Chicago Fundraiser: Cystic Dreams Fund Inc.

The Cystic Dreams Fund Inc is a 501c(3) organization whose mission is to provide financial assistance to Cystic Fibrosis patients struggling with the financial burden that comes with trying to fight against the currently incurable disease.


For folks that don’t know about the disease, from the National Institute of Health website:

“Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disease of the mucus and sweat glands. It affects mostly your lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, sinuses and sex organs. CF causes your mucus to be thick and sticky. The mucus clogs the lungs, causing breathing problems and making it easy for bacteria to grow. This can lead to problems such as repeated lung infections and lung damage. “

My longtime friend, Paul Mooney , suffered from CF his entire life. He constantly battled with doctors over his treatment while battling the disease. Another battle was the chronic one he fought with his finances. Insurance coverage for older CFers can be near impossible to come by and without the financial support of friends and family; Paul would have lost his battle long before he did. In typical Paul fashion, he thought of those that didn’t have a reservoir – even a limited one – of family and friends to enable them to receive the treatment they need. The Fund, established by his family in his memory after his death, intends to help fill this gap for people.

The Fund’s first major fundraiser is going to be held in Chicago, Paul’s adopted home town, on March 27 from 7:30PM to 11:30PM at the Lincoln Tap Room at 3010 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, IL. In addition to being a gifted writer, Paul wrote and performed songs framed by his experiences (you can purchase his posthumously released album  here) and fabulous musicians, Dorian Taj and For Pilots will be performing the entire album during the benefit. There will be a silent auction as well so if anyone in Chicagoland wants to donate items for the auction, you can contact me or the Fund directly through their website. We’ll take just about anything – and we’d especially take a visit by you to the Lincoln Tap Room. Come enjoy some great music and musicians while supporting a great cause.  Of course you can always contribute directly to the Fund through the website as well.  Thank you for the support and I’ll see you there!

Farewell Chicago!

It's official. Balmoral and Maywood are both part of I Am Woman's past. While looking forward to what Tioga and, possibly later on Pennsylvania, may bring, there will be a fond spot for Chicago - Balmoral in particular, that will remain in my heart.

As she ships off for Tioga, the memory of her three straight wins to lead off 2009 still brings a smile to my face. I was fortunate enough to be at one of those wins. In fact it remains her lifetime best mark. I wish I had a chance to get to Maywood. The experience at Balmoral, the swirling snow notwithstanding, was excellent. The physical plant was large and comfortable and the place had a welcoming racing 'feel' to it. It would have been nice to get a sense of Maywood.

It also would have been nice to get to know the Thoroughbred side of Chicago. A friend of mine runs there and loves it. So, I teed it up with trainer at the ready (Tammy Domenosky - tearing things up at Hawthorne at the moment: 24 starts - 30% winners and 19 in the money finishes), but the bottom dropped out of the economy and partners were tough to come by. It happens. I don't know if Tammy is going to come back to Canterbury or stay for Arlington, but I think that's the plan for the summer and we'll touch base again to see if she'd be willing to train for us in the Fall back at Hawthorne.

I'd like to race in Chicago and would love to have an excuse to visit more often. Those of you folks that jumped on for the ride here, thanks for your support and I hope you continue to follow our progress. Anyone that wants to get more involved - drop me a line, we'd love to have you on board.

Thanks for the memories and here's to the future: Cheers!