JOA's Happenings
Look How Far We've Come
Spring is here baby ~ we have some great news! April 2011
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What great news we have to share ~ just look around ~ ANYWHERE ~ you find Spring, you find those reliable perennials, you find the greenness in grass that we have missed for six months, you get to smell that ‘new car’
smell…. Only outside in the air!!
Yes, stating the obvious ~ it is Spring and yep, we are blessed to get another one! There is so much that is going on at JOA it is kinda like Spring, happening so fast, so abundantly that it is almost overwhelming but I guess kind of comfortable at the same time…. Like when you pull in your driveway and see those daffodils and think, huh, how did I miss them blooming and yet, there they are…. Well that is kinda like our news…. Kinda expected but kinda missed the Bang ….all at the same time…. Well here it is….
We hit it baby!
$100,000 donated to the MDA, PPMD and JDRF combined since our start in May 2008!
And when I say we ~ I don’t mean, Tony, Rutger, John Owen, Wade and I ~ I mean ~~~ YOU!!!!
You taking the time out of your day to read our emails, respond to our pleas, attending our Picnic ~ you got us to that awesome goal!!
One treasured 13 year old helped us get to our goal a bit 
sooner …. Keri Schultz decided to dedicate her 13 year old Birthday party to JOA and asked her guests, in lieu of gifts, to donate to JOA!!!! And $600 bucks later……ok just have to ask…How many 13 year olds do you know that would give up 600 big ones? She is an amazing blessing!! Thank you Keri!
Of course, we can't forget our first marathon dad~You know Joe Vasil is running back to back marathons for Owen - that is 52.4 miles in 48 hours, please click here to keep track of his progress!
And you know, the JOA Train is NOT stopping any time soon ~ we have 3 great JOA events planned this year…
JOA Mo Joe Marathon Kicks off Late April 2011
Think you can’t complete a marathon – think again! This event is open to all ages and fitness levels ~ seriously all levels… I am doing it.. Tony is doing it… John Owen is doing it ~~ as are Rutger and Wade ~~~ if we can do it, so can you… check it out and register ASAP~ click to register on line!
This event is to support our first Marathon Dad, Joe Vasil, who is running a back to back marathon for JO ~ raising $10 G’s along the way…. CLICK IT for the flier and registration form!! Are you a coach or a leader of a kid’s group? 
If so get your team involved in this way cool marathon!
Ø Mo Joe Happy Hour May 19 (Adults only)
Panini’s Mayfield Happy Hour event to support our marathon dad, Joe Vasil - Click here for the flier and please rsvp to jen@joainc.org
JOA Picnic in the Park Friday July 29 ~~~ Friday Night!!!
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The main event of the year! Our fourth annual picnic is free to attend and will be another showstopper with Lawless, Famous Dave’s, awesome raffles and fun! To volunteer – click here!! Thanks ya’ll! Btw ~we are still accepting product donations ~ please ask your employer if they can donate ~click, print and ask :)thanks!
Ok…. Now that you know what is going on at JOA… here is the latest on the boys
John Owen is doing fabulously at St. Albert the Great under the awesome care of Mrs. Beskid, Mrs. Galloway and all the beautiful staff!
We were honored to attend the ERA LENTZ MDA Gala this month where Owen was the center of attention ~ that was such an amazing evening!!
He has taken up sports at Youth Challenge in Westlake – where he gets to do just about any sport that strikes his fancy!
Wade is still a NUT ~ NUT NUT NUT ~ continues to dream of being a swordsman for a living to protect us from the bad guys. He is doing very well at Royal Redeemer and loves his teachers. He found a best buddy at school, Joseph and constantly talks about his best friend!!
Rutger is great ~ he is so mature. Third grade is rocking for him and he has taken off as a great reader. He did great in his first year of wrestling and getting the baseball season ready to go! 
All the boys are ready for summer and though they have about 2 months of school to go ~ they are READY for summer: sleeping in, swimming and playing… oh and the food fight we have scheduled with the Winter’s in Mid July – it seems to be the topic of conversation at least once a week.
I do have to tell ya, there are so many country songs out now a days that make me think of Owen... but this one gets me every time....the Sarah Evan’s song, A Little Bit Stronger…. It feels like it is his heart telling his muscles where to go….ya 
know … how they let that heart of his down when his legs give out on the gravel driveway and tear up his knees…He is saying…. Ya know “I am done hoping that we can work it out”…. Thinking that those damn muscles are abandoning him… but then his heart says – “I will not let it get me down....I’m telling myself I’ll be okay … even on my weakest days…. I get a little bit stronger”
….and that is absolutely his Spirit ~ he is so STRONG and Determined!
So with Spring here…. Lets shoo those DMD vibes away and tell um “I’m better off without you, baby” It is because of you ~ we as a family are Stronger…..keep those prayers coming and the promise of tomorrow for all in our DMD family.
Especially pray for Joe Vasil – as he runs 52.4 on 10/1 and 10/2 - feel the love and get your MO JOE ON !!!!!! We so hope to see you at one of our events this year!
Thanks always for all you do, much love….Oh ~ if you are in the neighborhood ~ Stop by ANY TIME we love to see you!!
Lets Kick it in 2011 - Here we Come! 1/19/2011
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I can say honestly, I miss this…. We usually do not wait this long to send an update, but life has been so……… Good, that we have not had the time to reach out. So now, I sit in our great room as the younger boys are winding down for the night, Tony and Roo are at wrestling and I am here with you ~ wrestling with the idea of the new power operated, three wheeled apparatus in our great room (I will get to that) and I am good.
So lets start! First and foremost ~ we so hope your Christmas Season was everything you wanted it to be and that you will hold the
joy you felt on Christmas Day every day in 2011. That itself is a hard task with all that is happening around us ~ but reflecting on the birth of Christ throughout the year does make this a better place!
We are well and completely enjoyed our December! We had a houseful all December and into January with family and friends. It is so wonderful (as we get ‘older’) to relish in the joy of company, laughter and good times. Hard to believe that it is all over and as Wade said, “you mean we have to wait a whole year to do it again?” that is the hard part!
I will say that we are cautiously optimistic about several things for 2011 ~ First is the economy, second is our beloved DMD research. Our
major benefactors, the MDA and PPMD have great updates on DMD research (click the names for more info) and not sure if you caught the Cadillac commercials with Clay Matthews III, but Cure Duchenne has made amazing strides in spreading the DMD word!!! YAY
From the JOA front ~We continue to be grateful for our Marathon Moms Julie and Lori & our Coach to Cure party on 11/13 ~ what a blast! We may have more football parties in the future!!! Thanks to all that helped to send over $7,000 to PPMD research!
The most amazing email came to us late December. I want all of you to close your eyes and consider running 52.4 miles in 2 days – not walking – running… impossible? Not for Joe Vasil, a St. Albert dad and husband. He is running back to back marathons for J
ohn Owen, New Hampshire Marathon on October 1st, then the Maine Marathon on October 2nd via PPMD Run for our Sons. Joe was inspired by our Marathon Mom – Julie Reardon, and sent a message to us late December that his goal was to have his 31st and 32nd marathons – yeah baby - dedicated to JO! And if that was not enough… to raise $10,000 in the mean time….. Anyone venture a guess to how we felt? Click here for Joe’s PPMD site. What is beyond amazing is that he raised over 3,000 in less than one week …. God is good – as is Mo Joe!
We are gearing up for the Picnic in the Park on July 29, 2011. We have really focused on this event as our sole event this year, we have our pledge request ready. If you are able to help out – please click here and or give to your employer! The more sponsors, the more success!
We of course will be involved with Joe’s Run for our son’s events, but we decided to pare it down a bit. However, we are more than open to any suggestions; our JOA fan’s are always good for a night 
out!
Speaking of night out! Many thanks to Max & Erma’s for hosting JOA fans at their Middleburg Hts and Westlake locations on 12/9. This event, set up by our friend Laura Falkinburg, brought in some great memories, food and cash for JOA!! Thanks to all that came out to support us and thanks Laura~! Please check out Brad Falkinburg's new webpage - many of you bid on his bird decoys at our events - amazing talent!
We are excited about the Tuscan MDA lock up on 1/2
6 in North Royalton. There are many of our friends and neighbors that will be there raising awareness and funds for the MDA! We are also pumped for the MDA Shamrock Season! Don’t forget – if you are a business you can get involved – call Jackie Simcic-Becker at the MDA 440-816-0916– it is so simple to sell Shamrocks. That $1 could be the buck that gives John Owen that genetic breakthrough he and so many are waiting for! If you are out and about this winter, and see a Shamrock, get one for JO and his 500,000 DMD brothers… Thank you!
We have three events we want to share with you! All mean so much to us….
~ Charlie Glazer’s Spaghetti Dinner on 1/29/11 ~ click here. Charlie is 8 and a friend of John Owen.
~ Superbowl ~join us will you at the St. Albert Superbowl (click) party
~ our friend Mindy Cirner is hosting the Rhizo Kids Back to the Beach party on May 6, 2011 at Carrie Carrino’s. Tickets are $40 a person, call for info 216~215~8566
Well – it looks like the boys are ready for bed so I have to wrap this one up… but not without some fun stories….
Ru
tger
is doing great – there is no way on earth that he will be nine this year – he is mature and a major care giver and friend to his brothers. He has enjoyed many kids nights this winter, grades are great, loving 3rd grade (especially Mrs. Massey – we all love her) and I suppose we are looking forward to braces! The most fun is wrestling – he started this year with the city of North Royalton. He is doing great, I had to laugh earlier today – Wade was on his back trying to take him down! All in all – Rutger continues to be a blessing.
Owen
We celebrated two weekends in a row for his 7th birthday ~ talk about milking a bday! He had a blast with a kids night and family party – complete with sledding! He is well ~first grade is very good ~ all A’s and his friends are all amazing! He is getting weaker, but his determination to be strong and independent rocks…..
Ok, so the apparatus in our great room was an amazing donation from my uncle. As great as it is – it weighs heavy on our hearts… it is a powered scooter. As well, my uncle and Tony are working on an electric lift for one part of our house and we intend to install an elevator for the other part of our house mid summer. Dependency intensifies here at the Dumm household and though it is expected in any DMD home – that expectation does not make the reality any easier.
We also picked up a manual wheelchair from the MDA. When Owen saw both of these aids….his response was, “Yeah!” So I guess we (Tony & I) need to put our focus not in the cold hard reality but in the fact that an easier life (be it in a chair or a lift or whatever) for Owen is what is most important for him. It is hard being an adult watching this disease take hold. We need to take a step back and realize that it is Owen calling to us to live his adventure, with joy, love, laughter and happiness… so ya know, that is what we are going to do……
Ahhhh…..laughter….
Next time you are at mass (for our Catholic friends) do us a favor and think of Wade during the Liturgy of the Eucharist – the song 
“Holy” – We were on our way home from somewhere… Wade starts singing in the backseat…”Lasagna in the Highest…” so I ask him, “Wade, did you just say Lasagna?” He says, “Yeah, Lasagna in the Highest, that is what they say at church”….. I bust out laughing… “Wade, it is Hosanna, not Lasagna”
Wade continues to 
be our nut! I have to say that he has some pretty amazing strength in him. You see ~ we have been trying to encourage him to stop eating his finger nails for about 1 year now. Dr. Falconi suggested positive re-enforcement… (Love her) and what do you know~ 10 weeks later (tonight actually) I cut all of his nails (including his toes!! Yay). When you think about it – he broke a habit – not many adults, let alone four year olds can do that – we are ultra proud.
So with that ~ we leave you to enjoy the rest of your day ~ go get loving on the ones that matter most – breathe in every second and rejoice in the moment! Thanks for all your support, prayers and love! Until next time, your good friends, Tony, Jen, Rutger, John Owen & Wade………Lasagna in the Highest, yum.
Run Lori run: Run Julie run October 6, 2010
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Ever consider running 26.2 miles for someone you love? Crazy to think that not 
just one mom, but two are running these miles for John Owen this month! That is right, Lori Soukup is taking on the Chicago marathon on 10/10/10 “My prayers and miles go to John Owen, his family and PPMD to find a cure.”
Julie Reardon is at it again. In May of 2009 she ran her
first ½ marathon in the Cincinnati Flying Pig marathon. This year, 10/17/10 she is running her first marathon, “I pray with each step that I am running, God will give them to John Owen so that he can keep walking as long as possible”
Please do what you can to keep these awesome marathon moms motivated, through prayer and pocket please – Lori’s site click here ~ Julie’s site click here. Just imagine what you would do if your friends dedicated all this muscle to help your family. Help us properly support and thank these guys. Their dedication to JO is immense.
Breaking news! We need your vote - Barb Barbo - wonderful teach at St. Albert the Great nominated John Owen for a trip to Wonderland in Tx... Please voste for him the leader is 1,400 votes ahead - please support us! (Search Barbo)
Want to talk about immense…. Coach to Cure 9/25/10
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We had amazing seats at the Wilmington / Mount Union game! The national coach to cure event rocked it as most of our college ball teams wore the Coach to Cure MD patch and promoted PPMD. We were blessed to be at Wilmington for the game and were treated like royalty! We will soon not forget the great treatment by Coach Kehres, Coach Minor, Beth Floyd, Jeff Hibbs and of course the amazing Purple Raiders Chaz Jordan and Cecil Shorts! It was a blast!
Don’t forget, to take part in the JOA Coach to Cure party on 11/13 you need to get your reservation in by 10/30/10. Not to mention, this is Jen’s 40Bday celebration, what a great way to support JOA. German Central is the place, Famous Dave’s is the food and OSU v Penn State … you can’t go wrong for $20 a person! Join us by clicking here. 
We did have so many awesome events on 9/25 - JDRF Zoo walk, success – Parma Firefighter’s Fill the boot 5 k – success - MDA / Firefighter Chili Cook off –
success. Help make the next firefighter event a Success - 10/22 another great MDA firefighter event – click to attend!
Well now that school has started, we are in that routine. You know the one, rush to get ready for school, rush to get home, do the homework, eat dinner and grab a few 
hours of play time. So different than the lazy days of summer, but that is life. Wade has taken extremely well to his first year of school. Of course being the hands of Mrs. Rose and Mrs. Dreifke at Royal Redeemer has made this the best transition for him.
Rutger is growing up way too fast and John Owen is fitting right in to 1st grade. Our awesome St. Albert family have done all possible to adapt to his physical limitations. He continues to push himself with his ‘limitations.’ They are becoming so dang apparent and though we continue to have faith in a cure, it is not an easy image to see your vibrant 6 year old struggle to get up from the floor.
So between the story of Wade almost mistaking our friends bathroom sink for a urinal, Rutger trying hard to serve us a great breakfast in bed as many Sa
turdays as he can and Owen being smitten over the beautiful friends that are ‘girls’ in his class…. We keep laughing, loving and cherishing every second…. As should you – shut down your computer, go snuggle with your lovey and send out as much joy as possible. Celebrate each day as it is always a gift.
Until next time, thank you for your support, God bless you and we so hope to see you soon. Keep praying for our friends in need!
OSU Football.... Finally! 9/2/10
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So sad that it is the end of Summer ~ what a SWEET summer we had! We had an enormously HOT summer, which was prime for daily pool time and family time. 
Just last night, Owen said he feels like he is floating in space, in between his bobs up and down under the water. Baseball with Coach Osowski and our entire White Sox team rocked it! Rutger got to pitch one game and wow was that awesome to see him whiz a ball over the plate – the team earned second place in the NR League!!! Wade is turning in to the dare devil swimmer with the b
est full on belly flop we have ever seen.
We have been beyond blessed with a summer full of entertaining friends and family at our house. Cousin time every Wednesday is a memory they will cherish always and I don’t think many of the St. Al teens will forget our JOA thank you party – I think we had 14 in the hot tub and 25 in the pool.
We wrapped up 
summer with our awesome, annual shooting weekend ~ Bob, Larry, Bruce, Eddie, Bryan and Tony had the best year ever, all on target at 600 yards! Bryan hit 2 on a six inch circle at 600 yards, clearly the champ of the competition. The boys had a blast hanging with their new friend London, who btw was smitten by Wade (Wade's not so ready for a relationship yet). What a great vaca!
School has started for Rutger (3rd) an
d John Owen (1st) at St. Albert the Great ~ They are loving (ok well not ‘loving’) school! We are eternally grateful for our St. Al family! Wade is ready to go – 2 more weeks and Royal Redeemer will NEVER be the same!! J
Our Picnic in the Park (though only 1 month has past it feels so distant alre
ady) was an enormous success! We have given away $20,000 directly into the hands of scientists as a result of our event. Over 1,800 friends joined us to celebrate the summer. Our thank yous are endless to our sponsors, volunteers, supporters and family (our shelter). 2011 is already in the works, best news LAWLESS is ‘IN’ BABY! 7/29/11 – Friday night mark your calendars!
One of the coolest things we did after the picnic was to reflect our past 2 ½ years with our board members. I cannot believe that you have sent over $83,000 in 2 ½ years into the hands of the MDA, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy and JDRF – yep $83 Big Ones! None of this could be possible without you – reading our updates – sending our site to friends – attending our events – being moved to respond! So WHAMMO ~~~~~~ THANK YOU!
Our goal is by 12/2010 to make that 100 G’s – I know we can do it!
Labor day is a HUGE weekend for the MD
A. Telethon kicks off on the WB at 9 pm Sunday night and goes through Monday at 7 pm. Our awesome friend and Board Member, Laura Falkinburg, will be presenting the JOA check around 3pm on Monday 9/6– please watch for her, yay Laura!
Also – Fill the Boot is so big this weekend Nationwide! Wherever you live, look for the firemen to be out on the streets with their boot. Please consider an extra dollar for John Owen. We are so close to a cure, that every dollar – every cent – helps bring us there.
We have lots going on in the Fall… here are the plans hope you can join us at some point!
9/25/10 - 4 events!!!
~Speaking of awesome Firemen – the Parma Fire Department i
s hosting a 5 k run on 9/25/10 at Parmatown mall for Fill the Boot… my running peeps –(or walking peeps) click it will ya and sign up!
~We also have the Zoo walk for JDRF that day! Dee and Greg Puntel (our sis and bro in law) are so close to raising $10,000… if you would like to help click here!
~The 2nd Annual Firefighters Chili Cook-off Blue Snapper Bar & Grill ~ Contact Matt Morris 440-263-3546 – ok so who does not LOVE CHILI ~ Bring IT
~National Coach to Cure MD (click it and see Owen and Coach Tressel on You Tube – 1.57 min)– Text CURE to 90999 to give a $5.00 donation to our main benefactor (the #1 leader in ending Duchenne) Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy. College Coaches across the land will wear our COACH TO CURE MD Patch – when you are watching the OSU game look for the patch and text it!
10/10/10 ~ 2ND Marathon Mom, 3rd JOA Run for Sons athlete, Lori Soukup takes center stage at the Chicago Marathon to defeat DMD on step at a time! Thank you Lori for your amazingly hard training and dedication to John Owen – we love you! Please consider motivating Lori through prayer and pocket (if you are able) – click here.
Breaking News (9-4-10) Marathon Mom, Julie Reardon, is at it again!!! 10.17.10 Julie is also running 26.2 miles for JOA... click it for prayer and pocket baby...if you can!
11/13/10 ~ OSU Penn State Coach to Cure party at German Central– JOA Style… oh and did I mention – my big 40 bday party as well…. Adults only $20 a head includes Famous Dave’s Buffet, Crazy Football Party and great beer. Email and mailers coming out soon.
Phew… and I thought we were settling down, but when you look at it on paper, we’ve got that JOA Train running full steam ahead, which means if you blink, you will miss it and miss out!! So Get on BOARD J!!
So as always, I love to save the best story for last. Thanks to many of you that always tell me how much you love our stories about the boys and as always, we have so many funny, crazy, heartwarming or wrenching to share. But this one is about a guy (a big one)…..
And we think it is pretty much the best story we can tell ya….. you see several months back our good friend, Toby Strebel (33) was diagnosed with Lymphoma, massive chemo, aggressive treatment, tons and tons of prayers – and 2 weeks before our picnic, he shared the best news EVER! Cancer Free Baby! Promise for tomorrow!
With that, until next time, you know what to do – go get loving on your kids, your spouse, your fam, your friends and mostly OSU Football! We hope to see you at one of our events this fall – 11/13/10 ~40 Bday party ~ Yeah I am not afraid – bring that HILL!
Much love – keep praying (click it)…
July - Let Freedom Ring! 7/5/10
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As we listened to all the fireworks over the Fourth, we could not help but to be grateful for all we have – especially our freedoms! We are so excited about July! What a summer we have already had, Rutger, Owen and Wade each enjoyed their own special summer camps this year!
Owen was at the overnight MDA camp for an entire week – Sunday to Saturday - we were so blessed that his cousin, Kaity – was his counselor. He had an absolute blast and can’t wait to go back next year. We have to thank our friends at Lube Stop, Drug Mart and Burger King for selling so many shamrocks this past March and for the 2009 St. Albert the Great Student Council that made it possible for Owen to go to camp!
PICNIC IN THE PARK 7/29/10
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We are in full Picnic in the Park gear here at the Dumm’s ~ we are so looking forward to the night because it is one of those times we all get to forget about chronic illness, no matter what you have, but to focus on family, fun and breakthroughs! Click here for the poster you can share with your friends!
Donations for the raffles have been pouring in and the planning is underway for a grand spanking great time on July 29th at German Central. We did receive a fabulous article in the North Royalton Post about our event and our fight!! Thank you Leslie Panfil!
We have so much planned for the night, that we almost need 2 nights to fit it all in - none of this could be possible without the oodles of volunteers – THANK YOU and if you are a Volunteer click here for a quick message!
We are bringing you five opportunities to win stuff this year! Three of which we are pre-selling raffle tickets….here is the scoop….
The basket raffle this year is called the Epic Raffle ~ we have 44 baskets filled with great prizes, these tickets are $1 each. The eXtreme raffle ($5 each) has a handful of high tech items and the 11th Hour Raffle is completely new this year….. The 11th Hour sells for $1 each, if your ticket gets selected you go and pick whatever basket you would like! These three raffle tickets are compiled in a booklet that sells for $20~ we are encouraging pre-event ticket sales, if you are interested please email me jen@joainc.org and I will get you some booklets. Click this list for the complete list of Epic and eXtreme basket items. We will not have a list of the 11th Hour list until the day of the event.
These booklets and individual tickets will be available for sale at the event as well!!
Day of Stuff 7/11 ...............
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is back again! This is a $5 dice game, you get 2 minutes to roll the dice, each time you hit a 7 or an 11 you get a raffle ticket, you can select from a number of awesome baskets to win. This is a great high energy, dice game – look for it in the pavilion.
The silent auction is always a gre
at hit! This year, Brad Falkinburg is back with a life size Blue Herron….. yep life size, this baby is almost 4 feet tall - Owen is holding the work in progress! Ray Muniak is also back, this year with his Butterflies & Flowers valued at $750, this piece is 24 x 28 and will be a welcomed addition to anyone’s home. Dinner with the North Royalton Fire Department is back, along with very nice Indian’s and Brown’s stuff!
Owen is planning his piece for the silent auction as well… it may be a surprise for all of us.
So the schedule is…
7/29 (THURSDAY NIGHT) Doors open at 5pm with the awesome music of The Polka Pirates, Kids Games, DJ Ken Moenich, Food – FOOD and more FOOD! Basket drawings start at 530 and end by 9ish.
Lawless hits the stage at 7 pm right after a few very important awards are handed out.
Lets not forget the 7/11 table, which opens at 7 pm.
This year we added more beautiful local talent, Studio 82, Mary Kay Manning, Megan and Elania – and new to JOA is Just a Girl & Her Guitar,Amanda Panfil. And for the adult stuff ~ great German Central beer, Hole in One Contest sponsored by the Brecksville Duffers and the Annual Mayor Stefanik Corn Hole Tourney! It will no doubt be an action filled night! Please join us, if you can’t, tell your friends to come for ya, each year our event grows and grows and it is only because of each of you! 
Ok – so if you are still reading…..
Owen successfully made it through his first year at St. Albert the Great under the amazing care of Ms. Lucarilli and Mrs. Vopat – and so, so, so many others J. Rutger continues his quest for many and all types of pets, recently brought home a few crawfish from Tony’s family cabin in PA, 
where Wade was the big fisherman
As mentioned early on, Camp for Owen was amazing ~ what a blessing. It was not as hard as I thought it would be to send your baby off for one full week away. Knowing Kaity was there, literally every step he made, was so much easier for us. Boy does this put shamrock season in a whole new light for us!
All in, we are doing well, loving summer, which has included great seats at the Indian’s game (thanks Uncle Bob) , tremendous amounts of pool / friend time, bon fires, burnt marshmallows, reconnecting with old friends and making brand new ones – like Cameron Heyward #97 OSU Football player 
(ok that was just way way too cool!! Thanks Barbo’s!!!).
Each day for us is an amazing blessing, knowing that we are so fortunate to live in this community, continue to be surrounded by so many that love and support us and to just take each second and hold it close to our hearts for exactly what it is, a Blessing.
Well goodness,,,,, I cannot forget this one! The 3rd Run for our Sons trooper has come forth! Lori Soukup will be running the Chicago Marathon in October for John Owen. Visit her page by clicking here and we hope you can keep her training in your prayers as she takes each step to End Duchenne!
We can’t wait to see you in a few weeks, please stop us and say Hi – it is such a busy night but we love – love LOVE to talk with each of you!
Click it and pray please… see ya soon!!
(ok, I just have to add, we are ending our Holiday weekend outside watching Facing Giants and realizing how much we miss OSU ball! Go Bucks!! Thanks again Mike and Barb, Allie and Cameron ~ We will never forget Owen's Michigan Banter, neither will Shake Shoppe!)
Spring is Here Baby!! May 5, 2010
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Already ~ Spring is in the air ~ winter blah’s have gone and we are moving full steam ahead with life bursting all around us. I have to admit, I have been in a negative funk the past month. Sadly, so many of our friends are going through though times, be it financial, emotional or physical. I actually wrote this update three times already and FINALLY ~ wiped the third version clean and started over. So here it is, our latest update with so much to offer!
Hope for a new day ~~~ yeah that is a great place to start…..
In the thick of Owen’s progression into DMD our dear friend, Mike Mysliwiec sent this to us and we need to share it with you .... it is perfect: 
Our world stopped
Our hearts break
Tears flow like rain
A young life unsettled
Dawn brings hope for a new day
A gentle soul
A beautiful spirit
John Owen
Owen, simply put, is getting weaker. Noticeably weaker. But you know, that gentle soul and beautiful spirit in him, he does not let it get to him. He is as happy as a lark and his heart is seriously light as a feather. He has been ripping up his knees a lot more lately from falling, but he takes it all in stride. He is doing very well in wrapping up his first year at St. Albert the Great and we continue to count our blessings with every day we get to enjoy our three boys.
Speaking of the boys…
We have embraced the warm spring by opening the pool a bit early ~ they have been in the pool everyday this week ~ even Opa grabbed a swim with them today. We are so fortunate to have a gravity-defying element for Owen to feel weightless and free!! He loves the pool, Rutger has become quite the swimmer and Wade’s confidence in the pool has soared thanks to his great teacher, Ms. Alana at The Swim of Things! We are hoping you will come out and swim with us this summer - the pool is open ~ don't be shy!
Rutger made his First Com
munion last month ~ he did a great job and we are so proud of him. He continues to be the keeper of our pets ~ we have four chickens (dang - scratch that three chickens) three goldfish (from the pond we dug up) and soon to be an ant farm. Oh, we had a snake and a frog for a day, but they escaped! Penny and Barrett are our pets – fortunately, they will be staying. I think if he found a T-Rex, he would find a way to negotiate keeping him in the house. All in all, Roo is great.
Wade is confident that he needs to be in pre-school now with Mrs. Rose and Mrs. Dreifke. Try telling a determined 3 year old that he has to wait! He continues to keep us on our toes and insists that the day is not beautiful, but handsome.
Looking forward to the last full month of school and trying to pack in as much planning for the BIG event in July as possible! In fact, Owen keeps asking about his picnic and who will come this year…..
So on to the picnic.
I gotta say, seeing the crowd at German Central last year was amazing. You all gave us the strength we needed to get through this past year ~what do you say we do that again on July 29th?
We are so excited to host the JOA Picnic in the Park on 7-29! 5pm we open the gates to great foo
d, LAWLESS, The Polka Pirates, great raffle items, kids games are back, potentially a Hay Ride and phenomenal awareness to end this horrific thing called Duchenne.
If you can’t make it, send your friends, your neighbors, your family. Be connected, get on board and don’t let Duchenne derail another boy’s life. Stop Duchenne dead in its tracks!
Newsflash ~ edgy new t-shirts will be available and we will pre-sell raffle tickets this year – interested in helping sell tickets let us know via jen@joainc.org. Or click it to donate to the event (6/10 basket donation deadline). So many of you have said they want to help out day of, please email volunteers4joa@yahoo.com to get involved!
Well, I think that is enough for this update. Oh yeah, Owen lived out a life long dream 
early March – He, Tony and I traveled to Texas – he was spoiled like an only child! Now that was an awesome trip!! Seriously, since the start of Kindergarten, he kept asking “When do I get to go to Texas?” Well there you go – he went to Texas! Snapped my fav pics of him btw…..
And really, it would not be an update without a Wade story – A few days ago getting ready to leave the house and start the day at work / school / life~ Owen asked me for a dog bone to get Penny in her cage and I shouted out – “We are out of Bones” just as Wade came walking into the kitchen with a handful of Lego guys – and said “Actually Mom, we are not out of Clones” as he lifted his hands up revealing 6 Star Wars Lego Clones – get it Bones Clones… too cute
And how can I almost forget????? Mother’s day is Sunday ~ You hubbies out there, please pamper your wife, we all work hard but you know we moms are a bit more emotional ~ so give us that extra hug and kiss on the neck Sunday. And for my mom peeps – you are loved by me~ have a great day and go hug your spouse, your kids, call your parents tell um you love them… be thankful for today~ that is what we all have ~Today ~it will be gone as quick as a raindrop falls from a leaf.
Keep praying for our troops and our friends in need (click here)
God bless you!!
Happy New Year
1/27/10
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We can feel it in the air that 2010 will be a great year. ’09 is behind us, we are two years into our diagnosis and more confident then ever that each day is our blessing!
We had some GREAT research News on AVIBOI 4568 (click to read about it). Essentially, Owen is not able to make dys
trophin – the protein we have to sustain and help muscle thrive. 4568 is a genetic drug that makes the brain (theoretically makes the brain) read the right DNA message to make dystrophin in our DMD boys. The trial study on 4 boys “showed correctly spliced mRNA for dystrophin” yeah if you got chills reading that – you are not alone!! We are so excited for this research (technically called Exon Skipping). If you want to hear more about it ~ give us a call or next time you see us, ask ~ we love to talk about Hope!
Well, we have embraced 2010 ~ trying hard to k
eep up with our ‘healthier and active’ theme for the year. For certain, the abundance of snow late in December 
through Owen’s birthday helped with that ~ sledding was IT for our boys. We had several great days sledding and hope to get more in once it snows again! All the boys love it and we especially loved watching our good friend Bryan throw Owen over his shoulder and carry him up the hill on his birthday (Bryan did that over and over again – at least he is now in shape!) Owen is al
so loving swimming lessons at The Swim of Things - he actually got to throw a snow ball last friday during class!
Speaking of shape… how is your heart?
We had a great event at ATD that allowed us to do a complete Cardio Assessment (interested? Let me know) ~ both Tony and I checked out well… so when it was 
Owen’s turn for his baseline Cardio MRI we felt a little more educated. End result – his Heart looks great, a great sigh of relief and once again our amazing support medical team at Cleveland Clinic made this insane process (yes, who do you know has a full cardio work up at 6 years old) flawless and completely under control. BTW, we have suspended Owen’s steroid treatment for now… his emotions and sleep are getting better – we will revisit but our hearts told us to take a break.
Great Fun Events… think about it will ya?
Hey, are you searching for that perfect Valentine’s day gift? How about tickets for a 
phenomenal night out to benefit two beautiful children? Our friends, Mindy and Jeff Cirner have their third annual Rhizo Kids fundraiser planned for 4/23/10 – Reverse Raffle in Strongsville, Ohio. This event will benefit their children’s Jake (7) and Jordyn (4) illness, RCPD (click on their names to learn more). Why not buy two tickets as a Valentine’s Gift and make it a great Date Night in April! Go to http://www.rhizokids.com/ to order tickets On-line – Click BUY TICKETS or give Mindy a call at (216) 215-8566 to order them. $35 per ticket! We hope to see you
there! (Interested in donating? Click here). If you can volunteer at this event, email me at rutgerdumm@yahoo.com ~ The cirners need our help ~
Soooo.. Shortly after April, why not join us for a bit of a run? Run for our Son is back, baby… this time Cleveland Style!! May 22 Tracy Knierim, Monica & Roman 
Bybik (sis and bro in law) and their entire church Sovereign Grace Church, have dedicated their Biggest Loser Contest to running, walking, skating or crawling a 5K on 5/22 in honor of JOA and their African Orphanage. If you would like to run (walk, crawl or skate) please let us know and we will hook you up. If you are not able to run, but want to sponsor Monica or Roman, give us a shout and they will we
ar your arm band for JOA!
Our Picnic in the Park is underway ~ if you would like to volunteer, 
please email volunteers4joa@yahoo.com. July 29 we will all have a blast at German Central – Lawless is back baby and Famous Dave’s!
As well as all the kids games (as you see here, Perry is a big kid~ thanks Anna for the awesome pic), corn hole and great raffles! If you would like to donate or know someone that does – click it! Last year we had over 1,800 people ~ can we double that? If you attended, just bring a friend ~ then we double our awareness! Oh yeah ~
Don’t forget to check out the MDA Shamrocks this year! Keep tabs on Lube Stop and support this great company for they totally support us and the MDA!!
This would not be an update without a few Dumm Boy’s Stories…
Ok to start, Wade… what a nut. For those that have not seen him lately, you will 
say how grown up he is – for those that have seen him lately say to us – there is NO WAY he is 3. He is a nut and makes us laugh every time we look at him (or shall I say tense my entire body as he flies threw the air off any step, ottoman or couch arm) he is ou
r dare devil and keeps us smiling. One quick story ~ as of late, he wants me to sleep with him when we put him to bed. Owen and Wade share the bunk bed – Owen on the bottom. So, I crawl up the ladder and snuggle in, remembering that I need to review counting to 50 with Owen. Then I start, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5” and Wade looks me square in the eye, points his finger at my face and says, “This is not a counting bed, get out.” And I promptly, respectfully climbed down that ladder.
Rutger…. 
He has lost more teeth and is doing the norma
l stuff a second grader does ~ he did a great job on his first reconciliation at St. Albert and thankfully did not spend hours on Penance ~ so he must be a good boy J! He had a major highlight before Christmas, he graduated to riding Big ~ Now Big is not just any horse ~ he is HUGE~ as you can see ~ HUGE! But Rutger was not intimidated ~ he was like ~ Bring it!! So he got to ride Big on his last day of lessons and boy has his confidence soared! Thank you Mrs. Mehwald and Mrs. Miliken!
Saving the best story for last….(thinking this is one of my fav stories)
Gra
tefully, every caretaker Owen has encountered is in the right place, because they always seem to notice the small changes in his character in our absence. ~ This proved itself this past Friday. Due to my work schedule, Owen has been on the bus more often, which means Mr. Carner (St. Albert Assistant Principle), has eagerly gotten him off and on the bus these days. (Usually he only rides the bus Fridays because he wants to “ride the Bus mom”) Ok so anyway ~ he has been on it more than not lately. Friday, Wade and I were able 
to make the 9:30 Children’s Mass at St. Al. After Mass, Mr. Carner stopped me and asked (in a very heartfelt, concerned way), “Is Owen feeling ok today?” Of course, as a mom in general I think ~ went to bed late, slipped on the ice this morning.. gees .. don’t know… so after a brief discussion, Mr. Carner said he kept grabbing his right pant leg as he walked… then the wave of sadness hits my eyes, as well as his, as I said, ‘You know that is his weak leg” He said “I know, getting on and off that bus, that leg gives him trouble” So I said I would let him know when he got home.
So for the next hour I was freaking out – do I call Dr. Friedman – could he get that weak in such a short time – do I call his therapist, Mrs. Shannon – do we not stretch him enough – do we start steroids again – arghhhh -----finally 11:42 he gets off the bus ~ no problem getting off the bus ~ no problems walking up the drive, as we enter the house I am telling him about all the errands we have to run and run NOW – then it happens – he grabs his right pant leg and lifts it as he walks into the house – internally I FREAK – but don’t let him know and contin
ue on my banter on how busy we are going to be and lets drop the book bag and get in the car – then he stops and looks up at me with these beautiful big brown eyes and says in an annoyed voice “Mom, my pants keep falling down!”
I checked his pants ~ and yep that dang elastic band / button came undone and the poor kid was hobbling threw school all morning. Of course, I laughed and almost cried, it all came down to a button.
This story b
rings home so many things ~ the amazing care that St. Albert the Great has for him in paying attention to every detail of his life, as well, that we can’t forget the small stuff. The small stuff, like a little button on a waistband and how much better that can make your kid’s day ~ DMD or not ~ And most of all thankful that we had today and we had that great memory to share with you.
And with that said ~ we hope that tomorrow, the only thing you find wrong with your day is that your pants are slightly too big and if so – give that smile to J.O. and Thank God for all we have!
Until the next update, God bless and keep the prayers coming, not just for Owen but all that need it (click for our list)
Happy Thanksgiving! 11-24-09
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We could not possibly go without saying to each of you ~ Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas! Thinking we would not send an update until January ~ ha ~ seriously what were we thinking!!
First off ~ we continue to count our blessings every day~ which include each of you. What an amazing few months we have had. September was action packed with JOA support, actually, the support lasted straight through the awesome Ohio State – Michigan Game 11/21…. We will get to that.
I know you all know Marrissa Mehwald… our triathlete sophomore at Mi
ami. After encountering our Marathon Mom at our Picnic in the Park, Marrissa aspired to help John Owen through her amazing running, swimming and cycling skills! Not only did she rank FIRST in her age group on September 20, at Hueston Woods State Park, but also she qualified for Nationals in March 2010 with her Miami U 
teammates in Nashville!!! Oh, did I mention that she raised over three grand to help END DUCHENNE. Marrissa, thank you for being our inspiration, not too many college sophomores would dedicate themselves to Run for Our Sons ~ you are our blessing this Thanksgiving.
Speaking of blessings… So as you know OSU creamed Michigan this past Saturday! We were so sad to see the OSU football season end. For the first time, we can honestly say that we are official OSU football fans. Seriously, we have always tried to be fans, but never really dedicated our hearts… well gotta tell ya… two guys changed that for us – Hank Martensen and Coach Jim Tressel (yeah, JT, baby!).
This year Coach to Cure MD (c/o Parent Project) took full press across the land on September 26 ~ Over 300 colleges got in the Game and raised over $300,000 to end this horrific muscle wasting disease. OSU was one of them…. More so was the victorious OSU Tailgate to defeat DMD run by Hank Martensen and his amazing CTC team including so many, Jeff & Amy Cope, Doug Weeks, Joe Fritter, the list goes on… and on.. and on…
The heartfelt, headfirst, jump in to end duchenne has been displayed tenfold by Hank! The CTC tailgate team dedicate each OSU home game tailgate party to John Owen - literally thousands of dollars were raised by these phenom people and all (I mean all) their friends.
We were showered with behind the scenes treatment on September 22 when we had a personal tour of the Lex Wexner Football arena. Owen and Rutger even got to run the indoor practice field – honestly, it was as if God just put his hand on little J.O.
that day – he was full of energy as he dashed through the 50 yard line to make a touch down. He even got to play catch with a REAL, dressed, OSU Football player, #52, Gar Chappelear – I am certain Mr. Chappelear has no idea what an impact he made on us that day – but he is someone Tony and I will never forget.
Ok so the fun did not stop there, we got to view a live OSU practice and met so many awesome people… then came GAME DAY
Yep, all of us, with my sister, Sue, Karl and our nephew Adam, made it to the tailgate on 9/26 – then Owen, Rutger, Tony, Hank and I got first class treatment at the Horseshoe, which was kicked off by none other than Coach Tressel.
45 minutes before game time we were led to the big red awning, as we stood there, a door opened and out walked a man that looked just like JT with a security guard…. in my mind I was thinking – there is no way it is him – I mean the game is about to start.. and sure enough – it was Coach Jim Tressel.
He said hello to us big kids and immediately got down to Owen’s level, gave him a sturdy bump and talked with him as if he had nothing else in the entire world he would rather do than to talk to our son. I tell ya, Tony and I have never felt this from anyone before…he was 100% present… Owen was what mattered most.
I learned so much from him that day – throughout the hustles and bustles of our regular days – not to mention the Holidays – our children – our spouse – our parents – our siblings - our friends – this is what matters most and I pray that I am always 100% present to the ones I love……
Oh my, have I gone on…
I need to shorten this up or else you may never read another update again!!!
The boys are doing great. Rutger is doing very well in second grade - gearing up for his First Communion. He has become quite an equestrian. Thanks to our generous friends at Pipe’s Barn, Mrs. Mehwald and Mrs. Milliken, Rutger has been able to take riding lessons at the same time Owen is at Camp Cheerful for therapeutic horseback riding. Both are really enjoying their new four legged best friends. They are also having a blast at the Richfield Art Studio this fall - I forsee great Christmas gifts!
Owen continues with swimming once a week at The Swim of Things 
(yes he is swimming with a pumpkin) and every other week with O.T. (with Ms. Linda) and P.T. (with his fav Ms. Shannon). He is doing great at St. Albert the Great in K with Ms. Lucarelli and Mrs. Vopat. He has even started writing his alphabet and numbers without help – yee haw!
Wade… well Wade has declared that he needs to go Buffalo hunting as soon as possible. Between shooting Buffalo, being Luke Skywalker, OB One, Darth Vader or Indian Jones and trying to use the potty once in a while… he has kept us on our toes…Yep – That is Wade and we love him and know that his pre-school years next year at Royal Redeemer will be non-stop active.
Owen has been on the steroid treatment for about 4 months now – 12/2 we 
figure out if this has helped his stamina…. We can say without a doubt that he has been effected emotionally from these, he is ultra emotional and that is starting to take a toll…so we are faced with a tough decision in few weeks... but we have faith that our awesome team at Cleveland Clinic will take us down the right path.
We are so looking forward to this week – Thanksgiving dinner will be plentiful at the Dumm’s... then the Muniak’s hit our house at night.
I love the day after Thanksgiving because we always get our tree and spend the weekend decorating the house. What great, lasting memories we have and create every day after Thanksgiving!
Speaking of memories... Our MDA friends Brian and Karen Wolf will have their annual Breakfast with Santa on 12/5 in Strongsvile -maybe you will join us?
This is our second Holiday season with DMD and it is much better this year than last. The support we continue to get from each of you has lifted us to places we never thought possible.
Thank you and most of all Merry Christmas, may you and your family spend each day from now until Christmas, heck well in to 2010 (can you believe it is 2010!!) in pure love for each other.
Merry Christmas and God bless you!
Our Prayer list continues to grow ~ Please keep our troops in your prayers as well as our friends in need... thank you!
~Tom Furlong (PPMD DAD) diagnosed with Colon Cancer
~Our cousin Mike who has just been diagnosed with Non Hodgkin's Lymphomic cancer ~Damien Dembowiak - he is 4 and just diagnosed with leukemia
~Angelica Malkus - she is 10 and just went through open heart surgery please pray for peaceful healing (she is doing great btw)
~Mrs. Rose’s sister Sara who is trying to beat the pants out of breast cancer
~Mrs. Ritter who is recovering from knee surgery and shoulder surgery
~Dr. Irene who is also struggling with cancer
~Baby Bronson
~In memory of baby Ian Ellis
~Bobby Arnold and his family
~The Cirner kids
~Sr. Dorothy who is recovering from a stay at the hospital
~Janet Tonefs as she finds the strength to concur cancer
~Aunt Bea recovering from open heart
~Rick Karcher who is in serious condition after a very bad fall and his wife Mary Jo
~Mr. Ken Weiss who is recovering heart issues
~Sam Bish who is 8 and just diagnosed with Osteosarcoma stage 4 cancer
~Jamie Wetzel… I should have put her on our prayer list after her car accident in March – she is still recovering and doing a great job!
~John Brock who has stage 4 cancer, strength and healing for the Brock family
~In memory of Kathy Keating
~ Mr. & Mrs. Decker
~ Mr. & Mrs. Friebel
Labor Day is right around the corner…. 9/1/09
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Ya know what that means? MDA Telethon and Fill the Boot Baby!
Yep, the MDA Telethon! Catch it this weekend on the WB ~ Please do what you can to support the Telethon and the AMAZING WOnDERFul CraZY wOW Fill the Boot going on around town! Don’t forget to Thank all our awesome fire fighters that are working hard to fill that boot!
Speaking of a rocking time with the MDA....
We had a great time supporting the MDA at the Stride and Ride on August 22! The JOA Team came in first and last…. 
Judi O’Mally was the first woman in for the 5 k and our dear friends Larry Rice and his sister 
Jane closed out the race at the end of the 5 k walk! What a blast we had and how lucky we are to have so much support!
September also means..SCHOOL…..
So Rutger had a great week in Second Grade! Loves Mrs. Ruh and his classmates! His third day he ran into a door jam trying to catch up with his buds at lunch and wound up with stitches… but hey that is the stuff memories are made of!
Owen is doing great in K with Ms. Lucarelli ~ he woke up the 2nd day and asked if he could go see Ms. Lucarelli again! Let’s just hope this love for school continues.
On a serious note, Tony and I could not be more thrilled with the amazing love, care and dedication to making this transition into St. Albert the Great an extremely welcoming one for Owen. We know we have many physical challenges ahead of us, so this beginning phase of school has been a Godsend!
Football has been very good to me……
Whatcha doing Saturday 9/19 in the morningish…. Wanna tailgate? OSU will be at Browns Stadium on the 19th and our phenomenal friends (Hank, Joe, Jeff) will be tailgating for OSU and added John Owen to their season!
That’s right! Your chance to be a part of Coach to Cure MD and enjoy the spirit of college ball Cleveland style. If you would like to join us email us at rutgerdumm@yahoo.com and we will getcha directions!
National Coach to Cure MD ~ September 29, 2009
Picture this…. You are at your most fav football game… ½ time … on the big huge screens… the commercial (click) .......all about Duchenne’s and our boys whose biggest opponent is not that linebacker… but simply walking… yep it is gonna happen baby!
Coach to Cure is a national effort brought b
y PPMD and AFCA to spread awareness for DMD and raise some serious dollars to End Duchenne!!
We gotta tell ya about Hank Martensen! I have worked with Hank for over 16 years at ATD and when we shared Coach to Cure with him he was all over it! The heartfelt, headfirst, jump in to end duchenne has been displayed tenfold by Hank! He played at OSU with Coach Heacock and needless to say he is a lifelong Buckeye ~ so much so that he used to sell Coke in the OSU stands in the late 50’s! Now in the 2009 season, Hank has recruited every friend, workmate, and anyone willing to listen to our cause and quest to save John Owen, to make this ’09 OSU Tailgate season not only FABO but supporting Coach to Cure every pass, yard and touchdown at a time! Hank, we can not thank you enough ~ words are not big enough!
Hank Martensen and gang will be spreading the Coach to Cure word at EVERY home OSU game. We will be at the 9/26 game ~ if you are interested in joining us then or at any game, give us a shout out at rugterdumm@yahoo.com
Hank, Jeff and Joe – YOU ROCK MAN!! You are our continued BLESSING!!!
R
un for our Son is back baby!!
Ok… biggest news yet… it is ironic that Owen takes his first steps into Kindergarten as Marrissa Mehwald takes her first triathlon training steps as a sophomore at Miami! She is going to race in a Triathlon September 20 at the Hueston Woods State Park for John Owen!!!! We are so excited that Marrissa has joined the ranks of Run for Our Son through PPMD!
What an amazing honor it is to know this young woman and to have her relentless determination to end duchenne! Check out her heartwarming website at Click here to view her awesome page! We are going to try to make it out there on Sunday ~ if you are in the area please give Marrissa a big old shout out!! We love you Marrissa!
Hey ya filthy animal….meet us at the Zoo!
9/27 is the annual JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes at the Cleveland Metropark Zoo. Join us ~ yeah ~ join us ~ We have 4 family members we will be walking for! If you would like to hang out with our filthy animals (Rutger, Owen and Wade) give us an email at rutgerdumm@yahoo.com. You can also visit the Puntel family page here.
Großartiges Essen ~ Join Us for Spaß!
That’s Right! Oktoberfest German Central Style! 9/18 and 9/19 we will be at this fantastic party at German Central ~ authentic food ~ great music ~ family centered! Join us will ya? We will be there both nights!
I guess that kinda wraps up the summer… sadly we say goodbye to the carefree summer days (though the chilly Summer we have had Fall will not be much different) and on to the routine of school…. Followed by the wonderful holiday get togethers! Owen is doing well on his new steroid treatment... but time will tell. The boys are happy and so are we, what more could we ask for?
This will be our last update until January (unless some great big news comes through ~ ya never know when that genetic breakthrough will come through!)
Please join us in these last efforts in ’09 to End Duchenne! Enjoy Fall, kiss your spouse, hug your kids and tell your parents how much you really do love them! Oh yeah, and go to your 2010 calendar and jot down 7/29 as our Picnic in the Park!
In the mean time keep those prayers coming for our troops and our friends that need your help.. with prayer we can not just climb mountains but move them… God Bless you!!
~Our cousin Mike who has just been diagnosed with Non Hodgkin's Lymphomic cancer ~Damien Dembowiak - he is 4 and just diagnosed with leukemia ~Angelica Malkus - she is 10 and just went through open heart surgery please pray for peaceful healing
~Mrs. Rose’s sister Sara who is trying to beat the pants out of breast cancer
~Mrs. Ritter who is recovering from knee surgery
~Mrs. P and her family
~Dr. Irene who is also struggling with cancer
~Baby Bronson
~Baby Ian Ellis
~Bobby Arnold and his family
~The Cirner kids
~Sr. Dorothy who is recovering from a stay at the hospital
~Janet Tonefs as she finds the strength to concur cancer
~Aunt Bea recovering from open heart
~Rick Karcher who is in serious condition after a very bad fall and his wife Mary Jo
~Mr. Ken Weiss who is recovering heart issues
~Sam Bish who is 8 and just diagnosed with Osteosarcoma stage 4 cancer
Hey Guys ~ It is August 1, 2009!!
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We cannot believe the Picnic is in our past! What an amazing night we had with over 1,800+ people at German Central to celebrate DMD and John Owen!
The economy is rough but our spirit to End Duchenne is recession proof!
The quest to End Duchenne hit hard in Parma Thursday night ~ so many wonderful, amazing and kind people poured into the gates of German Central. We gave away over $30,000 in stuff from our local businesses! The Mayor of 
North Royalton and several council members were on hand to man the corn hole tourney!
We had special visits from NRFD and PFD as well as many local Fire Fighters and their families. There was just so much love for our son from everyone that passed through the gates!!!! Tony and I totally felt the compassion from everyone! Thank you
We have already booked 7/29/10 for next year – so Save the Date
We wanted to get a quick update to you and say most of all THANK YOU! Everyone was so generous! Our sponsors are awesome ~ Baskets Galore, ATD, Famous Dave's, DQ and LAWLESS!!! Again Lawless rocked, the Polka Pirates, DJ Ken, Katia the Face Painter and our dancers were a hit as well! Great, great, great BIG thank you! Our Team JOA Rocked it man and worked their tail off the entire night! Thank you to the many that did not take ONE break the entire night ~ you are amazing! Dad, Monica, Sue, Karl,Steph and Bryan thank you for your clean up help on Friday!
Everyone one we talked with had a great time and it was amazing to Tony and I that every time we turned around we saw someone we knew. How blessed we are and how blessed John Owen is to have the in
credible support of our community, friends and family.
Please view this site and add your photos on this website set up by our dear friend Mary Ellen JOA PIP 2009
We deposited over $17,000+ today from the event and know that there are still a few more folks sending donations yet ~ so more updates to come once things here slow down (um I don’t think that will happen soon since it is full steam ahead here at JOA) We think we might hit $20,000.....
There is so much going on at JOA~ tomorrow -8/2- is our first Coach To Cure MD (click for info) meeting at our house at 6:30 pm – if your interested in joining the team stop by (with your family and a side dish)
Thursday, 8/6 we will be at Lago in Tremont for Wine to End Duchenne , this is the last Wine to End of the year – tickets are going fast (thank you to all that said they already bought tickets ~ we are so blessed) 216-664-1120
8/15 We will be in Put in Bay with our Puntel Team raising heck on the island for JDRF (call (440) 871-6432 for reservations or click Invitation)
We have Stride & Ride at Crocker Park on 8/22 – if you would like to walk with us – send us an email rutgerdumm@yahoo.com
~8/22 ~ following the walk is our Volunteer Thank you Party at our house so if you were one of the 160 volunteers ~ please rsvp to rutgerdumm@yahoo.com!!!
Phew, and I seriously thought I would have time after the picnic to send a real update and thank every one individually– until then please view the Those that support us tab and we hope to get all our formal thank you notes in the mail by…. Hmmmm well soon!!
When we get all our pics from our dear friend Betsy at Kiddie Kandids we will blast ya!! God bless you all ~ Thank you so much ~ Owen is the luckiest kid in the world!
Please continue to keep the following in your daily prayers
Our Troops
Our cousin Mike who has just been diagnosed with Non Hodgkin's Lymphomic cancer
Damien Dembowiak - he is 4 and just diagnosed with leukemia - please see outreach
Angelica Malkus - she is 10 and just went through open heart surgery please pray for peaceful healing
Mrs. Rose’s sister Sara who is trying to beat the pants out of breast cancer
Mrs. Ritter who is recovering from knee surgery
Mrs. P and her family
Dr. Irene who is also struggling with cancer
Baby Bronson
Baby Ian Ellis - please click here to learn about this beautiful little baby
Bobby Arnold and his family
The Cirner kids
Sr. Dorothy who is recovering from a stay at the hospital
Janet Tonefs as she finds the strength to concur cancer
Aunt Bea recovering from open heart
Rick Karcher who is in serious condition after a very bad fall and his wife Mary Jo Mr. Ken Weiss who is in the hospital with heart issues
It's Independence Day! 7/2/09
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Can you believe half of 2009 is behind us? We cannot – it is already July! What a great month July will be – we celebrate our Independence on the 4th and so much more!
hmmmm...........What have we been up to?
Thanks to our new friend David Geller, from ISG Inc, John Owen earned his wings and flew over the city of Cleveland! Owen, Rutger and Tony had such an amazing time. Thank you David!
We also spent time with our dear friend Bob Rice in Key West in June. What a refreshing time. The boys had a blast swimming, fishing and going to the beach! John Owen was in 
the pool from sun up to sun down!
We are Enjoying Summer…swimming, playing, what fun... we 
grabbed a picnic lunch with Owen’s number one fan, Shannon Wemple, his physical therapist! We love Shannon! We also love being at Pipes Barn in Strongsville!
Oh yea, almost forgot! Rutger appeared in the Sun News! Check him out ~ click here
Picnic in the Park July 30th
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Owen keeps asking , “Is this the day of my party?”
We are so excited about this great big event. As you know, last year Micki said we would have a big crowd… we did not believe her. She was right with almost 1,000 people there! This year Micki thinks we can double that? What do you think? Can you imagine how many people can cel
ebrate with John Owen and spread the DMD word if really, 2,000 people come!
Tell your friends, neighbors, family! If you can’t come have them come in your place! Click here for more info – we will send out a complete Basket List by 7/10!
Btw, if you still want to donate a product for the basket raffle, it is not too late! Please give us a call before 7/8 so we can include your donation!! 440-230-1555 ~Remember 100% from this event goes to JOA and will end up in the hands of scientists!
Brad Falkinburg and Owen with the start of his donation of a hand carved Pine Grosbeak ~ this bird was hand picked by Owen as his fav bird and Brad will donate the beautiful piece for the silent auction!
Got Wine?
Wow, what an overwhelming success we have enjoyed with the Salerno Group Wine to End Duchenne series. We have made so many new friends and spread the word about DMD to a whole new group of folks! We have to say Micki, Ray, Buzz and Juanita win the prize for ‘most seen’ at these events, thank you for your amazing commitment to JOA!
Gusto in Little Italy was in April – a blast – it was an intimate Italian food and wine adventure! Grotto in Shaker was so cool and trendy – Tony and I actually felt hip (gosh is that even a word these days!) being at Grotto – we felt like we were actually in Tuscanny for one night.
Michelle Lefkowitz, Jim Fink, Fabio and Nicole Salerno and Mr. Salerno are totally like family to us now! Your restaurants are beautiful, your staff wonderful, your food amazing and your hearts ENOURMOUS! Thank you so much.
It is not too late to experience this Italian gala at Lago on 8/6. Please call 216-664-1120 for tickets! They are going fast! $20 from each ticket sales goes right to JOA!
Scientists
Well, oh my goodness, we need to introduce you to our new friend from Germany. His name is Dr. Guenter Scheuerbrandt. He contacted us after we sent him a thank you note for his research – click here to read his research. This was part of his message to us…. It is very inspiring…
“I have very good news for you: John Owen is not going to die from the deletion of his two exons 
49 and 50, because he needs the skipping of exon 51 to slow his severe Duchenne symptoms down to the much milder ones of Becker muscular dystrophy. This is explained in my last report which I am enclosing. You will see that 4 clinical studies have been or are being done for skipping exactly this exon 51 in Holland and the UK. That means, within about 3 to 5 years, an effective therapy will be available for John Owen.”
On the heals of this wonderful email came more information from the scientists Dr. Guenter Scheuerbrandt interviewed. Click here to read it… There is so much GOOD going on right now for DMD! We have the faith that we will see an effective therapy very soon!
If you want to help encourage these amazing men and women, read the research and send them a thank you note for all they are doing for our DMD boys and specifically John Owen. Yep that's right - send it overseas!
How is John Owen doing…
Owen is well. He is enjoying his summer, loves the pool and loves being outside! We are starting occupational therapy with Cleveland Clinic in a few weeks to give him a head start for Kindergarten at St. Albert.
He clearly is having more trouble walking up stairs. This is tough, as we are certain all stages of this evil disease are tough for all parents to watch and all DMD boys to live through.
We are patiently waiting to see if John Owen is selected for the AVI 4658 study going on at Ohio State University (click here for background info). There are a lot of boys that are eligible so we are not getting our hopes up! On the same accord, it is a study and could be pandora’s box, so again we are not getting our hopes up on this.
In the very near future we are going to start an ongoing prednisone treatment ~ 10 days on and 10 days off. Starting a 5 year old on steroids is a pretty scary thing, but given the research and advice from some very smart people, we are going to give it a try.
Please meet some very amazing ladies!
Please take a few minutes to view this amazing video by Courtney Murray click here. Courtney is our friend and has Limb Griddle Muscular Dystrophy. She is also the local spokesperson for the MDA ~ Courtney is a brave, amazing young lady!
Sara Waldrip is an amazing woman we met at Grotto. She and her husband, Robert are very active in diabetes advocacy. Please take a moment and click to learn about The Diabetes Cost Reduction Act for all Ohioans!
An
d then there is Wade......
Ok… so we have to give a Wade story… We keep forgetting he is 2 going on 3 not 2 going on 12….so we return from vacation and really we are not pushing the potty training thing with him yet….anyway – we return from vaca and he is at Micki’s – she walks into the family room and sees a diaper sitting on the coffee table. She says, “Ok guys, whats up? Why is there a diaper on my coffee table?” Wade…who again is 2 says “It’s mine… I am not going to wear it anymore!”
Yep ~he took it off and was going commando at the sitters….. nice…. And no he is not potty trained yet. Once Micki explained what it meant to Not wear a diaper, he opted to put it back on. Yep, that is Wade…. Mrs. Rose are you ready?
Got plans?
Remember, August 15 is a chance for you to get away to the Islands…
Put in Bay Island that is!! How fun it is to race around the island for Juvenile Diabetes! Please click here for more info
Stride & Ride with the MDA. August 22 is a great time to join us at Crocker park to cure MD! This year’s theme is “A Walk on the Wild Side,” to tie in with MDA Summer Camp’s theme of Animal Planet, 
so get the animal in you ready!
Walk with us or run the 5K! The event is open to everyone who would like to participate, and a huge MDA Family reunion BBQ afterwards filled with activities, music, and delectable BBQ cooked by the local firefighters.
If you want to join the JOA team, send us an email at rutgerdumm@yahoo.com
Calling all coaches!!
Little league, high school, college or just plain old Football fans! September 26 JOA is aiming to recruit as many schools and tailgate parties as possible to participate in this awesome Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy event! The American Football Coaches Association and PPMD has teamed up to make September 26 a national awareness day for our DMD bo
ys through football… you can participate, heck even if you don’t like football!! Click here!! Keep in mind, our DMD boys dream of being able to really play football. Right now, this is a DREAM…. For now Owen is happy to swim.... but can you make this dream reality?
In addition to our troops and our DMD guys, please keep the following in your prayers!
~Our cousin Mike who has just been diagnosed with Non Hodgkin's Lymphomic cancer
Update7/10 Wonderful News!!! The doctor called Mike this morning, his test results showe no sign of any cancer present, the doctor was stunned...we are thrilled! Praise God for this wonderful news, the power of prayer is evident, the goodness of God is abundant! We Thank you so much for your prayers and concern, as I said in the last update, the response and concern has been amazing.
~Damien Dembowiak - he is 4 and just diagnosed with leukemia - please see outreach
~Angelica Malkus - she is 10 and just went through open heart surgery please pray for peaceful healing
~Mrs. Rose’s sister Sara who is trying to beat the pants out of breast cancer
~Mrs. Ritter who is recovering from knee surgery
~Mrs. P and her family
~Dr. Irene who is also struggeling with cancer
~Baby Bronson
~Baby Ian Ellis - please click here to learn about this beautiful little baby
~Bobby Arnold and his family
~The Cirner kids
~Sr. Dorothy who is recovering from a stay at the hospital
That is all for now.. we are sure another update will follow before our 7/30 event! Thank you for reading all this and thank you for your continued love and support
Owen and Megan (Micki's granddaughter) ready to cure DMD!
May 16, 2009 Update....
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Hey guys!! We wanted to get an update to you on this past week's events– it has been a whirlwind! We had not planned on doing a newsletter until next quarter – but there is so much going on!
Thank you so much for voting for Julie Reardon!! As you know we tried to return the favor to her via Channel 3 and She did win the top 5 – YEEE HAW!!
Julie had her spa treatment this past Tuesday – she looked AWESOME! She got her hair cut, make up and pedicure!!
Friday morning, Abby Ham from Channel 3 interviewed Julie, Owen and I. It was so much fun! This will air on 5-20-09 Wednesday morning between 5 am and 7 am - set your Tivo's!
I have to tell you – I love Abby Ham! She unfortunately is leaving Cleveland in 3 weeks and I will miss her! Shane, the camera guy and Abby made us all feel so at home taping this segment. They were both genuinely interested in our story, John Owen, DMD and the potential ‘cure’ in AVI 4658 at Ohio State (btw no update for John Owen on this study.. YET keep praying!). Thank you Abby and Shane you are both AWESOME!
We also had some amazing news from our friends at St. Adelbert the Great! The student council dress down days raised $4,000 for John Owen! Holy Cow!! $800 of it went directly to the MDA – Shannon Stewart from the MDA was on site to accept the check from John Owen. This will secure his spot in summer camp in 2010 (you have to be 6 to at
tend and Owen is so excited to go!)
The remainder will stay at St. Albert in a general fund to help with adaptive learning needs for Owen and other students as those needs present themselves! Thank you St. Albert the Great Parish! We LOVE YOU!! Also, we will miss Father Viall so much as this weekend is his retirment celebration!
Bruce Van Dyke from 107.3 the Wave interviewed Jen for the Wine to End Duchenne Series that are phenomenal friends at the Salerno group are hosting this summer. You can listen to the broadcast tomorrow (Sunday 5-17) from 6:30 am to 7:00 am. It is ½ hour long and Bruce was a WONDERFUL host. He really made me feel totally comfortable sharing our story with Northeast Ohio! You can listen to the pod cast if you miss it tomorrow – the link is on our EVENTS tab!
This was Owen’s last week of pre-school. We will so miss Royal Redeemer but have them deep, deep in our hearts. We were surprised with an awesome gift basket for the Picnic in the Park fromhis classmates!! Thank you so much! Owen will miss all his friends and teachers.. but get ready RRLS for Wade! (Just to give you a taste of Wade... after replying "NO" 100 x to his candy request on Wednesday, Wade's response ~ he threw his arms in the air and head back and yelled, "For the Love of GOD give me CANDY." ) Get this.... right before Owen’s school party, Wade decided to toss his D-D (pacifier). You can see in this photo he is perhaps regretting it – but it is time to move past the D-D! Great job WADE!!!
Our blessing continue…. Thank you to Aunt Jean Oxendeer… your surprise gift this week was amazing! Out of the blue your great big donation is a God send!! Thank you!
Liz had a beautiful wedding shower last night at Copper Cup! We are so excited for Liz and Andy’s wedding in June! We love you Liz, Andy, Nat, Linda, and Greg ~ awesome time!
To end the week, Rutger took this picture with Spikes this morning. Spikes is a Bearded Dragon Lizard (pronounced wizord at our house) and we just got him Tuesday from Micki because he had 
outgrown his welcome at her house. We thought we could easily handle a lizard – I mean come on – 2 dogs, 3 kids, crazy life – how hard is a LIZARD? If you look closely at the shovel in Rutger’s hand, you can tell how well we handled the wizord. Sorry Micki and Danny!
Other news to just keep you updated…
We had hoped to get out to the Firehouses this month and help them all plant their JOA Christmas trees! We have been so darn busy that I have not even been about to give them a shout out! So if you are reading this – please plant your trees and we will get out to you as soon as we can to stop in and say HI!
Still gearing up for our Events – please check out the Event Tab there are so many cool ones. You can down load all the posters and take them to your friends and local merchants to post!!!
~~ 6/11 Wine to End Duchenne
~~ 7/11 Miracle for Muscles 7-11 Gamble
~~ 7/30 Picnic in the Park (LAWLESS man… LAWLESS!) ~~ 8/6 Wine to End Duchenne
~~ 8/15 JDRF Scavenger Hunt
~~8/22 Stride & Ride MDA 5 K
~~ 9/7 Fill the Boot
~~ 9/8 Rest for 2 months!
Some Requests... Please...
~Please keep Mrs. Prusinski, Owen's teacher, in your prayers that this economy turns around and saves her family business!
~Please keep John Owen’s Pre-School principle in your prayers, Karen Ritter. She is getting her other knee replaced on 5/26 – pray for a quick recovery!
~Keep Bobby Arnold in your prayers! On 5/8 he turned a major corner, started feeling better and eating again! YEEE HAW!!! He was able to attend his Run Wild for our Sons race at the Zoo where they raised over $170,000 for mitochondria – Yeah Bobby, Yeah Lisa!! Keep praying that Bobby stays healthy.
~Keep up the prayers for babby Bronson Roth. He needs your prayers. He is not progressing as well as he needs to be. Please keep him in your prayers
~ Please keep Sandy Rose's sister, Sara, in your prayers also. She was just diagnosed with Breast Cancer and needs prayers for strength in this first year of treatment!
~Please pray for Irene Lalak who was just diagnosed with bone cancer. She became a grandmother for the first time two years ago. Her grandchild is such a joy for her, and we need to pray so she will see him grow.
Finally – say a prayer for Julie as she AGAIN runs 13.1 miles – tomorrow she is running the CVS ½ marathon! We are hoping to cheer her on again!
~ Update 5-17 she did it!! 2 hours she rocks man!
That’s it for now – I think for one week that is more than enough. Thank you again for all you do for us! We feel your prayers!!! Love you!
Ps tax exempt status should be official this month! Thank you JOA Board!!
JOA Spring 2009 ~ Bring on the Adventure and the Fun Our First Newsletter
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Wow so much has been happening in the last three months, we are one year into Owen’s DMD diagnosis and we are taking the bull by the horns. In reminiscing over the letter we sent out to you last year right after Ash Wednesday, we can not believe how far we have come and for that we are extremely grateful because we did not or could not have done this alone and without you!
Breaking News... The BIG Announcement
We are so ready to announce the coolest fundraiser ever!! Long story short, some very amazing friends of Liz, Andy and Nat offered an event for JOA – well ‘an’ turned into THREE! April 22, June 11 and August 8~
The Salerno group, who owns Gusto in Little Italy, Grotto in Shaker and Lago in Tremont, have partnered with JOA to host three wine tasting events throughout the spring / summer. How awesome is that? Click here for the details ! There is only seating for 40 at each event… no pressure …but if you would like to attend, you may want to call soon 216-664-1120!
So many times, folks ask us, "So how is Owen doing?"
What an emotional rollercoaster it has been for us the last few months ~ we were all set to keep J (we call him J, Owen, John Owen, O) in Pre-K next year and as it turns out he is ready for the big K – Kindergarten. Through one event after another, we en
ded up having him tested in several places and whoa la.. our plans of one more year at Awesome Royal Redeemer got changed. It is bittersweet for us to have Owen leave RRLS, as you know, the folks here are amazing and hold John Owen so close in their hearts that we feel it every day!
But Owen really wants to be with his big brother at St. Albert. The reception that the Student Council has paved for Owen is not only heartwarming, but astounding! For those that do not know, St. Al Student Council made JOA their mission this year. Every dress down day was dedicated to JOA, that means all the money raised is earmarked for making John Owen’s adventure at St. Albert an Amazing one! We have all decided that the money raised will be reserved to help St. Albert met the needs of disabilities for St. Al students, not just Owen. We are so thrilled to be a part of this amazing selfless act by the families, staff, students and priests. I did cry when the principle told us that “John Owen belongs here, he will learn a lot from us, but we will learn so much more from him.” As hard as it is to leave RRLS, we know we are going into good hands with St. Albert!
Pictured below are friends and family from kids night - a total of 17 were over but right before the pick up we snapped a shot of the kids remaining... our boys love kids night and so do we... 
Health wise.....
John Owen is still doing his best to run around here… actually we think he does have a bit more energy since starting Cozzar (Losartin) six months ago. His sluggish days are not as often – which is a good thing or could all just be in our hopeful minds. He did get a new puppy for his 5th birthday, Penny! She is a beagle. We had to put Ty down before Christmas and Owen just loves Penny so much – and really funny thing – Owen is totally Penny’s favorite – in fact as we write this, she has snuck up into Owen’s bed. Buds for life.
Owen’s neurology appt. in Feb with Dr. Friedman showed he is holding his own in his muscle strength since his Sept visit – which is great news! We met a new ‘ist’ in February as well, Owen’s pulmonologist, Dr. Carl – Love Dr. Carl!!!. He gave him this funky new breathing thing that we call his Duck Call – I cannot explain the tec
hnical stuff but basically it will eventually help him to cough when his throat muscles no longer can do that trick. Owen is a great sport and gives us “10” blows on the call twice a day – Wade and Rutger try to get in on the duck call action too, which is nice that they want to be like Owen. We are so looking forward to seeing his cardiologist Dr. Arruda in a few weeks, she is so awesome – you can just see how much she loves our Owen every time we get to see her!
Great events to check out~ View our Media Kit
Looking at our JOA calendar here in our ‘office’ we are so thrilled that it is packed with memory building, DMD word spreading, and ‘money raising for a cure’ events! Though, given this tough economy we are focused more on raising awareness than the Dollar. Thanks to each of you, we are raising so much of both!
~~~ Run for Our Son ~~~ 
Watch as Pigs fly ~~~
Did you all know we will get to see Pigs fly on 5/3? That’s right, our St. Al friend, Julie Reardon is going to make Pigs fly in the Cinci Flying Pig’s ½ Marathon on 5/3! You might have caught her story in the St. Al bulletin, the Broadview Hts community paper or this month in Mimi’s… check out her sight by clicking here… Run Julie Run!! We are so blessed!! Btw she is ready to triple her original goal of $700 bucks.
~~~ Picnic in the Park ~~~
Our great friend Micki Gura is geared up to be the fundraiser of the year for JOA – she is working hard at rounding up donations for the Picnic in the Park on 7/30! She may have already called you! If you or your workmates would like to donate to the basket raffle, download our vendor letter here. Please do plan on attending – we have an AWESOME team that is pumped to bring you a great night out with the family – our goal is AFFORDABILITY this year!! 7/30/09 German Central York and Sprague in Parma – Plenty of parking this year! Please, please plan on attending.. Micki's goal is 3,000... we will be happy with 3! We Love Micki!
~~~ Night at the Races ~~~
4/24 Rhizo Kids .. check it out click here! High school classmate Mindy Cirner and her husband, Jeff, will host this event to raise funds for research for their two children affected with this disabling genetic disorder. There are still a few tickets left ~ check them out on our outreach page as well.
~~~ JDRF Scavenger Hunt at Put in Bay ~~~
Ever toured the Island in style, Put in Bay Island that is… if you want to have a great time – check out the 8/15 JDRF Scavenger Hunt at Put in Bay – click here! Maybe we will see you there????
Just some more stuff to read to catch up on "whats going on"
Tax exempt status
The IRS has gotten back to us on our 501c3 status! We submitted a bunch of information to
them last week with hopes that our status will be granted soon.. fingers crossed
Facebook
Wow, we cannot believe we have over 1,200 members now on the JOA cause on Facebook…
totally beyond amazing how great the word of JOA is spreading… click here to join the cause
if you would like to!
"Who says I don't look good in Green?" 
MDA Shamrock Success!
The MDA’s Shamrock '09 event was one of the biggest ever – again in this econ – that totally rocks. We know you each had something to do with that – so thank you so much! It is amazing what $1 at a time can do! Lube Stop is an amazing supporter of the MDA as well as JOA – so if you need an oil change, please go there and DO tell them you know John Owen since they know him very well!
Announcements
Still have not read enough? Click these links for more exciting news
~Owen Sun Star - Owen in our local paper
~Awesome promising research that COULD help John Owen!
~Sign the pledge to end Duchenne if you have not already –
Luke and Logan you are STILL The first faces of Who will End Duchenne ~ You rock!
~JOA’s first broadcast interview – This is our nephew Weston’s college
broadcast show… read where it says “On March 8th” and follow the instructions… if you are
savvy you will get there!!!
Wow.. first nsl and it is long, long. long.. JOA out - God Bless you and our Troops... see you soon