The Reunion

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

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...

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

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!

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

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

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