HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

2011 was a great year…

Team O’Connell had a very successful and exciting 2011!  We have over $80,000 in the bank with more contributions expected later this week through corporate matches which will hopefully get us to $90,000+.  Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is closing their 2011 books officially on January 11, 2012 so we still have a shot at hitting our goal of raising $100,000!  When Kellene set out to raise $100,000 in 2011 I knew we had a big stretch goal in front of us, but I also knew that Kellene could drive that number better than anyone!  We are extremely proud and quite overwhelmed by the support we have received and continue to receive from our friends and family; without the support of Team O’Connell behind us we never could have even considered setting out to raise $100k in one year!  Based upon support we received at some of the CFF events that didn’t get credited directly to Team O’Connell, we can confidently say that we hit/exceeded our goal of $100,000 raised in 2011…hats off to all of you and especially to Kellene for raising the bar!  In the past four years, Team O’Connell has raised over $250,000!!!!!

The amazing success we experienced in 2011 will help make even further medical advances for the CFF drug pipeline and ultimately help to add tomorrows for those affected by Cystic Fibrosis.  There were tremendous medical breakthroughs for drugs in the CF pipeline and one, in particular, that proved science is able to cure the genetic defect that creates symptoms in CF patients.  $.90 of every dollar we raised this year goes toward researching and developing new drugs to help make CF stand for Cure Found and Team O’Connell is responsible for at least $90,000 of R&D money for Cystic Fibrosis!  This is an incredible accomplishment and we have Team O’Connell to thank for all of our success!  Team O’Connell is our ROCK and without each and every one of you behind us we could not find the strength to continue fighting through the daily grind of Cystic Fibrosis…THANKS!

Brady’s year in health…

2011 started out great and then in late March Brady had his first admission into Children’s Memorial Hospital.  It was a quick stay and Brady’s team of CF doctors was able to get his GI issues cleared up so we could go home and focus on some new changes to Brady’s diet and routine.  The hospital stay was a wake-up call for Kellene and I that CF can rear its ugly head in the blink of an eye and without any warning at all! Brady handled the whole experience with the same determination and perseverance we have seen since the very first day he was born!  Brady’s doctors often comment on his strength and energy!

Brady took on the summer with the same determination and ENERGY he applies to fighting CF! Brady ran and swam all summer long so he didn’t even have time to get sick!  We enjoyed several weekends in Lake Geneva and Brady met lots of new friends on the beach, as well as some others who weren’t so interested in trying to keep up with Brady!

After a very busy summer and several bouts of ear infections in the fall, Brady’s team of doctors suggested we consider getting his adenoids removed and get tubes in his ears to help the fluids and bacteria drain better.  This is common for children his age to alleviate ear/sinus infections.   Brady was like an old veteran running down the halls of Children’s on the day of his surgery.  After a few hours we were back home again RUNNING around and playing as if nothing had happened.

We enjoyed a few weeks without any ear infections or colds after the tubes were in and adenoids shrunk, but November and December left Brady battling cold after cold and yet not slowing him down much at all!  Brady has been taking extra antibiotics, probiotics and extra nebulizer and vest treatments to prevent Pseudomonas from spreading or other new bacteria from setting up camp in his lungs!   Minor colds can wake this ugly beast called Pseudomonas and cause severe damage to Brady’s lungs.  In order to keep the beast asleep we treat him with extra antibiotics to keep his lungs healthy.

2012, here we come…

Brady turns 3 years old and he is also going to be a big brother in March and we’re very excited to meet the newest member of the O’Connell family!  We still don’t know if we are having a boy or a girl, but we do know the baby doesn’t have CF…we’re hoping for a healthy baby to bring us the same joy, laughter and excitement we have experienced with Brady!

Team O’Connell will be in full force again this year and while we haven’t decided on our fundraising goal, we do know that it’s going to be a big year for us!  Stay tuned for news on our upcoming committee recruitment meetings, events and updates!

THANK YOU FOR A GREAT 2011 AND FOR HELPING US TAKE SIGNIFICANT STEPS TOWARD MAKING CF STAND FOR CURE FOUND!!!!!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Love,
Matt, Kellene and Brady

SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR…

Happy Thanksgiving Team O’Connell!

We have so much to be thankful for this year and we’ll do our best to express our gratitude in this post.  First and foremost, we have a healthy and resilient CF boy who is determined to beat Cystic Fibrosis and to make CF stand for Cure Found! Brady is 2 1/2 now and a very energetic boy who loves life and he is absolutely up for the challenges CF throws his way!  Thanksgiving has given us the opportunity to reflect on all that Brady has endured and the tremendous support we have received over the past 2 1/2 years from our family and friends.  We have met some incredible new friends along the way too and the support we receive from everyone helps us fight CF with everything we have each and every day.  Words cannot express our gratitude appropriately enough; we can honestly say without you as our ROCK we could not fight CF with the same rigor we do today…THANK YOU!

In January we set a goal of $100,000 for Team O’Connell this year and we’re proud to say we have nearly reached our goal!  While we haven’t reached our goal yet, we’re still very proud of everything we have accomplished and we could not have made the progress we have if it wasn’t for each and every one of you…THANK YOU!  This past weekend we hosted our final fundraising event of the year and it was a HUGE success…raising over $12,000 at Trivia Night!

We continue to fight this ugly disease with all of our might and we find our strength from Brady and from all of you…you’re an AMAZING team and we’re very thankful for helping us get closer to the Cure Found Party…THANK YOU!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING…and thanks for giving us so much to be thankful for!

Love,
Matt, Kellene and Brady

Finishing Strong…

Do you have your Trivia tickets yet? They are going fast!  Please join us as we end the year within reach of our $100,000 goal to help find a CURE for CYSTIC FIBROSIS!  Below you will find details for our upcoming trivia night and then a full update on Bradyman…

TRIVIA NIGHT DETAILS

• Tables of 8
• If you cannot fill a table of 8 people, do not worry…email kcada@yahoo.com and we will get you on a team!
• Doors open at 7:30PM – Trivia Starts at 8:00PM
• Wine, Beer and Soft drinks provided by Team O’Connell
• Feel free to bring addtional drinks(BYO) or food for your teammates
• Raffle and Split the Pot Tickets available for purchase

Friday, November 18, 2011
Western Springs Village Club
4221 Lawn Avenue
Western Springs

Individual Tickets: $40

Team/Table of 8: $280

PARTICIPATING SPONSORS:

CROSSROADS TRIVIA

THREE FLOYDS BREWING

BURKE BEVERAGE

MALLOY’S FINEST WINE AND SPIRITS

PURCHASE TICKETS AT:

http://grillinois.cff.org/Trivia

or

Send a check to:
4144 Park Avenue
Brookfield, IL 60513
Payable to: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Brady had a fabulous Halloween! He was a LION and demonstrated to anyone that would listen how he could ROAR! We always love seeing Brady on Halloween because for that one day every year he makes us forget about Cystic Fibrosis! He eats tons of candy and runs around being a kid without a worry in the world! As parents, we LOVE to see it. We are determined to find a CURE for this disease and let Brady run free of Cystic Fibrosis.

On the health front…Brady has fought to stay healthy the last couple of months with ear and sinus infections. His CF doctors want
him to get ear tubes and his adenoids removed to help Brady stay healthy and not be on antibiotics for months and months. He is already on enough antibiotics to beat Pseudomonas and other CF-related illnesses that his doctors are afraid he will build a resistance to antibiotics that are needed in the future.  Surgery is scheduled in a few weeks. Not to worry everyone…his energy has not diminished! He is still our wild boy even if he is sick!

As always, without our support of family and friends we would not be where we are today. Thank you for all you do…

Kellene O’Connell

Team O’Connell

www.bradyoc.wordpress.com

Game On…

Team O’Connell has been hard at work getting closer to our $100,000 goal by the end of 2011.  Thanks again to all of our supporters, we’re making tremendous progress!  We especially want to thank Bridget Conway, Cindy Maquet, Mary Atseff, Jo Maietta and the Dan O’Connell family for raising additional funds for Team O’Connell in the past 3 months. We are so very thankful for your efforts!

We have one final event to end out 2011 and we hope you all can join us for our Inaugural Trivia Night Friday, November 18th. Tables are selling fast for this fun-filled event – be sure to get your tickets early and reserve your tables! 

- Tables of 8 

- If you cannot fill a table of 8 people, do not worry!  Just email kcada@yahoo.com and we will fill your table.

 - Doors open at 7:30PM – Trivia Starts at 8:00PM

 - Casual Attire required

 - Wine, Beer and Soft drinks provided by Team O’Connell

 - Feel free to bring additional drinks(BYO) or food for your teammates.

 - Raffle and Split the Pot Tickets available for purchase.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Western Springs Village Club
4221 Lawn Avenue
Western Springs

Individual Tickets: $40
Team/Table of 8: $280

PARTICIPATING  SPONSORS:

CROSSROADS TRIVIA
THREE FLOYDS BREWING
BURKE BEVERAGE
MALLOY’S FINEST WINE AND SPIRITS

PURCHASE TICKETS AT:

http://grillinois.cff.org/Trivia

or

Send a check to:

4144 Park Avenue
Brookfield, IL 60513
Payable to: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

As always, thanks for your continued support to help us find a cure!  Brady lost his great-grandfather, Papa Frintner this past weekend. Brady was fortunate enough in two short years to develop a great bond with his papa. The two of them were able to be fighters together! Brady will continue to fight to find a cure in honor of Papa Frintner.

Team O’Connell

Summer is over…

Hope everyone had a fantastic summer! Brady was very busy this summer. He spent lot of time in Lake Geneva, at the pool with friends and getting into trouble! Brady just had his first day of school (2 days a week) on Thursday…didn’t shed a tear. He ran out of the car and didn’t look back!

Most of you probably received our Team O’Connell newsletter via email. If you did not we included it below! Lots of fun events coming this fall! If you wish to be on our mailing list please email Kellene at kcada@yahoo.com.

Team O’Connell is looking for volunteers with any graphic design experience that would want to help with Team OC event logos and event flyers. If you are interested or know of someone, please email Kellene at kcada@yahoo.com

Dear Team O’Connell,

Thank you for your continued dedication to help us make CF stand for “Cure Found.”  Because of your support and donations we have raised approximately $65,000 this year.  We made a commitment to Brady earlier in 2011 that we would raise $100,000. Surprisingly, our two year old son is holding us to it! Together with our friends and families we have planned four upcoming fun-filled events that will push Team O’Connell towards our goal! Pick out your favorite event(s) and help us find a CURE!

October Events

Ladies’ Night Out – Thursday, Oct. 6

Tastefully Simple and Stella and Dot have joined forces and will be hosting a Ladies’ Night Out to benefit Team O’Connell.  Please join Brady and Emmett’s family and friends as we kick-off the holiday season!  A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Tastefully Simple and Stella and Dot will go to Team O’Connell. Get a head start on your holiday shopping and get ready to Shop for a good cause!

Date: Thursday, Oct 6
Location: 5139 Ellington – Western Springs
Time: 7:00PM

Cocktails for a Cure - Saturday, Oct. 15

Brady and Emmett’s cousins are hosting “Cocktails for a Cure” at Donovan’s Bar in dowtown Chicago!  Come on out and enjoy a 3 hour bar package which includes unlimited beer, wine, and well drinks for only $30.  A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit Team O’Connell!

Date: Saturday, Oct 15
Location: Donovan’s – 2100 W. Irving Park – Chicago
Time: 7:30PM

November Events

UnCork the Cure – Saturday Nov. 12

We are co-chairing this fun event once again! For all you wine-lovers..this event is for you!  This evening will include an incredible selection of international and domestic wines and delicious hors d’oeuvres. From wine novices to advanced wine enthusiasts, Uncork the Cure is a casual and fun evening for all!

Date: Saturday, Nov. 12
Location: Harry Caray’s – 70 Yorktown Center – Lombard
Time: 7PM-10PM

For Tickets: http://grillinois.cff.org/uncorknaperville
**Discounted tickets until Sept. 15

Trivia Night – Friday, Nov. 18

We are very excited for this new event!  The Team O’Connell committee has been working very hard this summer to plan a fun-filled evening!  Get your teams lined up…we are ready to crown this year’s 1st ever Team OC Trivia Night KING/QUEEN!

Date: Friday, Nov. 18
Location: Western Springs Village Club – 4221 Lawn Avenue
Time: 7:30PM

Tickets will be available for purchase at the door.  An email will be sent out in the coming weeks so teams can purchase their tickets online.

Lovin’ Summer!

Hello Team O’Connell…hope everyone is enjoying their summer!  Brady, as most of you know, is a very ACTIVE young boy and loves the outdoors!  He spends his days at the pool soaking up the sun!  We just returned from a week-long summer vacation where Brady was able to see lots of family and of course…ride on “Pa’s Boat”. 

CF reared its ugly head the week before vacation when we received a call from Brady’s doctor stating his Pseudomonas had returned after 6 months of no infections in the lungs.  Matt and I definitely were shocked at the news, we thought we had knocked it out for good.  However, Brady gave us a pep talk and we are back on the road to keep his lungs healthy for fighting this deadly disease.

Team O’Connell’s committee has been hard at work all summer long with new events that will raise even more money to find a CURE for CF.   If you are interested in becoming a part of the this committee please email oconnell.team@yahoo.com.  Also, if you know of anyone who would still like to donate to Team O’Connell click on the left column on the homepage under “Great Strides”.

Enjoy the Summer!
Kellene, Matt and Brady

THANK YOU!

WOW!

Team O’Connell had a great weekend starting with an awesome turnout Friday night, celebrating our successes from the party, and then an awesome day at the walk Saturday.  We still have work to do toward our $100,000 goal this year, but we made a significant dent in the number thanks to the tremendous turnout and support from our family and friends.

Based upon the remaining wristbands from Friday night we’re estimating 300+ people showed up to Molly Malone’s in support of CF!  We’re experiencing the same “problem” each year and it’s a problem I can certainly live with – we have outgrown yet another venue!  We have already begun planning for next year and strategizing ways to improve the experience for our guests and raise more money to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis along the way too!  We will be reaching out to those who bid on auction items and weren’t present when the auction closed. Thank you to everyone who donated auction/raffle items and thank you to everyone who bid on those items too.  There were great deals on trips and auction items when the tables closed and we’ll be reaching out to anyone we didn’t check-out at the end of the night.

Winning ticket?! Click the image to see the rest of the photos from the night—including ones from the dance contest:)

Saturday morning came quickly for Team O’Connell and we still had upwards of 100 people walk with us in Naperville after a long night of fundraising Friday night!  This was another testament to the often overwhelming show of support we feel from our family and friends as we get even closer to finding a cure for CF!  The weather mostly cooperated with us Saturday aside from some light showers after the walk, but Brady and Emmett were still able to play with their friends at the park and enjoy a great day of progress toward making CF stand for Cure Found!

We raised nearly $65,000 this weekend which is where we finished all of last year.  We’re on our way to reaching our goal of $100,000 and I am confident we can get there!  Thank you for your continued thoughts, prayers, love and support!  In addition to a great night of fundraising and making great progress in our fight against CF, we had a great time with everyone!

Team O’Connell Kick-Off Weekend

We are officially 5 days away from the 4th Annual Team O’Connell Great Strides Celebration.  Team O’Connell was initially created 4 years ago and named Team Emmett in support of R. Emmett O’Connell, III when he was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis 6 weeks after birth.  At that time we really only knew that CF was fatal and the good news was that life expectancy for CF kids born then had improved to 35 years old.  Imagine being told that the good news about your 6 week old child’s diagnosis is that he could live to be 35…that was the GOOD NEWS!  Well, imagine no more for Kellene and I…Brady Matthew O’Connell was born with CF a couple years later and we were told two days after birth that the life expectancy was now 37 years old!  In March of 2009 we changed the team name to Team O’Connell in support of both Emmett and Brady – cousins born with tremendous courage, strength, determination and….CF!!!!!!

The good news today in the CF community is centered around the recent medical advancements aimed at correcting the basic genetic defect known to be responsible for Cystic Fibrosis.  The most recent clinical trial will have an immediate impact on “only” 4% of CF patients with a specific genetic mutation, but more importantly is the impact this groundbreaking research has on all CF gene mutations – science can correct the defect!!!!  This is exactly the momentum we need for a CURE and the generous donations and support we receive from so many wonderful people like you is how we’re getting there!  Please continue to support our efforts and keep the momentum growing to help Brady, Emmett and the rest of the 30,000 CF patients in the US fight to live a healthy life.

Please join us Friday night for the kick-off party or visit our Great Strides website by clicking the logo in the right margin and make a donation to help keep the momentum growing!!!!!

Team O’Connell Kick-Off Party
Friday, May 20th @ 6:00 – ?
Molly Malone’s – 7652 Madison St, Forest Park
**$10 Donation at the Door with 100% going to CF
**Beverages and Appetizers have been donated

Team O’Connell Walk
Saturday, May 21st @ 10:00AM
Centennial Park River Walk – Naperville
***Please wear your Team O’Connell t-shirts
***Fun activities for kids and families at Centennial Park following the walk

TEAM O’CONNELL

Brady is doing great and even though he spent much of April fighting colds and going through many extra treatments, antibiotics, doctor visits, etc… He fought through it all like a champ and we’re pumped for an AWESOME MAY!

Please watch our new video to see how how much progress Brady has made over the past 2 years!  We look forward to seeing everyone at the Kick-Off Party at Molly Malone’s on Friday, May 20th.  We have already secured some GREAT auction items and raffle prizes for the party and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone!  The walk is in Naperville the following morning and we’re looking forward to that too, especially after a big night of celebrating with our friends and family!  Click on the Great Strides logo in the right margin for more information.

Team O’Connell Kick-Off Party
Friday, May 20th @ 6:00 – ?
Molly Malone’s – 7652 Madison St, Forest Park
**$10 Donation at the Door with 100% going to CF
**Beverages and Appetizers have been donated

I’M TWO!!!!

March has been an awesome month of celebration for us!  We celebrated Brady’s 2nd Birthday on March 13th, St. Patrick’s Day March 17th and then I went to Washington, DC for the CF Foundation’s Volunteer Leadership Conference to celebrate the great accomplishments of this past year! 

Brady is battling a pretty fierce cough and while we’re confident it’s just the tail end of a cold, the words typical cold don’t apply when dealing with CF.  Our main priority with Brady is keeping his lungs clean of bacteria which I believe most of us take for granted.  I don’t take Brady’s resiliency for granted so while I’m confident he will be okay, we’re monitoring his health closely.  We’re going to clinic April 1st and we’re really looking f0rward to getting a full report on Brady’s health, weight and height for the official rankings too.  We’re hopeful Brady will be off the charts in every category but it will be really nice to know for sure! 

I was reminded this past weekend of the reality CF presents families all over the country and I was completely blown away by the support we receive nationally from families who lost their battle againt CF and from people without a direct connection to anyone with the disease.  CF has claimed too many lives and Team O’Connell is determined to make CF stand for Cure Found - the Cure Found Party is going to be an absolute blast!

We have a HUGE year of fundraising ahead of us and the past couple weeks have been a great opportunity for us to acknowledge everything we have been through and how far we all have come in 2 short years.  We greatly appreciate the tremendous support we have received from family and friends and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone again May 20th at the Great Strides Kick-Off Party at Molly Malone’s in Forest Park and May 21st at the Great Strides Walk in Naperville.

Please click on the Great Strides logo in the right margin for more information about the walk in May and to donate. We hope to see everyone soon and we appreciate your continued support!

Love,
Team O’Connell