Make sure you check out my blog at http://www.youtube.com/SarahJean1976

If you haven’t checked it out, make sure you check this out!!! it is AMAZING!!! We are closer to a cure than we have EVER been!!!

I have a cold like no other I have had in a very long time. I am quickly reminded of how lucky I am to have such great health…
Two weeks ago I went into the hospital because I was going to be a part of the Vertex 770 study. I was so SO excited to be a part of such an amazing study… So I am there and go to do my PFTs… the highest I have been in the last 10 years is 68% and that was in primo shape!!! I BLEW A 72%!!! I could not believe it!!! I cried…
A couple days later we lost my grampa George… a very sad day for my family… My his soul rest in peace… After a day of sad and crying I started feeling feverish and I could feel that my lungs were swollen… and there it was… lurking in the darkness… A COLD!!!
So here I am, 10 days later… and finally feeling better… though the cough I have is still terrible… and I feel SO TIRED!!! I step on the scale today… 122 lbs!!! EEKKK!!! I am on a mission to regain my weight and my lung capasity… but it is just a reminder for all of you out there that think, “But you look so healthy…”
Thank you all and I hope to be on here alittle more in 2010!!!
xoxo
Sarah Jean

I have received so much positive feedback about my video (see below) and I want to thank you so much if you find yourself on our page!!! Please feel free to go to “contact us” and send me a message… I love hearing from you all…
xoxo
Sarah Jean

Yesterday I celebrated 33 years of fighting and living and loving… We lost some of our most precious fighters over the last few months… but that is why we fight!!!
I want to thank you all so much for all the love (even though you don’t leave comments)and support over the years…
We are hitting mile stones everyday and everyday is a new better greater day!!! I love you all with all my heart and wanted you to know, that if you are reading this… YOU are one of the reasons I will kick CF’s A$$ for another 33 years!!!
XOXO
Sarah Jean

A great friend of mine that I love dearly, wrote this tonight and it hit home for me because of the last month or two of devastation our community has expirenced with losing so many of our warriors… I want to share it with you… Love you Aimee Lecointre!!!

“I know that I fight CF everyday not just for myself, friends, and family but everyone who has lost the fight.”

Jody with wonderful husband Sean and her beautiful niece Marisol

Friends, Family Plan Benefit for Jody (Tanner) Karla Memorial Scholarship

Donations Requested for Event Auction to Create a Scholarship in the Name of Beloved Teacher

 Friends and family of Jody (Tanner) Karla are seeking donations from area businesses for a fundraiser to raise money for a scholarship in her memory.  The scholarship will help students pursuing a teaching degree. The fundraiser, to be held on New Year’s Eve, will feature a silent auction. 

 Jody succumbed to her courageous battle with cystic fibrosis at the age of 32 on September 25, 2009 while awaiting a lung transplant.  She was a 1995 graduate of Ilion High School and graduated cum laude from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and mathematics education.  She was a graduate of Le Moyne College with a master’s degree in secondary education. For the past ten years, she taught mathematics at Marcellus High School where she was a beloved teacher by all of the students and staff.

 “The courage and perseverance Jody displayed throughout her life was truly amazing and something that should be recognized,” said Laura Luke, a life-long friend and organizer of the fundraiser.  “We have started a scholarship in her name at Ilion High School so her legacy can live on and provide assistance to students pursuing a teaching degree.  We hope to enlist the support of our area residents and businesses so we may truly honor Jody’s memory.”

 The fundraiser will be held at 7pm on December 31st, 2008 at the Ilion Knights of Columbus and will feature a silent auction, live entertainment by Jon Leibing and DJ, hors d’oeuvres, and a free champagne toast at midnight.  The committee hopes to raise at least $20,000, which will provide approximately forty $500 scholarships over the next several years.

 Local businesses and individuals who would like to make monetary donations to the “Jody Karla Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser” should contact Laura Luke, committee chair, at 733-7913 or email jodykarlascholarship@yahoo.com.  Committee members will also be visiting and calling businesses during an outreach campaign over the next several weeks to collect donations for this very special event.  All sponsors will be recognized in the event program for their generosity. 

 Tickets to attend the fundraiser are $30 per person or $50 per couple and will be available starting November 16.  Those interested in attending the fundraiser may buy tickets at the following businesses: Mohawk Valley Nurse Practitioners in Utica; Lennox Pharmacy and Day Scarafile, and Read in Ilion.

 To make a donation or purchase tickets, interested parties can send checks to the committee chair at the following address: ATTN: Jody Karla Scholarship Fund, 1 Notre Dame Lane, Utica, NY 13502.  Checks should be made payable to Jody Karla Scholarship Fund c/o Laura Luke.

 Diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at 14, Jody did not let her illness stand in the way of her dreams.  A cheerleader and academic star throughout high school, the homecoming queen married her high school sweetheart, Sean Karla, in 2004.  Jody’s academic successes earned herself a scholarship to Syracuse University where she continued to excel in every way.

 While at Syracuse University, Jody was a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society, Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society and Eta Pi Upsilon Women’s Leadership Honorary. She was a student peer advisor for the School of Education and was a member of the Academy of Mathematics Education and was a member of the Academy of Mathematics Education. She was a recipient of the Chancellor’s Scholarship and the Senior Honors Scholarship.

 She continued her love of mathematics at Marcellus High School, where she loved teaching as much as the students loved her. At Marcellus, Jody served as a class advisor, mathematics league advisor, helped supervise school activities and assisted with coaching. Jody was also employed by Onondaga Community College as a math teacher for SAT exam students.

 For more information regarding the “Jody Karla Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser,” please visit www.jodytannerkarla.webs.com

I could go on and on about my belief on all the sad videos out there, but I will refrain… I just get so worried about the little ones with CF… When I was growing up, I didn’t have the internet… I had my parents. I had what my parents taught me… which was that I was no different than any other kid out there… I had surely NEVER heard that CF was going to kill me!!! Now you read about it and that is all there is… So here is my contribution to the CF community… xoxo~ Sarah Jean

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com