Cards for Kim – coastal inspired holiday cards to benefit the fight against cystic fibrosis – are back by popular demand.
All proceeds from the sale of these beautiful, unique west coast holiday cards created by Erin Wallis and Shannon Lim are in support of the fight against cystic fibrosis. Wallis is a recognized and talented local photographer and Lim is an art teacher at Phoenix middle school. The two are a perfect recipe for creative collaborations.
Kim Wood, who has cystic fibrosis, spends at least four hours a day on therapy and medical procedures to help fight the disease. Wood struggles to juggle looking after her health with caring for her family including her 2 ½-year-old son, Charlie.
Wood said, “I couldn’t be more grateful to Erin and Shannon for taking the time out of their busy lives to work on the CF holiday card project – they are remarkably talented and giving people.”
Wood grew up in Campbell River and said she is tremendously grateful to the community for supporting the cystic fibrosis cause. Wallis is a close friend of Wood.
“I have watched Kim struggle with this devastating disease her entire life – we grew up together as friends and neighbours,” Wallis said. “I would hold her hand and read to her when she was little as her mom pounded on her chest to help loosen lung secretions – now I just want to see a cure found so Kim won’t have to worry about living long enough to see her son grow up.”
Wallis’ awareness of cystic fibrosis and it’s implications were heightened by having an uncle who had passed away from it at the age of 24.
Last weekend, they launched Wallis’ husband’s family row boat and Santa and Mrs. Claus rowed out to the infamous Tyee Pool in search of making CF stand for “Cure Found.” Lim and Wallis have finally brought a vision they have had for years to life.
Wallis said, “We have taken a few years off of doing these cards for various reasons and this year it just felt right to bring them back. We’ve had the Santa and Mrs. Claus in a row boat vision for years and are so grateful we were able to pull it off finally!”
These women are fiercely determined to help find a cure for CF, in the most creative (and only) way they know how. “Shannon and I have a strong, passionate desire to create. Always. Our motto is ‘Anything is Possible.’ With our card company Runaway Soul we just believe in sharing our wild visions to create a positive expression of what we love, and what is possible. The best part of these cards for us is that 100 per cent of the proceeds go to finding a cure or control for CF.”
Joining Lim and Wallis in this project is Kask Graphics who are helping keep the cost of producing to a minimum. Monk Office has donated all of the envelopes for the cards, so when you buy these unique Christmas cards you can feel good that you are contributing in a big way. Bulk orders are possible or they are sold for $20 per pack of the five different cards.
Photo Tech has also donated prints of the images and these will be for sale at the Toy and Craft Fair at the Sportsplex Nov. 23 and 24. The cards will also be available by cash only at Coho Books, Java Shack, Sports Expert, and the All in One Party Shop. They will likely surface at a few other locations in town as they were very popular in the past.
You can follow along online at Runaway Soul on Facebook.
Cystic fibrosis is the most common fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults. At present, there is no cure. CF causes various effects on the body, but mainly affects the digestive system and lungs. The degree of CF severity differs from person to person, however, the persistence and ongoing infection in the lungs, with progressive loss of lung function, will eventually lead to death in the majority of people with CF. Every week in Canada, one baby is diagnosed with CF; approximately one in every 3,600 children born in Canada has CF.
Thanks to significant progress in treatment and care, the majority of children with CF will easily reach adulthood. Nevertheless, of the 46 Canadian patients who died in 2016 of CF-related complications, half were under 38.9 years of age (the median age at death in 2016).
The most recent data for 2016 shows the estimated median survival age to be 53.3 years of age. This is an important statistic that continues to increase, implying the successful clinical management of CF in Canada. The interpretation is that a child born with CF in Canada in 2016 will have a 50 per cent probability of living beyond 53.3 years of age.
Cystic Fibrosis Canada is a national charitable not-for-profit corporation established in 1960, and is one of the world’s top three charitable organizations committed to finding a cure for CF. As an internationally recognized leader in funding innovation and clinical care, we invest more in life-saving CF research and care than any other non-governmental agency in Canada. We are committed to helping people with CF to live healthy and well.
Since its establishment, Cystic Fibrosis Canada has invested more than $235 million in leading research, innovation and care. As a result, Canadians with cystic fibrosis have one of the highest median survival rates in the world. As we work toward new treatments and ultimately a cure for this devastating disease, we also work to improve the services and supports people with CF need to live healthy and well.