FFL Bio's

Erick Bauer

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most common, fatal, genetic disease affecting young Canadians’ today. The disease affects one in every 3,600 people born in Canada. My name is Erick Bauer; and I am one of those people. At the age of five I was diagnosed, and from that day forward every facet of my life has revolved around the disease. From the rigorous therapy to the emotional struggles involving infertility and mortality, CF has found its way into all the corners of my life.

The realities of living with a life threatening disease are dauntingly complex. The deterioration of health is often followed by the deterioration of will, and, in turn, a sense of powerlessness that cannot be described - only experienced. Such a devastating disease is intrinsically intertwined with pain and struggle; however, those living with CF learn to embrace the positives while disregarding the negatives.

Cystic Fibrosis, therefore, serves as a reminder to live life to its fullest and to cherish the time we have with friends, family, and loved ones. These notions of friendship, caring, and teamwork are what led to the formation of the Friends For Life Foundation.

For myself, the Foundation has become a support network, an emotional lifeline, and a way to extract positives out of an incredibly negative situation. It is a source of inspiration; a flash of encouragement that works to disrupt the inevitable patterns of negativity that often seem to take hold of my life. Friends For Life is more then just a charitable organization - it is a core philosophy embraced by a group of people who have chosen to unite in the fight against two devastating diseases. I derive personal inspiration from the success that we have achieved with the Foundation and I look forward to continued success in the years to come. Most importantly, I have come to realize that I am not alone in my fight against Cystic Fibrosis. I find strength in those who stand by me, and I move forward knowing that they will always be by my side.

Steve Cameron

At 16 years of age I was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin’s Large Cell Anaplastyic Lymphoma. I was immediately put on a 12 month treatment protocol consisting of chemotherapy and the daily ingestion of various medications. The side effects of both the disease and the treatment therapy were at most times unbearable; I missed out on an entire year of school and was forced to give up many of the social activities that had been a part of my life for so long (such as hockey). It was without a doubt, one of the most difficult things I have had to endure; yet I persevered and am here today because of the support I received from my friends and family.

The entire experience strongly impacted my outlook on life and has become an integral part of the person I am today. Like many other survivors, Cancer has changed my life forever. During the year of my recovery - from both the cancer and the chemo – it became evident that my experiences could perhaps be used positively to help other cancer patients who are forced to endure the pain and strife that are inherently associated with the devastating disease. I was determined to give back to the cancer community – I just wasn’t sure how I was going to go about it.

During that year I spent a lot of time with a friend of mine who was also battling a life threatening disease. Although we first met in middle school, Erick Bauer and I became very close during high school. Erick was a Cystic Fibrosis patient who had been diagnosed with the disease at a young age. As a Cystic Fibrosis patient, he was forced to endure many of the same painful experiences that I, as a cancer patient, knew all too well. At the very minimum, both of us understood the daily struggles of pain, humiliation, feelings of defeat, and devastation. The strength that we found in each other was quite apparent to those around us. One of our closest friends – Chantal -was particularly touched by our respective battles with CF and Cancer. Her vision was to create a charitable organization that celebrated the strength of friendship, the power of knowledge, and the importance of attitude. As a result, the Friends For Life Foundation was officially formed. In 2006 Erick and I took over the Friends for Life Foundation. The main theme of the charity remains the same: friend’s help friend’s overcome difficult times in life.

The money raised through our charitable initiatives goes to support The Oncology Clinic at the Hospital for Sick Children and the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in hopes that other patients can be spared the pain inflicted by these two diseases. My diagnosis, medication regime and recovery were life altering experiences. Our annual charity event is one way that I have decided to give back to the community of researchers and doctors who dedicate their lives to fighting these two devastating illnesses. Most importantly, The Friends for Life Foundation hopes to make a difference in the lives of those fellow patients who, like us, are forced to spend every day dealing with these life altering diseases. It is my dream to grow Friends For Life in hopes of making it more successful with the passing of each year.