Here is a fabulous picture of Rose -- a couple of years old, I believe -- on the quad at Bowdoin College. Can you believe that her graduation from Bowdoin is approaching? Another good reason to donate.

Rose Tattoo No. 2! (FMI, see below.)

Getting Rose Tattoo No. 2 today, thanks to John Easter of Capital City Tattoo in Concord

Two down, 63 to go! When I was at the CFF volunteer leadership conference a couple of weeks ago, a HUGE supporter of the CFF asked me how much he would have to donate to get me to add a second rose to my handsome dad bod. I said: "It doesn't work that way. This is an all-or-nothing proposition -- I just got my FIRST rose tattoo last summer to prove I was serious." He said something like: Oh, c'mon. Just tell me how much I would have to donate to get you to add a second rose. I thought for a second and said: Five thousand dollars. Whereupon he pulled out his credit card and made the donation. So, today I celebrated April 1 (the holiest day of the year) by getting my second rose tattoo. And, while I will indeed get the other 63 if I succeed in getting to $65,000 by my birthday on July 24, I guess we have now effectively set a 'retail' price. So, if anyone else wants to kick in another $5k, I will pay another call on my excellent tattoo artist. Just let me know!

As Joe Biden himself would say, this was a big [expletive deleted] deal! We will cherish this picture forever and if you are not a political supporter of Mr. Biden I hope you will forgive me for thinking it such an honor to hang out with POTUS..

Kara Satalino, Bijal Trivedi, and little old me at VLC

Made some great new friends at the CFF Volunteer Leadership Conference this month in Washington. Here are two of them! Kara Satalino, a CF mom from Connecticut, with whom I became fast friends as we sat together, exchanged pictures, talked about our families, and both confessed we were big fans of Bijal Trivedi. And so we both screwed up the courage to march up to her and introduce ourselves. Bijal is a CF rock star; her book Breath from Salt is unquestionably the definitive version of the CF story.

Christopher Deford -- cool to meet him and see how he is the spitting image of his dad, the late Frank Deford.

What an unforgettable week it was -- on Monday I was standing up there with my daughter watching her introduce President Biden, on Thursday I was on Capitol Hill helping to advance the policy agenda of the CF Foundation, and on Friday/Saturday I was participating in the CFF's annual Volunteer Leadership Conference, having been named to the CFF's National Volunteer Leadership Council. HIghlights: Hearing KC White, the first person with CF to chair the CFF's board of trustees, proclaim that Cystic Fibrosis is her "superpower." Meeting and chatting with Bijal Trivedi, author of Breath from Salt, the book that tells the whole CF story so compellingly. Meeting Christopher Deford (picture above), son of one of my biggest heroes -- the late sportswriter Frank Deford, a gold star CF dad. Snagging a five thousand dollar donation from a new friend who casually asked: What would it take to add a second rose tattoo to your body right away? (I got my first rose tattoo last summer, just to show how serious I am.) This is really supposed to be an "all or nothing" proposition -- I raise the 65k over the course of a year and I get the 65 rose tattoos. But if anyone ELSE wants to kick in 5k all at once, let's talk! But please know that any and all contributions, of any size, are deeply appreciated -- even the most modest of donations tell us that you are in solidarity with us as we all take part in 'the greatest story in medicine.'

We'll have better images of this soon!

Oh . . . my . . . gosh! Do we ever have stuff to report to fans of the "geezer" campaign. I hardly know where to start. Maybe with the nearly incredible events of March 11, when Rose had the honor of introducing President Biden when he came to give a speech about drug affordability. I was standing right next to Rose when she hit this one right out of the park -- and we both had a lovely visit with the President backstage. ("We had a lovely visit with the President" = words I never expected to type.) I did NOT show the President my rose tattoo . . . but when I hit my goal and get COVERED in roses I will make sure he finds out about it. In the meantime, we've been inundated with celebratory greetings -- and if you have found your way to this page then you know what *I* think the best way is to pay tribute to this remarkable and unforgettable day in Rose's life.

This picture is something like 18 years old -- but, it still captures the essence of Rose!