Rietter's Grit
Tax deductible
Meet Rietter.
This adorable little human was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when he was around 6 months old.
I met Rietter's parents, Eric and Laura Lynde, while they were searching for a new home. They happened to come through an open house I was hosting one fate-filled Sunday and we've been friends ever since!
Laura was pregnant with Rietter when we first met. Shortly after, she had Rietter, and shortly after that, I decided to completely blow out my ACL playing in a soccer league. They still hadn't found a home yet at this point, but with a brand new baby in tow and me hobbling around on crutches post-op we forged on. Eventually, we closed on their new home (photos of me holding Rietter at the closing table with my crutches in the background courtesy of Attorney Adam Williams ).
Around the same time, Laura and Eric received the news about Rietter having neuroblastoma I was going through rehab on my knee. Since I had to limit high-impact sports, which isn't really my m.o., I had to look for alternative options. So, I started hiking... a lot. Which lead to me backpacking... a lot.
Being an avid backpacker, I follow a number of outdoor/hiking/backpacking pages on Facebook. I noticed a post by the Allegheny National Forest Chapter of the North Country Trail Association about their upcoming 100mi hiking challenge, the objective being to hike the 100mi section of the North Country Trail that passes through the ANF in 50 hrs. Spending nearly all of my hiking/backpacking/camping time in the ANF, I was immediately intrigued.
Bringing it full circle...
Honestly, I often subject myself to things like this anyway, so I started brainstorming on how to bring a greater purpose to this endeavor. As this idea evolved it was an immediately obvious choice to reach out to Laura to see how she felt about trying to raise funds and donate them in Rietter's name to one of the charities closest to them. Obviously, she was on board.
*Fun fact: Their daughter, Frankie, and I also share the same birthday.
Needless to say, we have many things that connect us. The Lynde's are such an incredible family and Rietter is an amazing little warrior. They've all been through so much more than I and probably many of you can imagine. So, here we are!
**Read about Rietter's story here!
This adorable little human was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when he was around 6 months old.
I met Rietter's parents, Eric and Laura Lynde, while they were searching for a new home. They happened to come through an open house I was hosting one fate-filled Sunday and we've been friends ever since!
Laura was pregnant with Rietter when we first met. Shortly after, she had Rietter, and shortly after that, I decided to completely blow out my ACL playing in a soccer league. They still hadn't found a home yet at this point, but with a brand new baby in tow and me hobbling around on crutches post-op we forged on. Eventually, we closed on their new home (photos of me holding Rietter at the closing table with my crutches in the background courtesy of Attorney Adam Williams ).
Around the same time, Laura and Eric received the news about Rietter having neuroblastoma I was going through rehab on my knee. Since I had to limit high-impact sports, which isn't really my m.o., I had to look for alternative options. So, I started hiking... a lot. Which lead to me backpacking... a lot.
Being an avid backpacker, I follow a number of outdoor/hiking/backpacking pages on Facebook. I noticed a post by the Allegheny National Forest Chapter of the North Country Trail Association about their upcoming 100mi hiking challenge, the objective being to hike the 100mi section of the North Country Trail that passes through the ANF in 50 hrs. Spending nearly all of my hiking/backpacking/camping time in the ANF, I was immediately intrigued.
Bringing it full circle...
Honestly, I often subject myself to things like this anyway, so I started brainstorming on how to bring a greater purpose to this endeavor. As this idea evolved it was an immediately obvious choice to reach out to Laura to see how she felt about trying to raise funds and donate them in Rietter's name to one of the charities closest to them. Obviously, she was on board.
*Fun fact: Their daughter, Frankie, and I also share the same birthday.
Needless to say, we have many things that connect us. The Lynde's are such an incredible family and Rietter is an amazing little warrior. They've all been through so much more than I and probably many of you can imagine. So, here we are!
**Read about Rietter's story here!
Organizer
Jonathan Ghrist
Organizer
Erie, PA
National Pediatric Cancer Foundation
Beneficiary