And if you arrived at our Swimming St. Clair website, there is a good chance you've probably met Ric Geyer. Ric, 54, is an entrepreneurial father of six, a Master Swimmer, and as I recently discovered, a Master Delegater.
Ric has known for three years that his eight year old son, Rickie has cystic fibrosis*.
*If you would like more information about cystic fibrosis, your best bet would be to head over to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation where you can find an easy to understand explanation of cystic fibrosis along with a page of frequently asked questions.
The reality of cystic fibrosis is that kids like Rickie typically need a lung replacement at some point in their lives. The purpose of the trust fund is to help prepare financially for that day. Or, if you would like to support the national cystic fibrosis organization we can easily point you in that direction.
Back up, let me introduce myself. My name is Carrie, a writer who has been blessed with the gift of taking creative liberties. One liberty I have already starting implementing is that I will try very hard not use capital letters when I refer to cystic fibrosis. Capital letters, like exclamation points should only be used when deserved. I think cystic fibrosis already has way too much power!
So now you've met Ric. And me. I'll tell you more about the family later.
I've known Rickie and his family for about a year and a half. I've talked to them on the phone, exchanged snail-mail, e-mail, pictures, and life stories. And this week I left the safety of my own little city in Wisconsin and traveled via train all the way over to Grosse Pointe Michigan to meet Rickie, Carey Sue, Ric, Gavin, Chelsea, Hannah, Ali, and Chloe. Seriously, this is probably the bravest thing I have ever done. It doesn't compare to Swimming St. Clair or having cystic fibrosis but I am definitely out of my comfort zone.
I've been working on this blog for a few days and I didn't want to have it revealed until it was all cool and amazing and hopefully I would be able to dazzle you with creative brilliance and you would want to cheerfully donate to this spectacular fundraiser. However, Ric won't let me wait until things are all super duper before I go public. After all, cystic fibrosis didn't wait until Rickie Geyer had his act together.
Have you met Rickie? He is Ric's youngest son and the driving force behind Swimming St. Clair. At first glance, Rickie is a regular kid. Extremely regular. Like blending in with the crowd kind of regular. He's just Rickie. His parents made that decision. They didn't want him to be known as Rickie, the kid with cystic fibrosis. Eight year old Rickie does everything my eight year old Harrison does. Sports, bikes, die cast cars, ninjas, all the usual guys stuff. In fact, to the untrained, it would be difficult to notice a difference. In fact, Rickie's mother Carey and Ric searched for years before they received their son's diagnosis. So when Rickie's parents are determined not to let the disease dictate the definition, reality is that Rickie is just Rickie. He's Rickie the Cub Scout, Rickie the Super Hero, Rickie the Video Gamer. Rickie Geyer, who happens to have cystic fibrosis.
Now let's get back to why you are here right now. Last year Ric, along with five other men, swam across Lake St. Clair to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis and to build a medical trust fund. My job is to keep you informed and entertained. I'll be updating the site regularly with more information as the event gets closer. You'll have a chance to meet the swimmers and an opportunity to ask them questions about their preparations.
In the meantime, I've included pictures that I've taken of Rickie during my visit. The last picture is of almost eight year old Rickie with my two youngest kids, Harrison age eight, and Haley age six. We are very close to adding the information that will allow us to add the ability to donate via PayPal.
Be sure to bookmark this site, come back often, ask questions, and give. If you can't afford to give financially, we will gladly welcome your time or your talent!
P.S. If you navigate your way towards us today, could you take a second and leave a comment? I'd love to make sure people know where we are!
