing my vest and now doing Pulmozyme aerosol for 20 minutes while I finish my vest simultaneously

When I'm having a good day, I look at my life and think I married a beautiful woman, miraculously had 2 children, ran with the Olympic Torch, wrote multiple books and have become a successful fundraiser. When I'm in my dark place, I think about death a lot. I think about leaving my kids with only a faint memory of their father. I think about all of the regrets I have and how I'll never be able to make up for them. Life is a complicated thing. The minute I think that life is unfair, I have to remember how ironic that is. I've been given a life. That's the fairest thing God can do for us. Some of us aren't given the hands we would have wished for but still we're living and breathing and that's fair enough for me.

Several people have asked what depression is like or what addictions/compulsions are like. In my case, depression feels like I'm walking into this very dark place and I can't get out and after a while I don't want to get out. I just become lazy in shame. It feels as if there are no solutions to any of my problems. Every second seems to last an hour and every day seems to last a month. People are constantly telling me to snap out of it as if I want to be this way. Depression is not something I want to feel; it's just something I feel. Imagine having to sneeze but people tell you to just hold it in. You can't do it and neither can I. Compulsion and addiction are kind of the same thing. There are hundreds of addictions out there if I were to guess and since reading about this topic, it seems like a common theme is that addiction is when you can't stop from doing something no matter what the consequences are. It's a feeling like everything is shades of gray while it should be obvious what is black and what is white. It's like having the devil on your shoulder telling you what to do and the angel is fast asleep. It's scary stuff.

I'm on a few anti-depressants and they do help, but I still have my moments though I can cope now in a more positive way. I go to meetings for my compulsions and I go to therapy for both my compulsions and depression. I'm an obvious addict by the way with whatever I do. Let's look at my fish hobby as one example. I started with a beta fish and a year later I have 2 beta fish in my office, 2 tanks in my living room and a large tank in my bedroom. I could name several more examples but they're all the same. I always want more. Nothing is perfect. When I get to the top of the mountain, I want to find a taller mountain. That's something I'm working on toning down.

On a bright note, I'm so excited about going with the family to Disney World. Avery is so excited. It's all she can talk about. Andrea has done a terrific job setting all of this up. I know that the kids will love it. I'm also excited to see my Nana Rose whose house I haven't visited since Avery was a baby. I can't wait to show my kids around the house which my grandmother has had since my mom was a little girl. We are also looking forward to seeing my mother-in-law Roberta and her husband Glenn who live just outside of Orlando.

11:40pm: Finished my vest and Pulmozyme. Now must wait 20 minutes before starting my Tobi aerosol. Cleaned the basement. Watched Giants-Dodgers game on Internet and rooting for the Dodgers so the Braves can stay 1.5 games up on Giants in the wild card race. Between the 6th and 7th innings, I ran 10 laps in the basement.

Well, I plan to start making my amends this weekend and I plan to atone for my wrongs on Friday night and Saturday during Yom Kippur. I can tell you that now I have a very high self esteem but not to the point of arrogance. That's dangerous for any addict. The moment you think everything is great is when you let your guard down and all of your issues return at full force. I'm never letting that happen again. Never!

12:05am: Starting Tobi

I'm not the only one with CF who deals with emotional issues. I started a Facebook group for those with CF who deal with depression too. In just over a week, I have nearly 200 members.

CF is a depressing disease. I just glanced at "Growing Older with CF" which is a handbook for CF adults. Some of the chapters include Pulmonary Disease, Gastrointestinal Disease, Pancreatic Enzyme Deficiency, Hemoptysis, Pneumothorax, Sinusitis, Bacteria Fungi and Lung Infection in CF, Pulmonary Exacerbations, Respiratory Failure, Lung Transplantation, Diabetes Millitus, Glucose Intolerance, Arthritis and Other Joint Diseases and Bone Conditions, and CF and Cancer.

Apparently having CF means there is more of a probability of having digestive tract cancers and also the odds of have leukemia increase if a patient has the Delta F508 gene, which most CF patients including myself have. Looking at all of this, it's no wonder CF patients have trouble with depression. I didn't even mention the fact that 98% of males with CF can't even have children without fertility methods. I'm one of the lucky 98% but thanks to in vitro fertilization I was able to enclose the picture of these two cuties who Andrea and I just adore. Then you have the cost of drugs, the amount of drugs and the amount of time spent doing therapies and treatments. It's exhausting.

Still there are approximately 30,000 of us out there and we're surviving. Breakthrough drugs continue to develop. The life expectancy continues to increase. There are several exciting studies out there. In other words, there are lots of negatives to having CF but I'd prefer to see the glass as half full.

12:45am: Done with Tobi treatment. Giants won. Bummer! Heading up to drink some water, brush my teeth and head to bed. Thanks for joining me during my treatment tonight or should I say this morning.

To the day when CF stands for Cure Found. Thanks to the fundraising efforts of so many of you, that day is a lot closer than it has ever been.

Live your dreams and love your life,

Andy

The Program gets tougher

2010-09-13T21:12:00.001-07:00

I finished my 8th step today and now I begin the amends process which is Step 9. I'm not looking forward to this step because I'm concerned about the reactions I'll get. Still I'm 4 steps away from completion of my 12-step program and only 2 months away from a year's sobriety. I'm definitely a better person than I was 10 months ago.

Off the Bench or as I nicknamed us The Brookhaven Dream Team began our season tonight. I promised the team that my new additions would make a difference. Well, we fell down 5-0 early and I think players started to doubt me. Then we got to bat and won by mercy rule 22-7. My 3 add-ons had about 7 hits combined and led the charge. I felt like Jon Schuerholz as I smiled with pride. We are going to surprise a lot of teams this year.

I want to make sure I mention in each blog something that tells you what it's like to have CF. Whenever I go in for X-rays and they see from my card that the patient has cystic fibrosis, they always ask me where my son "Andrew" is. I have to explain to them that I am the one with CF. Cystic fibrosis was a childhood disease for so long that many in the medical field still aren't used to us living past our teens. Hopefully they'll get used to grandfathers and grandmothers with CF in the next few decades. Or maybe they won't have CF because a cure will finally be found.

I wonder some days if there ever will be a cure. I don't know if I could get used to not taking pills with meals and not setting aside a time to do my therapy. I don't know if I could get used to less than half a dozen doctor's appointments per year and the life or death concerns that comes from each one. I don't know if I could get used to not having a life-threatening disease. Hey, what would I speak about during my motivational speeches? Maybe I could brag about my ability to read any word backwards but I don't think that will captivate the audience as much as a guy with a terminal illness can.

I had to explain to my daughter what was wrong with daddy several weeks ago when she asked if she would ever have to do therapy. I told her that daddy has something that is different than most people. I told her it's like her peanut allergy. You don't like it but you have it and you make the best out of it. I don't know that she got a lot out of it but it made me think of the conversations I'm going to have to have with my kids when they're older.

They're going to have to make sacrifices. They can't date anyone who smokes. They're going to have to learn how to do postural drainage which is when the person slaps the patient on the back, sides and chest to loosen the mucus. That's what my parents administered before the vest machine was invented. They'll only need to use it if we lose electricity or the machine malfunctions. They're going to have to learn about life and death a lot sooner than most kids. I remember that feeling. I don't plan to hide a lot from my kids. I don't want them to learn about their dad from someone else. That's one of the reasons I'm writing The Drive at 35. I want my children to know their father just in case CF gets the best of me before they're teenagers. I don't plan for that to happen but I want to be prepared. The Drive at 35 might just be their one chance to get to know their father - the good and the bad.

The one thing I want them to know is how much they mean to me. I've run with the Olympic Torch, written 3 books and chaired a highly successful fundraising event yet all of those accomplishments pale in comparison to raising two beautiful children and being married to a wonderful woman. They put life in perspective. I've included one of my favorite pictures of Avery and Ethan from the beach in Charleston. Avery loves him so much and Ethan would follow her wherever she goes.

My Tobi aerosol therapy is going pretty well. I don't like the extra hour or so it adds to my medical agenda but still it's for the best. I'm really excited that the doctor didn't need to put me on antibiotics Friday. I've been off them for more than six months. I'm really proud of that fact. I used to be on antibiotics all of the time.

I'm on day 4 of my new diet. I've replaced nutritional bars with bananas and twizzlers, gummy bears and chocolate with water and mangoes. I'm not going to weigh myself until next Friday to see if I've come down from 197. My goal is to be at 185 in 4 weeks. Maybe then I can fit into my skinny jeans...sorry that's the only thing I remember from Sex and The City.

Well, I hope everyone has a good night.

Andy

Bye Bye Summer

2010-09-13T03:06:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone. Welcome to another week in our lives. I had a nice weekend. I got to see several friends although this might have been the worst weekend in Atlanta sports history. Georgia Tech, Georgia, Georgia State and Georgia Southern all lost. The Falcons and Braves both lost yesterday. I think my hopes of having a championship this season - the first in 15 years for this city - rides on our women's WNBA team. Go Atlanta Dream! Has my life as a fan really come to this? I am excited to watch the Nadal-Djokovic US Open Final today. My worst fears though are that my Dawgs will lose to the Vols again this season. Andrea and I have a running bet that whichever team wins, our kids have to wear the team's outfit the following day. See the attached nightmare that I dealt with in previous years. Ethan (the picture attached), I'm sorry and daddy loves you. Hopefully Coach Richt will do what he can to protect you and your sister from wearing that color this year.

Tonight is the opening game in our fall softball season. I'm excited to get started, but a bit scared too. No, I'm not scared about softball. I'm scared because the summer is nearly over. It's not because I will miss the hot weather nor because I like vacationing. Granted, these are two things that make the summer special, but those aren't the reasons I'll miss this warm season. I'm actually scared of the fall and winter.

Those are the two time periods where my depression really seems to soar. First off, due to the colder conditions and some of the particles in the air (ragweed), I always seem to get sick this time of year and therefore my pulmonary function numbers go quite a bit down. I've reacted that way to the cold weather since before I can remember. Second, the days end earlier in the winter and it's a lot tougher to go outside and exercise. That's why I now play in a basketball league in the winter. I want to make up for not playing softball and having less opportunities to go running outside. It was last November that I admitted myself into a rehabilitation facility. Don't think that fact and the actions that put me there are not constant reminders in my head. Also, looking at the other picture attached (Grizzly Adams Lipman), I don't want to be that guy again. While I'm smiling in that picture, that was one of those moments where depression was getting the bet of me. I didn't care what I looked like nor what I did. I'm not going back there. By the way, the beard was real and it was spectacular.

Here's the good news. Through the rehabilitation process, I've learned how to cope with my concerns. I've learned how to work a 12-step program and how to deal with my triggers. Today my sponsor and I will complete Step 8. I'm really excited about that fact. Only four more steps to go after today and I will have completed the 12-step process. I'll explain step 8 later but I can tell you it's the most grueling step for me because it forces me to go back and remember my issues and why I'm in a 12-step program. It also forces me to remember the people I hurt for quite some time.

I'm proud though that my sobriety is at 10 months today. I know there are a lot of people who can't even make it 10 days. I also know that if my sobriety ended today, 10 months would not mean anything. My goal is life-long sobriety.

Well, that's it for today. I wish all of you a happy and healthy week. Let's hope the Braves can get it together soon because otherwise Andrea's going to have to deal with me complaining about Bobby Cox, Frank Wren and Nate McLouth for the next four months! Pitchers and catchers report in about 20 weeks, folks...wahoo!

Have a good one.

Andy

My doctor's appointment

2010-09-10T19:28:00.000-07:00

Here's what happened at Emory today. I found out the previous night that I had to fast from midnight till about one o'clock p.m. today. I arrived at the lab at 10 a.m. As I was walking in, I helped a guy in the elevator to move his cart in and out on the next floor. He rewarded me with the last apple juice he had. It was really generous, but I wasn't allowed to drink so I paid it back a few minutes later when I arrived at the lab. An older gentleman was really thirsty so I gave him the apple juice and he was very appreciative. I talked to a few people today. I met an older lady who was a huge Georgia fan. She had to be in her 80's. I then met a woman going through a kidney transplant.

When I arrived at the lab, I had to give a urine sample (no, I did not ask Roger Clemens to take it for me) and then I had to give blood, more blood...and more blood! I had 13 vials of blood taken. Remember I'm still fasting at this point and then have to go another two hours before I have to come back and get another vial taken before I can finally eat. It's called the glucose test to see if I have CF-related diabetes. I had to drink a sugary beverage that tastes like a Mountain Dew that had been flat for weeks. I had to drink it in a five minute time span. The goal of the test was to see how my body broke down sugars. If the goal had been to be nauseas and light-headed, then it was certain that it was a success.

I went up for my PFT's around 10:45 and Dr. Sueblinvong was very pleased. I scored four percent higher than last time. She was bragging to the other doctors. I was really happy with the news. Next I worked on a new diet plan with Jessica, my dietician at the clinic. I have ballooned to 197 pounds. I am going for 185 pounds which means I'm going to be cutting out sodas and gummy bears, which is my sugary vice. I won't be seeing Dr. Sueblinvong for another three months which is the equivalent to several years for a CF patient.

I got the test results back this evening and I do not have CF related diabetes so I was glad to hear the news.

We took the kids to the Braves game tonight and tomorrow I'm planning on resting after a long day.

Thanks everyone for keeping me in your thoughts. You are in mine.

Have a great weekend and I am including a picture of my sister and Andrea from the Emmy's. Don't they look amazing!

Talk to you soon,

Andy

It all starts at 11:44 P.M.

2010-09-09T20:44:00.001-07:00

Well, it's 11:44 pm and I have started another month of Tobi. I will endure 28 days of treatments. I caught a cold the other day (or it's bad allergies) and coincidentally my doctor's appointment is tomorrow. Ugh! I hate being sick and going in because it almost guarantees my PFTs (pulmonary function tests) will be down. Also I will be doing labs (blood work) in the morning and a glucose test throughout the day to see if I have CF-related diabetes. I have to fast from midnight to noon. Maybe I'll just consider it a start to a new diet. I think I have love handles.

Today was Rosh Hashanah or the start of the Jewish New Year. It's a little confusing if you're not Jewish and you see people wishing each other a happy new year in September. You may be a bit concerned about them. We're okay though. I went to services today as it's tradition to miss work and pray on the new year. Our rabbi, Joshua Heller, had a great sermon today. I shouldn't just say today. He's always really good. He talked about making mistakes and making things better out of your mistakes. If that doesn't describe my goal from the last few years, I don't know what does. Even Andrea said it was like he was talking to me. It was tough having a cold and wearing a suit and sitting in a room with thousands of people but during that sermon it was as if I was the only person in the room. Thank you Rabbi Heller.

I'm worried about my doctor's appointment as I always am but I know I've worked hard and before this cold I was kicking butt in the gym. I know I'll have several tests too and that means weeks of waiting for results which is another wonderful thing about having cystic fibrosis.

I had a great day off with Andrea and the kids. Andrea made a great dinner the other night. I think she surprised herself but I think she's a really good cook and just doesn't give herself enough credit. Last night Andrea and Emily put the kids to bed so I could rest and Andrea let me rest today after synagogue as she went to a friend's house for an after synagogue meal. I've had bad cough the last two nights and could not sleep. I took a nap today though and the coughing is definitely down.

Softball starts on Monday as Off the Bench will be ready to show off the new crew to the rest of the league. They are going to be surprised. Avery has soccer on Sunday so Coach Lipman will be ready to go. The four of us are going to the Braves game tomorrow night. The team could use our help.

Well, that's all. I will let everyone know how the doctor's appointment goes. Please keep me in your thoughts. I hope that all of you have a great weekend.

Andy

CF stole my youth but I'm still kicking!

2010-09-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

First, let me say that the 3 groups I've started on Facebook have been very well received. These are the three:

1) I have cystic fibrosis, depression and other emotional issues.
2) Cystic fibrosis was supposed to take my life yet here I am.
3) People with CF raising money to beat CF.

On my 37th birthday, I decided I wanted to get people together who are making a difference in the world of cystic fibrosis but I also wanted them to know that they are not alone when dealing with depression, addiction, compulsion and just an overall feeling of being overwhelmed when having cystic fibrosis. When we were kids, we had to deal with life-threatening doctor's appointments. We had to deal with the fear of cross-contamination and bacterial infections. A cold was not just a few days at home. It was a doctor's appointment followed by another followed by weeks of concern and confusion. Overnight camp was not an option and having a day without some type of therapy or taking some type of medication was the equivalent to a "normal" person going a day without eating or drinking.

CF has restricted me from many things. I had to stay close to home when I went to college. I could not have children without in vitro fertilization. I cannot eat anything with fat without taking some type of pancreatic enzyme. I do four hours of therapy a day, I take 20 to 30 pills and I go to a doctor at least a half dozen times a year.

Despite all of that, I sit here 37 years old and 3 days knowing that to this point this disease has not beaten me.

I've mentioned my problems with depression. I was suicidal in college and have thought about suicide off and on for years. I've dealt with childhood traumas - some I've mentioned and others I'm scared to confess. I've mentioned the problems I've encountered currently but I've held in some of my issues because I'm afraid how people will react. My book will do the confessing for me.

As I completed Step 7 and started Step 8 in my 12-step program today, I thought about what a different person I feel like compared to when I entered a rehabilitation facility nearly 10 months ago. I'm stronger emotionally, more prepared to cope and open and honest for the first time in my life.

This Thursday is Rosh Hashanah which is the New Year in Judaism and will soon be followed by Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. This is the day in which we atone for our sins. I think I can forgive myself now but I still must atone for a lot of things I've done wrong. I've hurt some dear people in my life.

So I go from sitting at home and praying all day Thursday to a doctor's appointment on Friday to see how my lung function is. It will be the first time I've been back since Dr. Wolfenden died. It will surely be hard to walk through those doors. I'm going to give it my all though as I know she would have wanted me to do that. I'm worried about my pulmonary function scores but I've worked hard the last few months so I can't fault my effort.

I'm looking forward to The Drive at 35 coming out in the next year once we get a publisher. I'm really excited about Celine Dion, Garth Brooks, Dale Murphy, Boomer Esiason, Robert Beall (President of the CF Foundation) and Frank Deford being on board to write forewords for the book.

Ethan continues to prosper despite the stroke he suffered at birth. Avery is a twenty year old in a four-year old's body. Andrea is doing well. She's on hiatus but her tennis season will resume shortly so I will keep everyone updated. My softball season begins next week. I think I've recruited the dream team of softball and I think this is my best chance to captain a champion. Avery's soccer team has been fun to coach and I look forward to our season opener in a couple of weeks. I know as much about soccer as Paris Hilton knows about modesty so it should be interesting.

That's all for tonight. I wish everyone a healthy and enjoyable week and to keep working hard to prove the naysayers wrong.

Best Wishes,

Andy

To my friends on my 37th birthday

2010-09-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

This was an incredible day. I woke up to several e-mails wishing me a Happy Birthday. The number escalated throughout the day to over 200. I also got a few calls too. I was thrilled. I'm not great with birthdays. I haven't had much luck with them for one. Number two, as hard as it is to believe, I don't like to be the center of attention for something I have not earned. I believe my birthday was the day I was born and that's about it. When I was younger, I was scared to turn a year older because I looked at it as another year closer to CF killing me. I know that's morbid but that's how I thought.

Still this one was different. It was the first time I equaled the median life expectancy for someone with CF. I spent the night before celebrating my anniversary with Andrea. We had a great time at dinner. The next morning I got to spend some time with the kids. Then my parents and Em came over. It was so great to see everyone and everyone looked terrific especially my dad. A few hours later, I took Avery to see Toy Story 3. I told Andrea that's what I wanted to do on my birthday. The funny thing was that Avery fell asleep on the way there but when we got in the parking lot, she immediately awoke and said "Daddy, I slept in the car so I wouldn't sleep in the movie." Is she really just 4?

Thirty-seven was never supposed to get here. My parents told me that doctors were hesitant to say that I'd see my teens. So the eve before my 37th birthday, I started a Facebook group called "Cystic fibrosis was supposed to take me as a kid, yet here I am." And in one day there are already about 100 members. Looks like the median life expectancy will be increasing again soon.

Andrea got me a really cool gift that will enable me to enjoy more Braves games even when I am not near a television. It's called Slingbox. I just hope the Braves make the playoffs so I can take advantage of her generosity.

I was proud of my Bulldogs for winning against UL-Lafayette. Not much of a test I know but I loved the fire that our new defensive coordinator showed when we allowed the only points we'd allow all day. Aaron Murray, our redshirt freshman QB, looked great as well.

This is my favorite time of year: October baseball, the start of college football and the NFL and the temperatures in Atlanta lowering so that I can actually walk outside without sweating like a Richard Simmons commercial.

Friday we got our pictures back from Charleston and Melissa did an amazing job. If you want a great photographer in the Charleston area, please let me know. I will recommend my high school friend highly. I am enclosing a picture that Andrea actually shot though. She may not be a professional, but she takes some terrific pictures too. Avery looks totally angelic here.

Well, that's it. It is now September 5th and I am 37 years and 1 day. I guess that means I'm now beating the median life expectancy. I guess I can truly say that I am OFFICIALLY beating cystic fibrosis today.

Have a good one and thanks again for the special wishes. I wish them for each of you as well.

Andy...37 and still going...

Is there a God and NINE hours from my life expectancy!

2010-09-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

Do you believe in God? I believe there is someone or something that created this earth and other planets but I have to wonder if there is a God, why do some things happen that make absolutely no sense.

For example, my doctor passing away after helping so many people with cystic fibrosis. She had two young boys. My sister only living 16 days before CF took her life. Then there are these serial killers who are in prison who will live into their sixties or seventies. How fair is that?

I didn't believe in God for most of my life. If he or she was real, why was I born with this disease? Why do I have the emotional problems and compulsions that I do? Why would my son have had a stroke at birth?

I hated God for a long time. I hated him because I believed he hated me. I believed I was cursed like I'd done something to piss him off in a past life or he just didn't care much about me when he made me.

Lately my opinion has changed though. I'm in a program where believing in a higher power like God is pivotal. It's made me think about God in a different way...a more positive way. We had a meeting last night and I completed the 7th step the other day. It's my job now to give my problems to God and live my life.

I'm ready to change my views about God. I was never an Atheist nor an Agnostic which I'm not saying is wrong. I just want to be clear that I am Jewish and I have been a practicing Jew but I have always gone into synagogue and read the words. I never emotionally felt them. I think that's going to change. I believe my perspective has changed. I don't want this to sound like I'm religious and you're not. This is not about religion. It's about having faith in something whether you're Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or whatever. It's about believing in something and not playing God yourself. I played God for a long time and look what good that did me. I'm now going to believe in him and hope he will believe in me. Perhaps though I was just missing all of the things he did for me. Perhaps in all the bad stuff that has happened, I missed the good things in between.

I wasn't supposed to live to see my teens yet here I am. I'm able to make a difference in people's lives with my story and my message. I've found people that get me and get what I deal with. I have 2 beautiful kids and a wonderful wife. I have an awesome sister and such loving parents. I guess there must be a God and his message is that I'll never understand why he does the things he does but I can't question his reasons. I just have to live my life and appreciate what I have. Maybe that's what he's trying to say. Life is unpredictable so take advantage while you're here. We are all very lucky. We have had a chance to live a life. It's a true blessing.

Tomorrow is my 37th birthday, the median life expectancy for someone with this disease. I've been really down about it. I've been thinking about death. It's been a tough few months for me with losing my doctor, dealing with all of my issues and having to worry about my dad. I have not been looking forward to tomorrow until now. I'm looking at my 37th birthday as sort of a finish line. It's the first time I'll be at the expected life expectancy. Every year for a long time the median life expectancy has gone up. When I was born, it was in the teens. When I was in my twenties, it was in the early thirties. Now here I am finally ready to face my life expectancy in just 9 measly hours.

I'm ready to cross the finish line...though I am far from done with this race.

Have a nice holiday weekend.

Andy

A picture and some celebrations are near

2010-08-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd have a blog dedicated to a picture. Here is Andrea's picture from the Emmy's. I thought she looked beautiful. She's back home now and I couldn't be happier.

I'm headed to the Braves game tonight with some friends.

I had a good appointment with George today. He says I'm doing really well. I go to my sponsor tomorrow at lunch to hopefully complete Step 7.

Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary and my mom's birthday. I can't wait to celebrate with Andrea and Mom.

I hope everyone is well.

Andy

Mr. Mom's final moments

2010-08-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it's day 4 of me taking care of the kiddies. I have to admit that it was actually easier than I thought. Sure, my car died. And I had to get a ride back with the guy from Acura Roadside Service. Sure, on Saturday, I had to have a guy from the service department follow me home in the car and I gave him a ride back. By the way, the cause of my car's problems was a completely dead battery.

Sure, Ethan couldn't let me out of his sight while I coached Avery's soccer team. Still, they are breathing and so am I. Every morning that Ethan woke up, I got him. Then Avery followed and came to my room. We then went downstairs where they ate, watched TV and hung out with me while I did my therapy. I'm not sure I did such a great job; I think I just have two great kids. I'm especially proud of Avery. She's becoming such a mature little girl. Thanks to my father n law who helped me with the kids at soccer practice and who took them to the petting zoo for a couple of hours.

Well, in 5 days I'll be 37 which is the current life expectancy for a CF patient. It's scary and I thought I'd freak out a little but after the last few years and how I've gotten better in my own skin, I actually feel extremely lucky. I have a wonderful wife who has had to put up with my issues. I have 2 beautiful kids who I was never supposed to have. I have 2 wonderful parents and by the way thanks everyone who asked about my dad. He continues to do well and is visiting this weekend.

Andrea had fun at the Emmy's with Emily. I got some beautiful pictures from Andrea. I could tell they had a lot of fun. I thought it was funny that in exchange for Andrea's Emmy picture, I sent her a picture from my fantasy draft that same night. Ok, I thought it was funny.

How bout the Braves lately? What a great comeback on Sunday! I couldn't believe it. The Phillies won't go away though. Champions seldomly do. I'm proud of my guys though.

In my last act as Mr. Mom, I fixed Avery's fan light in her room, bought the kids milk and waffles after work and got some flowers for Andrea so she knows how much the 3 of us missed her. I also picked up Emily's dog Daisy and so I now have 2 dogs and 2 kids. Daisy is a small white malty-poo who has pink dyed feet. I will not walk that dog in public. You couldn't pay me enough. Sorry Emily.

I see my therapist George tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing him. I see my sponsor on Wednesday so we can complete Step 7. I can't wait to move forward.

I am getting all my book forewords together now and have added friends to my Facebook account so that I can spread the news as the book hopefully gets closer to publication.

Today we got our 16th Wish for Wendy team and the Foundation team is just about complete. We also now have a sponsorship chairman. Rusty Sneiderman is doing an amazing job. He's taking us places we've never been.

Well, that's about it. I'm taking the kids to bed for the final time before Andrea arrives. I can't wait to welcome her and Emily home. Of course they arrive during my 2nd fantasy draft of the week. I'll try not to let the draft interfere with their arrival...unless of course it's during the early rounds. Just kidding!

Have a great night.

Andy

A rough start to a crazy weekend

2010-08-28T05:43:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone.

It's been a crazy weekend and it's only Saturday morning. I got back from my work retreat in Barnesly Gardens (near Adairsville, GA home of Bobby Cox)yesterday excited to show my wife what a great Mr. Mom I could be. This is the first time I've had the kids and she's been out of town.

Before I get to our exciting day yesterday, let me share about my retreat. The facilities were beautiful. My project presentations were received very favorable. It's the best performance at a retreat I've ever had. I also got a card for my dad who was sorely missed at this retreat and had all of our executive board sign it. Though my team lost in the athletic competitions, I did redeem myself. Six years ago I finished dead last during the skeet shooting competition. This team I finished in the middle in both archery and beebee gun shooting so no more jokes about my aim. I've had to endure them for 6 long years especially amongst the hunters in the group. I did cut my arm on a thorn bush during the bike race but it's now a cool scar to show my daughter and brag how I fought a huge alligator and won. I got back around 3pm yesterday.

Then the day got interesting. First, I saw a friend of mine I hadn't seen in years. It was a bit awkward and sad that we don't really reconnect anymore but that's the way life is I suppose. Then I got to our house and the kids were all over me. Ethan was so excited to see me and Avery finally came around after her fifth time asking when mommy's coming home. Andrea is at the Emmy's with my sister by the way. Lucky, huh? So then our nanny, Luz, left. Then the fireworks began. Avery, Ethan and I went to Blockbuster to pick out a movie. Then as we got in the car, I called Andrea to brag how easy this was. Then I put my keys in the ignition and nothing. I thought I must have put her car key instead of mine. Not the case. The car was dead. So we went to dinner at the Boulevard Diner next door while Acura Car Assistance called someone to charge the car. Someone arrived but the car did not start. The lights flickered and I knew it was probably the alternator. Thanks to my old Ford Explorer from the late 90's, I knew all about car issues. Next the guy took us home and I found out we had a commonality. He and his wife were going through IVF as well. They hadn't had any luck yet so I told him this good deed might put him over the top. He was hopeful.

Next I let the kids watch our movie while I called a tow truck. They said they'd be there between 7:45 and 8. I put the movie on in the car for the kids and drove there to unpack my car. 7:45 went by as did 8. I called them. Turns out they were busy and it was now going to be 8:30 so I left the keys under the mat, went home and put the kids to bed. It can't get worse, right? Well, Avery's bedroom light didn't work so I'm fixing that this morning. Ethan had a few tantrums. Magic ate a fake flower. But we survived and that's all that matters.

We are going to Gramps' girlfriend's house this morning so the kids can spend some time with him. I will be calling for updates on car in the meanwhile. I did get to work on my Step 7 this morning while I did my therapy and the kids played.

I have to say that through all my emotional issues, my physical health is really at tip top shape. I go to the doctor in 2 weeks but I feel really confident about it. It's one week before my 37th birthday, the life expectancy of someone with CF and I just competed in a mini work Olympics and a scavenger hunt. I worked out and ran Thursday and Friday. I'm in really good shape.

Here's some good news. I finalized my last celebrity foreword yesterday. Here is the big list: Dale Murphy, Boomer Esiason, Frank Deford, Robert Beall (head of the National CF Foundation), Garth Brooks and the newest member, Celine Dion! This was my original list so I'm excited everyone is taking part in my journey. I only wish I could have added Dr. Wolfenden.

Everything else is great. I'm ready to start a hopefully less exciting Day 2. I may even rent Mr. Mom for a good laugh.

I hope everyone else has a great weekend and got a good laugh at my expense.

Andrea, I miss you!!!! Have fun with Em!!!

Best Wishes,

Andy

What's been going on

2010-08-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've blogged. There has been a lot going on. For one thing, my father continues to do better. I miss him but I know he's going to be home soon and 100%. Emily and I are looking to visit him in early October. Mom is doing great too. Emily's store, Raw Denim, is a few months from opening. Please support her.

A Wish for Wendy is up to 15 teams. We just need one more. We're halfway complete as far as filling out the roster for the Wish for Wendy Foundation team. I've decided to play on the team again this year. We eclipsed the $900,000 mark at Wish for Wendy and continue to chase $1 million.

I was really proud of my mom. She ran into Jimmy Fallon and his wife at a restaurant several months ago and she reached out to them to see if they would contribute to Wish for Wendy. I thought it was a lost cause but I also know to never say never with my mother. So a week ago, we received tickets to Jimmy's show, autographs from stars like Drew Barrymore and several other items. Mom, I'm really proud of you.

I've been finding a lot of people through my blog that have their own personal issues and we've been talking in person or on the phone or via e-mail. It feels good that this blog is positive. I know some people think it relays a very negative message but the truth is that it's open and honest. Some people may not get it, but there are others who feel like someone really gets them. I'm truly glad I can help in some way.

I just completed Step 6 in my 12-step program. I'm halfway there. Step 5 was admitting all of my wrongs and then being able to give them to a Higher Power and move on with my life. I was certainly ready to do that. I have forgiven myself for my faults but will continue to work hard to make my life and my family's life the best it can be.

I thought it was ironic that on the way to my sponsor's house last Saturday for the fifth step, Andrea found a turtle. She let me and Avery take it back to the river park. The turtle was my analogy in an earlier blog where I figured out that no matter how bleak things look, there is always a solution. The turtle is now safe and so is my emotional sobriety.

I was so excited to celebrate Ethan's 2nd birthday. Everyday we get with him is a true miracle. I love him so much. Avery is the best big sister too. We've been putting a lot of videos on our youtube account theflipdawg1 (in case you need a laugh). I got to watch Avery's gymnastics class for the first time the other day and I was really impressed. She's a great athlete. I'm not sure which side of the family that comes from.

I'm off to my retreat now. Everyone thinks I'm going to the Emmy's with Andrea but it's actually Emily that is lucky enough to go. I'm going to north Georgia. Jealous?

I hope all of you are doing well. Keep up the great work.

Please check out www.andylipman.com. We have added my youtube video that details my life with CF and the blog to this website as well as several other happenings.

Best Wishes,

Andy

Game 7 of the NLCS in 1992: the sad truth

2010-08-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

Everyone remembers where they were when Sid Bream scored the Game Winning Run of Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS that propelled the Braves to the World Series. I had a friend of mine tell me the story of where he was and the events that transpired while watching it. No one has ever asked me to recall that memory and describe where I was. I’m happy about that.

The night that Francisco Cabrera lined a single between short and third was the single greatest moment in Braves history and one of their biggest fans was nowhere to be found. I was in my room by myself. The TV was muted and I was sick and depressed. That was during the time where I would not leave my room and I wanted to kill myself. I watched as the winning run scored and then I shut off the TV only to hear people in my fraternity house screaming. Instead of joining them, I put my head back on my couch and cried. I knew I’d missed a huge moment that people would be talking about for years. I knew I wouldn’t be able to talk about it in the same light. In fact, this is the first time I’m really discussing it.

I later bought a picture of the Sid Bream run-scoring play but I didn’t buy it to remember the night the Braves went to the World Series. I bought it as a reminder of how awful I felt then. Unfortunately it hasn’t stopped me from coping in a horrible way or from getting more depressed but still it serves as a reminder of how bad things can get if you don’t take control of your life.

Thanks for letting me share. Have a great day.

Andy

The Youtube video and kids do the darndest things

2010-08-17T13:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I was excited to have our Youtube video completed. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=TheFlipdawg1#p/u/0/_LNQaucfYBk. Ross Jacobs and his team did an outstanding job. It's not like they had a GQ model to work with.

I asked Dr. Wolfenden's husband and children to throw out the first pitch at Wish for Wendy and they agreed as long as their schedule permits. I couldn't think of anyone else more fitting to be up there.

I was jumping up and down last night as Melky Cabrera won a huge game for the Braves. Down 3-1 in the 9th against a very good closer the Braves struck for 3 runs. Now we play a Nationals team that always plays us well.

I'm really excited about the Greg McGarity hire at UGA. He's from Athens and he comes from a successful program (as tough as it is for me to say that). Good luck Greg and Go Dawgs!

We had our first soccer practice for Avery's team. It went great. The kids had fun and the parents were really nice and Greg Green is a great assistant coach. We did about 6 drills and I was really impressed with the kids we have. My one joke I used with the parents was "My name is Andy Lipman. I'm used to coaching adult competitive softball so coaching youth soccer should be an easy transition." Avery did great too. She listened and participated and I was so proud of her that we got ice cream afterwards.

Yesterday Avery painted my face and hands while I did my therapy. She did a really good job. Then when Andrea got home she informed me that it was not face paint and that I'd really have to rub it off. Needless to say, my cheek hurts today and my hands are a bit raw but here's a picture from my daughter's artistic display.

I learned that one of my friends lost a couple of family members in a car crash last weekend. I'm so sorry and I'm praying for him and his family.

Bloggers, by the way, I can't see who some of you are but I do have a Facebook distribution list for this blog. If you are a member of my blog and not a Facebook friend, please friend me and send the message saying that you'd like to be part of my blog e-mails from Facebook. That way I'm only sending the blog to those who want to read it. Thanks.

Ethan's newest funny phrase is "Daddy, look." He points something out and then we laugh together. It's very cute and I love it. He learns to speak more every day. I'm very proud of him. Andrea and I weren't sure if he'd ever talk so every day seems like a new miracle.

Andrea and I had a great date the other night. It was nice to get out and be away from the kids. We had a great dinner and saw a lot of people we knew, some that we hadn't seen in years.

I continue to stay strong through my depression and through my 12-step program. It's never easy but it's vital. I love my wife and my kids and I never want to put them through the Hell I put them through over the last few years. They mean too much to me.

Have a good week, everyone.

Andy

Our vacation and how I feel

2010-08-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

I sit here in our basement prepared to write my next entry. I'm not looking forward to doing my therapy. I guess I'm just sick of having to do 10 things in the morning and 10 things at night every day not including my workouts, job, Wish for Wendy, the book and other things I'm involved in. Tonight I have to put on my foot cream for some dead skin I have, take my Nexium, do my nose drip, do my saline solution, do my nose spray antibiotic, do 2 puffs on my inhaler, do my hypertonic saline, do my pulmozyme, do my vest and then head to bed. That's exhausting just to think about. The whole process takes about an hour meaning I won't get to bed till about midnight.

We got back from our vacation today. We had a great time but it was exhausting too as I'm sure everyone experiences the exhaustion when taking kids on vacation. We got some great pictures of the kids at the beach. I should say Andrea got some great pictures as she took 90% of them. She took some great ones of the kids. My high school friend, Melissa, who lives in Charleston and is a professional photographer, got some great shots of us on the beach between Sullivan's Island and Wild Dunes. It was great seeing her after about 20 years since the last time we saw each other. She looked terrific and was great with the kids.

It was great seeing my cousins Andrea, Jonathan and Laura this weekend as well as my Aunt Anita and Avery and Ethan's first cousins Jeremy and Gabriella. We were sorry that Nick, Stella and Daisy were under the weather. It was so nice of the Zuckers to have a cake for Ethan. He loved it. We had so much fun with them. We wish we could see them more. I included a picture from the evening on the blog. Thanks Anita also for letting us use your beautiful beach house.

Thursday night we took the kids to a hibachi steak house for dinner. The kids had fun and Ethan got one more birthday celebration there as it was his actual birthday. Happy 2nd Birthday, Ethan!!!

I found out on Friday that the JCC needed more soccer coaches so the commissioner asked if I would do it. I accepted though my soccer background is as storied as Milli Vanilli's singing career. At least I have Avery in my group and I also found out that my fraternity brother Greg's son is also in the group. I'm sure it will be fun as long as I don't have to show off my skills. I might call Ross for some input as he was the soccer star in our household.

My softball team was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs while I was out. I'm going to miss Bethany and Lou who are leaving after this season. They had been on the team for more than 2 years.

I love my kids but sometimes Ethan gets a little too needy for me. I feel like Spiderman when I say that Ethan latching on to me is a blessing and a curse. There are moments that I love it but part of me needs a break too. I got to have some father-daughter time last night as Avery and I went to find frogs near the pool and I even let her use the elevator by herself. She was thrilled. This morning she and I saw a guy catched a triangle bull shark off the beach. He said that they are easy to find there. I don't know if that made me feel really good about taking my kids back into the water. It was cool though to see the one-foot shark as the fisherman and his son threw him back in. Avery, Ethan, Andrea and I also played in the waves and flew Avery and Ethan's first kite. I have to be honest that I don't know that I've ever flown a kite before so it was my first time too.

One thing I thought about was when the kids and Andrea went to the beach first so I could finish my therapy. It reminded me of being younger and my cousins Barrett or Jonathan getting to go to the beach while my dad or mom administered my therapy. I always felt like I was missing out then. It doesn't really bother me now but it brought back those memories of feeling different. Feeling different as an adult isn't nearly as difficult as when you're a kid.

My parents came back into town tonight. I'm really excited to see them as well as Andrea's mom and stepdad and Andrea's father and girlfriend who are all going to be in town. My parents have been doing a little bit of travel lately and my dad has been having some minor health issues but I'm glad to hear that he's doing much better. He doesn't have anything life-threatening but he is taking the bull by the horns and getting treatment to get himself back to 100%. I'm proud of him and I'm proud of my mom for being so selfless throughout the process. That should not come to anyone's surprise for anyone who knows my mom.

My sister's store Raw Denim opens up in a couple of months. She'll be out in Buckhead selling high-end western wear/jeans. Check out her store and take a look at her Facebook site when you get a chance. Just look under "Raw Denim."

Wish for Wendy looks to easily have 16 teams as checks are coming in pretty quickly. I'm pretty excited about that.

I was happy to see the Braves pull out a tough win against the Dodgers tonight 1-0. Another great pitching performance from Tim Hudson.

That's about it for me. I'm exhausted and have about 30 more minutes left of my treatments. Everyone, have a good night and stay strong.

Best Wishes,

Andy

The Turtle Analogy

2010-08-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

I suppose you remember Mr. Turtle from several blogs ago. The other day I was thinking of the symbolism of Mr. Turtle as regards to my emotional health/sobriety.

Mr. Turtle in essence is my sobriety. When I ran him over, I was really upset. I got crazy and didn't know what to do. I figured the turtle/my sobriety would never make it. I wanted to give up on the turtle and leave him but I remembered how much he meant to my daughter much the same as my emotional sobriety means so much to her. I found a place that would help the turtle and for me I found a place that would help my sobriety (the rehab center/my weekly meetings). The turtle ended up living and so did my sobriety.

Mr. Turtle, thanks for that valuable lesson. The lesson being of course, no matter how difficult something seems, where there's a will, there's a way!

Have a good weekend.

Andy

I'm feeling better now

2010-08-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who was supportive after Dr. Wolfenden passed. I’m starting to feel better and am ready to move on to feeling positive.

Seeing a good friend

I had dinner with a good friend last night. We hadn’t seen each other in a very long time. Both of us got a chance to reveal our issues to the other. It was a very positive experience. Both of us felt better afterwards and we are going to be there for each other.

Softball

Last night we lost a close softball game 11-7. It was a back and forth dual. We finished the season 5-2 and in second place. The team that beat us is 1st place. We have had some bad luck in the playoffs lately so hopefully we can show some teams that we are better than a 2nd place team. I went 3 for 3 with 3 infield hits. You heard me right. I got to the bag 3 times just before the ball arrived and all 3 times I was able to get to second because the throw got past the first baseman. I feel like I’m a few steps faster since I began running downstairs. I either run on the treadmill or sometimes I just run laps around the basement, avoiding Ethan and Avery’s toys while I sprint.

Health

I got some very good news concerning 2 close people in my life. Both got very good health results and I’m very happy. Some of you have asked how my physical health is doing. I’ve been doing pretty well. I work out 6 to 7 times a week and run at least a ½ mile every day. I also jump rope, do jumping jacks and try to do some form of crunches 4 or 5 times a week. I did include a picture of all the the medications I take with this blog. It will give you an idea of how much traveling is a pain for someone with CF. This doesn't even include my aerosol or therapy machine.

Youtube

I started a Youtube account to put the kids’ videos on there. My name is TheFlipDawg1 in case you are interested in seeing some funny videos.

Braves

I was happy that the Braves won last night but the Phillies are coming on hard. I was sad to see that Medlin is probably out for the year but I’m hopeful that Mike Minor, our stud in the minors, will be promoted. Go Braves! We have a tough 4 game series against the hot Giants this weekend. I hope we can take 3 out of 4.

Vacation

I’m looking forward to our family vacation to Charleston which is coming up really soon. I'll see some family while I'm there and I'm really looking forward to seeing Ethan and Avery play in the water. Andrea and I can't wait for some sun and sand. I found an old high school friend who lives there and is a professional photographer and she’s going to take family pictures for us. If you plan on going to Charleston this year, send me an e-mail and I’ll forward her info to you.

Wish for Wendy

We are still in need of another team at Wish for Wendy and we are looking for players who want to raise money and play on the Wish for Wendy Foundation team. The event is Saturday November 6th if any of you are interested.

The Book

Once my video is ready, my agent and I will start sending the manuscript to publishers. I’m looking forward to it. I’m also still putting together blurbs and forewords for the book. Thus far, I can tell you that Dale Murphy, Boomer Esiason, Robert Beall (the head of the National CF Foundation), Garth Brooks and Frank Deford are on board. I have one more person I’m waiting to hear from. She’s a pretty big name. I should hear something in the next few weeks. She originally wrote a foreword but I made some drastic changes to the manuscript so she will need to approve again.

That’s all for this week. I’m thinking of all of you. If you are in poor mental or physical health, I wish you a strong recovery. If you are doing well, I pray that you can maintain it.

To the day when CF stands for Cure Found.

Andy