John Klippel's Blog

Splash & Sunny

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:58:57 GMT

Senator Edward Kennedy was indeed a true friend of the arthritis community and a champion for the Arthritis Prevention Control and Cure Act. We had the opportunity to honor him with the 2008 Advocacy Leadership Award. (http://www.arthritis.org/advocacy.php).

During the 2007 Advocacy Summit I happened to run into Senator Kennedy's two Portugese Water Dogs - Splash & Sunny - just returning from a walk. Being the proud owner of a PWD, I recognized them immediately, had my picture taken with them, and wrote to Senator Kennedy (letter attached). I was thrilled to have him sign the picture which is proudly displayed in my office and will be treasured by me forever.

Boomer Sooners & Arthritis

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:28:54 GMT

The University of Oklahoma took a giant step towards the NCAA national championship last night by clobbering Texas Tech. The Sooners’ football coach – Bob Stoops – is a big reason for the team’s success. In May, 2008 Coach Stoops was honored by the Eastern Oklahoma Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation at a Tribute Dinner held in Tulsa. Football is HUGE in Oklahoma and there was a very large turnout to meet the coach and hear about the upcoming season. However, the person in the room that everyone will remember most wasn’t Coach Stoops but rather 14-year Jonathan Jagger from Jenks, OK. Jonathan sat at Coach Stoops’ table for dinner and helped him (and everyone else at the event) understand what it means to live with arthritis. Jonathon talked about his dreams of becoming an astronaut or a medical researcher (“ I figure it’s kind of my duty. I have it so why not try and fix it”). Earlier this year Jonathon participated in the Arthritis Foundation’s Kid’s Advocacy Summit in Washington DC and met with his Congressman John Sullivan to get support for the Arthritis bill. Jonathon was proud to get a football autographed by Coach Stoops. As the evening was winding down, Coach Stoops very quietly and seen by almost no one slipped Jonathan money so that he could buy the flower table arrangement for his mother - a touching moment for a very special occasion which spoke volumes about Bob Stoops’ character.

2008 Jingle Bell Run/Walk

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:05:09 GMT

I visited lots of cities this morning including Seattle, Baltimore, Memphis, Detroit, Eau Clair, Fort Myers, Columbus, Mason City, Madison, and others I can’t remember at the moment, Former Seattle Seahawk and Minnesota Viking NFL player Carlester Crumpler Jr. and I joined together (at 6:00 am !) for a live satellite media tour to talk about the 2008 Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis which will be held in 100 cities over the next 6 weeks. We packed a lot of things into the interviews – Carlester’s commitment to eating better and staying fit to manage the arthritis in his knees (it’s working), the importance of Jingle Bell Runs in the community (increase needed awareness about arthritis, raise $$ for research and programs), and have fun), the National Sponsor (Thermacare) and where people can learn more (www.arthritis.org). We took turns donning reindeer antlers and a Santa hat. Carlester even managed to slip in that his younger brother Alge, a former Atlanta Falcon, now plays for the undefeated Tennessee Titans. We’re hoping people out there were watching, listening and more importantly signing up to run in the JBR in their communities. Maybe – just maybe – we can make the JBR a true happening that ushers in the Holidays for everyone who cares about arthritis.