Now View the Entire Fashion Show Online!

Hello patient fashionistas, guests and those who could not make it out to Couture Fashion for a Cure Found,

Good news...

You can now view the entire fashion show online!

It's a seven-parter, so be prepared to settle in for a while.

Turning Heads and Making Headlines...Again!

In case you missed it, check us out in this yesterday's Caledon Enterprise!

Photo Courtesy of the Caledon Enterprise

Rockin’ the runway for Hattie

http://www.caledonenterprise.com/news/article/91974

The Grand Total Is In...

A Summer for Hattie (our fundraisers for the summer including: 2 car washes, 1 bottle drive, 1 mock fashion show/firemen auction, rose sales and farmer's market) and Couture Fashion for a Cure Found raised. . .

Drum roll please. . .

$30,000

A special thanks goes out to our friends at Scotiabank for their generous dollar-for-dollar matching for our raffle and silent auction sales. This raised us an extra $4,000 and brought our fundraising goal to a whole new level!

Claim Your Raffle Prizes! (Before someone else does)

After the fashion show did you simply forget to check your raffle ticket? Or perhaps you were otherwise occupied at the Glen Eagle bar? 
 
In any case, we have news for you...you may still be a winner!  

Check out your corresponding colour and ticket number below to find out if you're one of our lucky mystery winners.

If you are, send us an e-mail at info@cfforcf.com for more information on how to collect your prize.

red - 0169231

red - 0169389

red - 7548317

red - 7548818

red - 7548601

white/pink - 0390939

Act fast, because you only have 10 days to make your claim!

A Summer For Hattie

Our summer days are now numbered; autumn is in the air and Couture Fashion for a Cure Found has come and gone. 

Take a look back at all our summer fundraisers by checking out "A Summer for Hattie" (above) courtesy of our friends at Where It's At Productions.

Sneak Peak of Tonight's Fashion Show!

We are six hours away from the big show. So what can you expect from the first annual Couture Fashion for a Cure Found? Here's a glimpse of what's to come:

• Guests will arrive on our red carpet and have their photos taken
• Lobby will open up and guests will be offered drinks and hors d'oeuvres
• Guests will also enjoy live music from Megan Bonnell
• We will also be having a fabulous silent auction* and raffle, which will only be available for 1.5 hours, so bring your best bids!

SILENT AUCTION ITEMS UP FOR BID INCLUDE:

Clothing/Accessories

 

Birds of North America (www.birdsofnorthamerica.ca) 1 or 2 pieces from her collection. Valued at $189 and $149
 

Body Graphics  2x $25.00 clothing gift certificates 

LABEL  Item from her collection       
 

go go mama Shirt/Dress and other items. valued at $160

Gucci sunglasses valued at $330
 

Hannah's Closet Leather jacket Size 38-small fitting. Valued at $715
 

Comrags Gift Certificates valued at $100

Lacoste sunglasses valued at $170
 

Klementine Gift Certificate. Valued at $50
 

You've Got Hattitude Necklace. Valued at $42
 

Quiksilver/Roxy Gift Certificate  $50      
 

Basket of perfumes & makeup. Valued at $235
 

Hand knit scarves Acrylic pink and blue two scarves. Valued at $65  
 

4 Raymonds Heart Necklace- Swarovski. Valued at $150
 

Designs by GOI Silver with Crystals Necklace, Bracelet and Earrings. Valued at $120
 

Gift Baskets

Cocktail Basket martini glasses/ cocktail receipes/vodka. Valued at $150 

Cree Organics organic soaps/oils. Valued at $150 

Naked Vine wine items valued at $130
 

Gourmandissimo  Basket and Certificate. Valued at $45.00

 

Gift Basket: wine acrylic hand painted wine glasses, pitcher and serving platter. Valued at 

$70  
 

Spa/Wellness

Calm Waters Day Spa Facial and Hydration Kit. Valued at $160.51
 

Salon Coy Hair product gift basket and gift certificates. Valued at $300
 

Raydiance 200 Sun Points. Valued at $48.30= 200 Sun Points
 

Advanced Chiro Gift Certificate for 1 hour massage

Anytime Fitness  Gift Certificate-3 months free

Palgrave Personal Training  4 Personal Training Sessions. Valued at $200

Yoga One Studio 6 classes-2 of these valued at $72.00 each Total Value $144
 

Timeless Moments Spa  Manicure, nail polish, nail file. Valued at $50
 

Food & Beverage

Pampered Chef and Cooking show Pampered chef products and certificate for free cooking show      

 

Rosewater  4 Gift Certificates               
 

Angry Tomato Gift Certificate and cajun spices. 2 x $50.00 gift certificates
 

Garden Foods 2 $25 Gift Certificates for groceries 

Kitchen Aid Roaster Valued at $100
 

Cupboard Content Make Over for Improved Health 4hr consultation on nutritional choices, grocery shopping and lunch for 2. Valued at $240
 

Mirto Italian Restaurant  Gift Certificate. Valued at $75
 

Cheeks homemade burgers  Gift Certificate. Valued at $25
 

Mercatto Gift Certificate Valued at $75 

Furniture/Home items

Vacworks Vaccuum. Valued at $199
 

Flexopedic Mattress Mattress cover. Valued at $60
 

Patty Watson Stewart Homemade patio stones. Valued at $100
 

Bell Mobility Vtech Home Phone. Valued at $90

Samsung Cell Phone. Valued at $250
 

United Lumber  Dessert Display. Valued at $50.00 approx
 

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. Signed Basketball from Raptor Jose Calderon. Valued at $300
 

KRUPS Coffee and Espresso machine. Valued at $200
 

Photography/Art

Sherry's Pix Fine art photographs. Valued at $130 

Print & Frame- Northern Arctic Fox by Christine Marshall. Valued at $1545  
 

Rachael Grice Photography LF B&W Fine Art Print (Framed). Valued at $580
 

Cheryl May BELL Painting. Valued at $250

Characters Talent Agency Two paintings valued at $250 ea.
 

Experiences

Motor Home Travel Canada Inc. Weekend motor home rental-Thanksgiving. Valued at $1066.72
 

Honda 4 oil changes- Honda's only. Valued at $250
 

Walk- Bike-Run Tune up and 10 Spin class Valued at $150
 

Pro's at Glen Eagle Private lesson for 4 people. Valued at $200
 

Glen Eagle 4 people 18 holes and carts. Valued at $300

Image Car and Truck Wash Car shammies, sponges, detergent. Valued at $100
 

The Tire Storage Guy Free Winter Tire Storage for Winter 2010. Valued at  $100
 

Kaneff Golf Course Certificate for golf course. Valued at $50
 

Theatre Collingwood 2 Tickets to Sleuth Play open ended dates September 13-18th 2010. Valued at $66 
 

Southview Chiro  1 Hour massage. Valued at $85
 

Southview Chiro  1 Hour massage. Valued at   $85
 

Southview Chiro  Initital exam visit. Valued at $80
 

Robinsons Karate 6 months + Karate uniform. Valued at $750.6
 

Sole Limousine Services FREE 2 way limo ride up to 10 people (within GTA area) Valued at $400
 

Toronto Fashion Incubator TFI Outreach Membership    

2 Tickets to Leafs VS Sens Saturday October 9th Section 114, Row 19, Seats 18 and 19.  Valued at $300
 

James Kwon Tennis Pro + Gift Basket  2 free lessons and a tennis gift basket. Valued at $475
 

Humber Nurseries $50 Gift Certificate   

Broadway Farms Market  $100 GC to their market 

There you have it, may the highest bid win!

Also, if you can't make it out to the fashion show tonight, be sure to check it all out online on cfforcf.com! We will be posting a video of the ENTIRE show!

1 More Sleep!

CF for CF is just one day away!

Today, everyone was busy tying up loose ends (yes, more loose ends)! The highlight of today was probably the stage being set up!

Hattie Dunstan, founder of CF for CF (who also underwent a double-lung transplant this summer--talk about a go-getter), is planning on attending the dress rehearsal tomorrow afternoon. It will be a great opportunity for her to see her vision in the flesh! She will not attend the real deal because you cannot be in large crowds so soon after transplant (you have no immune system from the drugs you need to take in order to prevent your body from rejecting the new organ).

This brings me to my first point, tomorrow night we will be handing out consent forms for organ donation. Check out the Trillium Gift of Life Network for more information on this important subject. They have a really good FAQ section if you are interested!

While this is a fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis, the reality is that when we reach end-stage lung disease we will require a double-lung transplant to live. Without a donor, Hattie probably wouldn't have been here today and there are LOTS of other Hattie's out there that are waiting for lungs or livers or kidneys...

So please consider signing your consent form tomorrow night, if you haven't already!

Also be sure to talk to you family. People are surprised to learn that their family can override their consent. So it's very important that your family understands how important it is to you that you are an organ donor!

So bring a pen, your strapy heels, or for men--your shiny shoes?  And bring your cheque book too (we will also be accepting debit and cash), because we have some amazing silent auction items up for bid including a limo ride, spa packages and leaf tickets.

Looking for a sneak peak of what's to come? Check out the designers and stores that will be featured tomorrow night!

2 Days Away!

The very first Couture Fashion for a Cure Found show is almost here! 

The girls are busy running around and tying up loose ends. The last silent auction and raffle items are being collected (p.s. we have a great selection of items), models are making final preparations, schedules and speeches are being finalized and the program went to print earlier this morning.

Lesson learned: lots of late, LATE, nights and early mornings make for long and productive days! 

We can't believe how fast this summer has gone by--but we've all had fun.

Diagnosing Cystic Fibrosis: How has it improved?

For the days leading up to our first annual CF for CF, I thought this would be a great opportunity to explore how our approach to the disease has evolved over the years.

For starters, cystic fibrosis was once considered a "childhood disease", meaning that many of us would be considered very lucky to make it to adulthood. In fact, there wasn't even an adult CF clinic when I was a child (roughly 20 years ago), so I had CF adults sharing the ward with me in Sick Kids. Now our adult clinic in Toronto is huge, and though I don't have specific figures, last I heard the number of patients hovers around the range of 400. This reflects the latest figures released from the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF) that revealed the number of Canadian adults with cystic fibrosis (aged 18+) surpasses the number of children with CF.

To paint an even starker contrast, in the 1960s, most children with cystic fibrosis did not live long enough to attend kindergarten. Today, half of all Canadians with cystic fibrosis are expected to live into their 40s and beyond. We are finishing high school, going to university or college, working full time (or part time), getting married and sometimes having children.

So how did we get here?

Let's start from the beginning. One in 25 Canadians carries a defective version of the gene responsible for CF. In order for a child to be born with CF, both parents must be carriers of the defective gene. A person with CF has two copies of the defective gene, while a "carrier" only has one copy. For instance, my mom carries one copy of the defective gene and my dad also carries one copy, both copies were passed on to me. However, in the case of my sister, she only received one copy which makes her a "carrier", she does not have Cystic Fibrosis. 

It's a bit of a lottery when both parents are carriers, some people will have several children with CF, while others could have children that are simply carriers or are not carriers at all. 

The diagram below, shows us that if both parents are carriers of the defective gene (more specifically, the abnormal CFTR gene) there is a 1 in 4 chance they will have a child with CF, a 1 in 4 chance they will have a child that does not have CF and is not a carrier and a 2 in 4 chance they will have a child who is a "carrier" of the CF gene.

Image courtesy of Diabetes Monitor

Comprehend? It's confusing, we know. . .

For those who knowingly have a history of CF in their family, they are advised to undergo genetic testing before starting a family of their own. But, since CF was recently a childhood disease, many people are unaware that there is a history of the disease.

As a result, it can be difficult to diagnose CF. Some children are diagnosed not too long after birth because they develop Meconium ileus (a bowel obstruction), which can be a hallmark sign that something is not quite right. For others with less obvious symptoms, misdiagnosis can drag on for months or years. In my case, I was diagnosed when I was two years old, after failing to thrive, having a distended belly from malnourishment and chest infections. Some people are not even diagnosed until adulthood!

CF affects about 1 in every 3,600 babies born in Ontario, so while it's still considered relatively rare, early diagnosis and aggressive treatment leads to better health. The sooner proper nourishment needs can be met and lung damage can be prevented by starting physio and antibiotic therapy, the better. This is why the CCFF has been pushing for every province to add testing for CF to the newborn screening test. Thus far, Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia screen newborns for cystic fibrosis.

After a simple blood test, if there is a postive result, parents are asked to bring their newborn back for more testing--like the sweat test--to confirm a diagnosis. For more information on the screening process in Ontario, click here.

The hope is, that with earlier diagnosis, fewer people will fall between the cracks and future generations will enjoy an even longer period of a good quality of life.

The Story of 65 Roses

Photo Courtesy of Shandi-lee via Flickr (CC)

All weekend long we will be selling red roses in support of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

You can find us at midnight madness tonight in Caledon (between King and Mill St.), Pia's Bakery in Orangeville tomorrow and Zehrs in Bolton on Sunday.

Follow our twitter feed for more information on our progress. 

Roses certainly are pretty and do a good job of signifying our love and affection for that special someone. But what do they have to do with Cystic Fibrosis?

The following article comes to us from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, explaining how 65 Roses came to be a registered trademark.

"65 Roses" is what some children with cystic fibrosis (CF) call their disease because the words are much easier for them to pronounce.

Mary G. Weiss became a volunteer for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in 1965 after learning that her three little boys had CF. Her duty was to call every civic club, social and service organization seeking financial support for CF research. Mary's 4-year-old son, Richard, listened closely to his mother as she made each call.

The Weiss brothers, Richard, 5; Arthur, 7 and Anthony, 16 months.

After several calls, Richard came into the room and told his Mom, "I know what you are working for." Mary was dumbstruck because Richard did not know what she was doing, nor did he know that he had cystic fibrosis. With some trepidation, Mary asked, "What am I working for, Richard?" He answered, "You are working for 65 Roses." Mary was speechless. 

He could not see the tears running down Mary's cheeks as she stammered, "Yes Richard, I'm working for 65 Roses."

Since 1965, the term "65 Roses" has been used by children of all ages to describe their disease. But, making it easier to say does not make CF any easier to live with. The "65 Roses" story has captured the hearts and emotions of all who have heard it. The rose, appropriately the ancient symbol of love, has become a symbol of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

65 Roses^® is a registered trademark of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. 


Check out the original article here.

Two weeks away! And...where does the money go?

The final preparations are currently underway for our first fashion show!

Phew. This is exciting and exhausting work. 

In the final days, CF for CF consumes us. Kim is busy delegating and tying up all the loose ends, Nikki--our graphic designer--is working away on posters and the step and repeat wall. Many of the girls (there are simply too many to continue to name names here!) are gathering information for our program... and I am slowly (oh so slowly...) bringing the design together!

I also have a real-life example of how the money raised from the night will be used (it is all going directly to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, otherwise known as the CCFF)

A good chunk of money distributed by the CCFF goes to research.  Currently I'm participating in a study at the world renowned Hospital for Sick Children that is looking at developing a new and improved sweat test.

Um... What is a Sweat Test?

Sweat tests collect the chloride in your sweat and are used to diagnose cystic fibrosis. Those with cystic fibrosis can have two to five times the normal amount of chloride in their sweat.

It's a relatively easy and painless test that has actually been modified since I was diagnosed.

The 'old' test (the one I would have done):
The technician rubs a solution on your arm, which stimulates your sweat glands, then places a wet gauze and copper plates over your arm, attached to electrodes. It feels a little tingly, but otherwise unremarkable. They also place a tiny needle beside the site (almost close to my elbow) to collect the sweat in a little tube. The information is then analyzed in a computer.

I asked the researcher why they didn't just stick us in a hot room and let us sweat naturally, and she said they did do this to babies before a proper test had been developed. Unfortunately, many would die because their bodies were unable to regulate their temperature after being in the hot room. I guess comparable to leaving your baby in a hot car... not generally a good idea.

The new test (which I believe has been used here for the past 10 or so years), is even easier than that and just involved little discs, gel, and electrodes. No needles! You can check it out here.

There is also this video example below, but I warn you... it it directly from the 90s:




The new test that they are exploring, looks at investigating the pH (acidity) in the sweat to see if there is a difference between healthy and CF patients. It also measures the electrical voltage of sweat glands, which could be just as accurate as the standard sweat test and possibly even easier and more practical.

Why is this important?

Well, for starters, scientists could use the sweat test as a tool to detect any changes in salt transportation when they are testing out new drugs. Improvements in salt transportation could indicate that the drug is doing it's job. A new sweat test that could detect subtle changes would help show scientists what drugs have potential.

Secondly, improved sweat tests make diagnosing CF even easier. And perhaps (and this is my assumption) the more sensitive the test, the more accurate it will be... which may be good news for those who have been given the result of a 'borderline' sweat test. A borderline sweat test means that your results are not normal, but not severe enough to be diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis... no one wants to be stuck in limbo!

And there you have it, just one example of one of the initiatives CF for CF will support.

TWO WEEKS TO GO!

- Lindsay

29 Days and Counting

29 Days and Counting until the very first Couture Fashion for a Cure Found fashion show. Follow our journey in the next month leading up to the much anticipated fashion show.