ALL OF YOU!!!

Day 1 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

If you have been reading our website or following on social media for these 25 days, it should have been obvious that Christina would never allow a celebration or party to end without thanking her guests and without telling each person how important they were to her.

If you are reading this, then you were touched in some way by Christina, and that means that you touched her.  She was a gift we were given for 50 years and you are the gift she has left with all of us.  She would not have been happy to be the center of attention, but she would have signed off if she thought it would improve the life of any one person in the world.  You made Christina laugh, you made Christina cry, you made Christina grateful for our world, and now we are just trying to pay it back the way she intended.

We hope you have enjoyed our Virtual Celebrating Christina Event 2020, and we look forward to doing it in person next year!!!!  Thank you all for attending.

Please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.

One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.

THE BOARD

Day 2 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

We would not be here without the dedication and tireless efforts of the Board of the Christina Carinato Charitable Foundation.  We were not going to let cancer dictate how we would live life, and shortly after we lost Christina, her sister Gina and our great family friend Kim volunteered to serve on the Board.  Gina was with us on Christina’s journey for every doctor’s appointment, every test.  Kim was there for Christina and us, always with a kind word, a hug, a smile.  From there we expanded....and Christina kept bringing us more volunteers.  

Alyce had recruited Christina to her “mother’s brigade” at Forest Hills School, and now Christina silently recruited Alyce to join her charity and get the word out on the street as only Alyce can, and when Alyce is invested in something you better watch out!  Cristina added her tireless work ethic and “young person” point of view, along with a dose of what would make her big cousin Christina happy.  Nick is our artist in residence, our electronic and visual effects superstar who drags along his multi-talented wife Cristina to help as well.  Christina is so proud of her cousins Nick and Cristina, who were but in high school when we got married and are now accomplished and dedicated to their callings.  Antella of course brings the perspective of Christina’s heart and soul, the kind of quiet but strong bond that brought her and Christina together as friends.  Jacki is the tireless bundle of energy that Christina fed off that now fuels us, always with a new idea or plan, and always bringing energy enough for all.  Michael is the person who bundled all our web site short-comings and aligned them with our electronic vision, and still keeps coming back for more, because he too was touched by his wife’s cousin Christina.

And John and Donna are Christina’s representatives at the table, more like Christina keeping an eye on Matt and telling him when enough is enough.  

This amazing group has built out the promise Matt made to John and Donna in those early days of 2017: “Cancer may have won this battle but it will never win the war, and we will refuse to let it claim us as victims either. We will do what Mom would want and help others when this is over. And somehow we will be stronger for this experience.”  And so it was born, and we know Christina would be proud of all this amazing group’s efforts and dedication.

Please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.

One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.

CHRISTMAS & CHRISTMAS EVE ("BUON NATALE")

Day 3 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING :

By October 22nd each year, exactly 63 days from Christmas Eve, Christina was hard at work planning for the 25 Days of Christmas and of course Christmas Eve.  Christmas was Christina, and Christina embodied the spirit of Christmas.  A time of rebirth, a time for family, a time to be thankful and hopeful.  

All the messages of Christmas lived in Christina all year, and Christmas/Christmas Eve were the culmination of her year and her principles. 

Christmas Eve in an Italian family is a huge event: the Feast of the Seven Fishes, the extended family gathering, the preparation, and of course the celebration.  After we got married, Christina wasted little time in claiming Christmas Eve for our families, and the party was some 30+ people in the Carinato and Pierorazio families, as she melded two families into one. 

Of course, your first and most important gift on Christmas Eve when you walked in our house was a giant hug and welcome from her.  First time attendees quickly shed “visitor” status, and if that new person was an infant, well Christina had an assistant for the evening whom she loathed to surrender back to parents.  She moved from person to person and spent time with each, celebrating their attendance at her party.  

Christmas Day was then for celebrating her family, for simple smiles and huge hugs.  Even though Christina might be cleaning until well after 2 AM on Christmas morning, she was the first one up every year, usually waking me up before 6 AM so we would see our children’s faces as they walked out of their rooms on Christmas morning.   

Yes, before you ask, of course Christina watched “Christmas in Summer” on The Hallmark Channel.  It wasn’t about the movies; it was about recharging her batteries and getting ready
for that next hug.

If only we could view Christmas and the never-ending Christmas spirit the way Christina did…

Please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.

One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.

HUGS & LAUGHTER, THE ELIXER OF LIFE

Day 4 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

There’s just no way to truly explain what hugs and laughter meant to Christina or how much those hugs and laughs could heal all the recipient’s pain, but if you are lucky enough to experience it from someone like Christina you know immediately of that which I speak. 

The teacher and the pupil….

In the good times and the bad, there was always a place for hugs, smiles and laughter, for better or for worse.  Early on I learned the power of those hugs, but to my chagrin I have not yet mastered the art.  Christina would tell me how to do it when she wanted a hug, but I have never quite found the secret without her there to coach me.

Even in her toughest moments, she would tell each of us to come close and hug her and she would still be able to give that squeeze.  And she would still smile, and she would laugh, even if we couldn’t.

Christina had different hugs: hugs for sympathy and care, hugs for well-being, hugs for hello, and best of all hugs “just because.”  We try to take away those lessons and memories around our house since we lost Christina, trying to get better every day and trying to be as impactful as she was.  We are getting better, but we can do more....

Please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.

One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.

THE VILLAGE

Day 5 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

Christina and her friends at First Chicago often walked across the plaza to the Italian Village after work. It was the “First Chicago” spot for a drink.  One of Christina’s coworkers spent months telling Christina how he had to introduce her to his “Italian Fraternity Brother.” 

She really wasn’t that interested in meeting Greg’s friend, as she often took pains to mention to her children. But on St. Patrick’s Day in 1993, Greg O’Leary connived (and lied!) to both of them, getting Christina and Matt to the Italian Village for his big match-making scheme. 

And we all know how that ended: the two Italians meet at the Italian Village on St Patrick’s Day and of course get married.

The Italian Village holds a very special place in our lives.  The Capitanini family has built a true tradition in this beautiful space, now spanning generations; it was made for a spirit like Christina.  Many a birthday or anniversary in our family have been celebrated there, and often times just a quiet but always great Italian meal.  It was so popular with our children that Donna often chose it for dinner to celebrate HER birthday, and she always made Christina tell the story of meeting Dad there.  That never ended well for Matt, but everyone had a great laugh.

The upstairs dining room, “The Village,” transports you away from our world, and in that special place was laughter, love and hugs for a couple hours every time we were there.  John, Donna and I still make it back occasionally, and hopefully we can resume that tradition when this pandemic ends.  

Donna’s 13th Birthday, of course at the Village

If you need a quick escape from this world, make a reservation at the Village and enjoy the great food and the old world atmosphere that is the Capitanini family’s trademark, and see if you too feel transported to old Tuscany even for just a short escape.

Please consider a donation to CCCF: www.celebratingchristina.org/donate

One day, one goal, one big hug.

RAMBLER NATION

Day 6 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

Christina graduated from Loyola University in 1988.  Christina was a proud alumna of Loyola and member of Rambler Nation.  Christina made some lifelong friends during her time at Loyola, but of course she also got to spend more time with her cousins, because most of them went to Loyola as well!  That’s a story for a whole other time.

Loyola provided more opportunities for scholastic and personal growth and more support emotionally; it was hard to be in school as her mother was increasingly suffering the more, so it wasn’t always a time Christina cherished fondly.  However, Loyola and her Rambler experience remained a key part of Christina, while those friends and those memories on campus were shared with me and the children often. And certainly she relished the life-long friends she met during her time on campus.

And of course there was that Loyola run in the NCAA tournament in 2018!  All three of us decked out in Loyola gear, rooting for the Ramblers and laughing about how much Mom was loving this for each game, especially just the THOUGHT of Dad in a Rambler t-shirt and organizing his days around tip-off.  We could feel her cheering with us, hugging both of them and screeching at the most inappropriate times.  Although, all of us knew too well that Dad would have heard a lot of “hmm, guess Loyola is BETTER than Northwestern in sports!”  IT is a time John, Donna and I will never forget, and we all agreed that she was there to enjoy it with us! And to give us all a big hug with every Rambler hoop! Great school, great friends made, and even more people to hug. “Go Ramblers!!!”

Please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.

One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.

CORY SANDERSON & THE SANDERSON CUP

Day 7 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

Christina and Cory Sanderson never met.  Cory was diagnosed with ALS in early 2015, Christina was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma in Spring 2016.  What happened after is pure Christina, and vintage Cory.  Through mutual friends, Matt was introduced to the Sanderson Cup in 2017.  Of course he went and had a great time meeting Cory and his wonderful family and friends.  Met an amazing family in the entire Sanderson clan, and also met a St. Laurence guy and his wonderful wife Donna, and of course this guy Dan Breier went to school with cousin Johnny.  Of course he did!  I knew that instant what was going on here: this was epic Christina orchestrating the whole thing.

The Sandersons and the Breiers are household names in our world now, as are so many other people Christina has made us meet.  And there are big hugs, both real and virtual, when we see these wonderful people, either at the Sanderson Cup or the Celebrating Christina Gala, as Dan and Donna Breier have made the CCCF part of their mission, and St. Laurence guys don’t do anything half way.  

Cory was called home last year.  I know Christina was waiting to welcome him; I am sure he has gotten a big hug. 

And we have gotten such big hugs from our friends the Sandersons and the Breiers and everyone involved in the Sanderson Cup. What a family!   What great friends!!  What great role models!!

For more about ALS, click here

For more on the Sanderson Cup, click here

Please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.

One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.

THE GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY

Day 8 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

When Christina was younger, she was a pretty easy mark for anyone with a cause, some great and some not quite on that same plane, if you get my drift. She was a pretty easy mark.  We agreed shortly after our marriage to cut our list down to organizations we had researched and that really meant something to each of us.  One of the charity’s that Christina insisted on supporting every year was the Greater Chicago Food Depository, to whom she donated religiously every year just before Thanksgiving.  She would tell anyone who asked what an incredible job this organization does.  It was her way of trying to hug someone that she likely would never meet, but it was important to her to help.

If ever anyone doubted how great the Greater Chicago Food Depository is, or the importance of this group, or the depth of this organization’s commitment, just consider what they have done this year during the pandemic! Not only do they feed the hungry but they help them find jobs and subsistence, true gifts for anyone who has ever been down. The Board and volunteers at the GCFD donate everything, and somehow turn it all into “loaves and fishes.”  Big hugs to everyone at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.  We know Christina is watching over them and sending a squeeze, both for thanks and inspiration!!

Keep up the great work!!

For more information on the Greater Chicago Food Depository, please click here

Please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.

One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.

AIDAN HINCKS & DOWNS SYNDROME

Day 9 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

Within weeks of moving her family to Western Springs, Christina became friends with Jacki Hincks, which meant Aidan Hincks became an integral part of her life.  Aidan spent many a day running through our house, playing on the swing set, jumping on the trampoline, and sharing his love with everyone he touched.  Actually that described Christina pretty much when Aidan was around, because she loved to play with him.  Aidan was the beauty and innocence of life that Christina sought every day.  No matter how rough your day, when you walked into the presence of Aidan, you were forced to smile and feel that bond between him and Christina.  He glowed when he was in her presence, and she glowed when she was in his presence. Aidan LOVED Christina’s hugs. Christina became involved with Gigi’s Playhouse and their fundraising efforts through Aidan.  She threw herself into helping with the annual event and you can bet she made sure we were in attendance. 

Her interaction with Aidan was quintessential Christina: we are all here for a reason, and Aidan’s was to spread the love and zest for life so many of us miss every day.  You can bet she let her family know that as well.

Christina lives on in Aidan, and we cherish every moment we have when he is around.  When John, Donna and I look at Aidan today, we see Christina alive in him, and we are grateful to have him in our lives, right where she left him. As for Aidan, he has become an avid participant in Special Olympics, running track and playing basketball; we are certain Christina never misses one of his events!

Every night Aidan includes Christina in his evening prayers, comforted that she continues to be part of his beautiful life.

To learn more about Special Olympics Illinois, please visit: www.soill.org.

And please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.

One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.

WESTERN SPRINGS & FOREST HILLS

Day 10 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

As Christina often said, she moved her family to Western Springs in 2008, and it was the “best decision (she) ever made!”  Within days of moving in, she had met her neighbors Donna and John (yes, the same names as her children) who of course went to Queen of Peace and St. Laurence; shortly after, she met other kindred spirits originally from the Garfield Ridge and Clearing neighborhoods in Chicago; and of course she met her friend Antella who came from a very old-world family just like her— just Greek instead of Italian. 

With every person Christina met, there was a new bond, a new person to hug, a new friend to
share hugs, smiles, and joy.

Christina, Donna & Antella

Principal Dan Chick addressing the 2014 McClure graduation (John’s graduation)

St. John of the Cross became our new home to worship and celebrate, and to make new friends and share new hugs. Father Dave, Father Joe, Father Dario and Father Bill were homilists whose words of peace and spirituality resonated so profoundly and perfectly with Christina, and Father Bill was there to pray with Christina and her family in those final days. Of course, Father Bill delivered another incredible homily at Christina’s Celebration of Life Mass.

Christina loved the rural feel of walking to Forest Hills Grade School and McClure Middle School, often commenting how at least SHE understood and appreciated the jokes of her friend, McClure Principal Mr. Dan Chick; when they hugged at that basketball game in the fall of 2016, you weren’t sure he would be able to breathe again.  When Christina got very sick, the mothers of Forest Hills and McClure sent her a huge gift box of books, teas, inspirational cards, socks, and a blanket; that blanket sits today right where she kept it on the chair in our bedroom, “the blanket from my girlfriends” as she called it. Get a hug from one of those ladies and you will have a sense of what Christina’s hugs were like. 

And remember to give them all a hug, because we are all truly blessed by the wonderful people who surround us in this small community.

Please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.

One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.

NIECES & NEPHEWS

Day 11 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

Christina has nine nieces and nephews: Samantha, Ben, Maria, Jennifer, Joey, Anthony, Nathan, Elena, and Emmie.  And they are the apples of her eye.  When she was with them, she always made time to listen to them, to hug them, and to support them. Every adult in the room disappeared when she was with them. It didn’t matter the occasion, she was there to be with them: their very own “Auntie Chris Party”.

Christina lives on in them, and certainly watches over them all.  She celebrates with us their successes, and surely sends a hug they may not even realize they are getting during the tough times, like during this pandemic.   Her wish for every one of them has always been that they find their calling and happiness in life, just as she had found in her family and community.  Every time we hug one of them, you just can’t help but feeling an extra set of arms making sure everyone is squeezing tight enough!

Hopefully we all enjoy the kind of special relationships Christina carved out with her nieces and nephews; it wasn’t a job for her, it was a privilege. One last thing: Don’t stop guys, Auntie Chris is always watching and cheering you on! And she has charged you with carrying on her mission, one hug at a time!

Please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.

One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.

ELVIS & THE MIKES

Day 12 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

Christina was born an “Elvis” fan; even though Elvis was gone before Christina turned 11, he was her favorite musician for life.  It was his ability to wrap the crowd, especially all those kids back then, in his voice and give them all a big hug.  She loved the music and she loved the warmth of his voice, the hug in every word.  Often she turned to Elvis songs when she needed an extra, slightly different, boost that the rest of us just couldn’t provide.

In a similar fashion, Christina formed a special bond with her two brother-in-laws: Mike Carinato and Mike Guilfoyle.   The three of them were all middle children, all very sympathetic souls, and all surrounded by type-A older siblings and classic younger siblings.  Christina made no secret of how great “the three of us middle children” had turned out, and how much luckier they were than those of us on the extreme.  The pressure of birthday parties (trying being an Italian mother and you’ll understand!), of family events, or even of hard times, all melted away when one of the Mike’s arrived.  She would say “I can’t take it Mike!” and one of the Mike’s would point at something or someone and Christina would melt while hugging them in tears of laughter.  It was just that simple. 

Even in the worst of times, the “Mikes” were able to calm Christina in a way we couldn’t because she was so worried about us.  Kind of like Elvis.  Find someone to help your “power boost” and then get back to work hugging!  That’s what Elvis and the “Brother-in-laws Mike” meant to Christina! 

May we all be lucky enough to have a  “Mike” in our lives!!

Please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.

One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.

THE ITALIANS (Happy Columbus Day)

Day 13 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

On this Columbus Day Holiday, we remember Christina’s fondness for the Italian and Italian-American community, and for all the heritage that makes us all special.  The picture here comes from when Christina and I were dating, and she said we HAD to go to the Italian Fest in Stone Park. 

It was wall-to-wall Italians, almost all of whom somehow knew this Christina.

Another Sunday Italian Dinner

“FBI”: Full Blooded Italian, but you knew that!

Cousins, aunts, uncles, “pisans” all gathered in Stone Park for this fest every summer.  There was Italian music, bocce ball games, heritage, more Italian music, and a lot of homemade wine and Italian foods.  And there was Christina holding court and dishing out hugs.  Her Italian heritage was important to Christina, not because it was necessarily Italian but because it was a reason for people to gather and celebrate each other together.  And throw in a very, very healthy dose of hugs.  Christina was proud to have been the Treasurer of the Young Italian Republicans Group when in college.  When I asked what that was about, as she was largely independent, she said “that” wasn’t important but it was another way to spend time with people and enjoy the time together.  That was Christina in a nutshell. Celebrate those times to be with other people commemorate something you share in common— and make sure you pass out those hugs.

Christina taking her date Matt to The Stone Park Festival. Note the nametag “Christina Pierorazio” which she often argued was a far better Italian name than her married version!

Christina and Aunt Rosemarie preparing pasta for a Carinato family reunion at the lake.

Please consider a donation to CCCF: www.celebratingchristina.org/donate

One day, one goal, one big hug.

MY COUSIN JOHNNY

Day 14 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

John Pierorazio, known to many of us by his stage name Johnny Vincent, was the youngest of Vince and Giovanna Pierorazio’s three children; he also was the youngest of a gaggle of mostly female cousins.   Johnny drove his sisters and his cousins crazy from an early age, and Christina was certainly not immune to it; that has never really stopped since then. 

Johnny had a way of entertaining them that kept everyone laughing and smiling, and then Johnny had a habit of not stopping until they couldn’t stop laughing.

If Johnny wants to hang out with you, you might as well just surrender.  But Johnny is ALL heart and love, all six foot five inches of him!

When Christina was hospitalized that last time, Johnny came to see her as often as he could at Northwestern Memorial and finally when she was back at home.  His jokes were softer but he still made her laugh, even in those final days; however, now he had another role to perform as a comforter and another person to help Christina on this final journey.  Johnny’s beauty is the empathy he feels for each and every person he meets, and his ability to try and make them smile.  Johnny is the only person who has ever rivaled Christina’s ability to make you feel that squeeze during a hug; he ought to be able, as he’s twice her size!  But that hug is from the heart, and that’s what provides the real power in both his and Christina’s hugs. 

When Johnny sang Amazing Grace at Christina’s funeral, every person in that Church felt his hug, and when he sings the Star Spangled Banner in public it
is amazing how everyone in the audience
feels his hugs too. 

Just one last thing: Don’t you ever stop Johnny, your cousin is watching you and counting on you to carry on your shared mission!!!

Please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.

One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.

LIVE LIKE JOHN, HUG LIKE CHRISTINA

Day 15 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING: 

John McNicholas and his family hold a very special place in Christina’s heart, and in her family’s as well.  John’s father, Ed, and Matt stood close by each other every day on the Board of Trade floor.  From that awful day in early 2010 when we learned John had been diagnosed with a pediatric brain tumor until God called him home in 2011, Christina made sure her family prayed for the John and his family, and she helped Matt try as best he could to support Ed at any opportunity he could.  And she made sure to hug her children all the more because of this experience.  She was unable to comprehend why a beautiful young man like John had to suffer.  When Ed and Amy started the John McNicholas Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation in Spring of 2011 to fight this disease and honor their great son, Christina made sure that the family knew we were there to support them and honor John and all he means to this world.  I can still remember Christina crying the day John’s pain ended and again the day she wrote that first check to support his charity’s big fundraiser, a great softball tournament at St. Rita High School that raises an amazing amount of money for research and support every year.  

The McNicholas family and all the wonderful people of the Beverly neighborhood in Chicago are tireless advocates for these children who must battle an awful villain.  Their devotion to finding the positives in the midst of what most would consider an unimaginable experience helped John, Donna and Matt through our awful experience.  Not surprisingly, Ed and Amy were there to support us after Christina passed, and we are certain that Christina was instrumental in Amy talking with Donna and inviting her to interview for a position with the Live Like John Service and Leadership Institute.  Donna has found some measure of comfort and certainly a full measure of purpose in her time on the Junior Board of the John McNicholas Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, and she is already regretting that her official time will end with her graduation from high school next spring.  But just like her mother, Donna will always be there to keep passing hugs and support to the Board and the volunteers from both Christina and her.  The McNicholas family and “Live Like John” are the manifestation of what hugging is all about: a mix of comfort, support, understanding, devotion and love all expressed in one squeeze.

For more information about this great organization and all they do to make a difference in our children’s lives, please visit www.livelikejohn.org.  

Please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.

One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.

CHILDREN & LURIE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

Day 16 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

In keeping with her passion for children, Christina of course got us involved at Children’s Memorial Hospital and then Lurie Children’s Hospital at Northwestern. 

If Christina didn’t understand one thing, it was why children have to suffer.  

Children’s Memorial and then Lurie Children’s became one of our annual donations, enough so that when Christina passed away her name was etched on the benefactor’s wall at the hospital.

John and Donna at the 2017 Donor’s Ceremony

Christina pained for children who suffered, but she always loved to celebrate the successes of Lurie Children’s Hospital.  This was another way to teach her children compassion, along with gratitude for the blessings we have. 

For more information about Lurie Children’s Hospital and the amazing work they do, please see: www.luriechildrens.org/en/

Please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.

One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.

JOHN & DONNA

Day 17 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

John and Donna are the embodiment
of Christina’s life.

A classic Mother’s Day picture from 2007

With their births, Christina was made complete.  She devoted herself to raising them, and as the prime observer of her work I must say she did a great job.  Donna has all her mother’s empathy and concern for others, and she is the counselor her mother taught her to be.  John is Christina’s level self, the person who looks at a situation and finds the positives in this world.  They are both great huggers and each have a different warm smile.

Christina taught them compassion and humility at an early age.  She taught them to laugh and to have a good cry when it was necessary.  When John hugged his mother that dark January day at Northwestern Memorial and told her he was relieved she wouldn’t have to suffer any more, you could feel Christina relax as she now knew that death had lost its power over her and her children.  Donna took off school to bring her Mother home for the last time and doted over her the entire time she was back home.  The two of them would squeeze each other in an embrace most of us will unfortunately never be able to experience.

Christina clearly lives among us still via
John and Donna. 

We see signs of her in so many things they do or things that happen to them, and they
are always quick to let her know they
got the message. 

If you doubt any of this, next time you see
one of them, ask them for a hug…. 

You will never doubt again.

Please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.

One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.

COUSINS

Day 18 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

Ahhh Cousins! 

Christina was one of some 30 first cousins that all lived within 3 miles of each other. 

And to be clear, on both sides of the family, the girls all looked like they could have been sisters!  Rarely were we on a date when we didn’t bump into a group of them out for the night downtown; Christina would rattle off six names or so and I wouldn’t be able to remember one from the other for anything.   They were a tight-knit clan if ever there was one, and most of them were girls.  Only Hugo, Anthony, Johnny (who we will discuss later), Paul, Nick, Mikey and Justin amid those 30 girls.  No wonder those guys talk about how hard it was to breathe when they were little.

They were there for each other always, everyone had a role, and Christina was the one they could come to for hugs and a sympathetic ear to listen. 

Even after we were married, many an evening’s plans changed when one of her cousins called or stopped by our first house in the neighborhood to visit.  They all learned the same lessons of compassion, family, and support.  Christina spent the rest of her life living those virtues and instilling them in her family.  Christina’s cousins were her practice for being there to help out other people, for practicing her hugs, for making you feel safe always.

Please consider a donation to CCCF: www.celebratingchristina.org/donate

One day, one goal, one big hug.

HAIL TO PURPLE

Day 19 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

“Northwestern” in all its royal purple forms became a special place for Christina after she got married.  It wasn’t easy when she got dragged to every home football and basketball game by her new husband (“how much do season tickets cost again???”), but when she got to start hosting tailgate parties, then it became a love and passion. 

It was another chance to throw a party and
hug more people.

Christina was also introduced to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the incredible doctors and researchers at Northwestern after we got married.  While several doctors elsewhere told Christina she could not have children because of her fibroids, Dr. Lisa Mazzullo and her colleagues at the Northwestern Memorial Faculty Foundation saw to it through several surgical procedures that the fibroids would leave and that two amazing children would be brought into this world.  Every time we left the hospital after a surgery or the two C-sections,

Christina made sure to hug all the nurses and
doctors who made possible her life’s ambition,
being the mother of John and Donna.

Christina’s last encounter at Northwestern was the valiant effort to beat down leiomyosarcoma.  While it didn’t work as we hoped, she left there that last time to go home only after hugging and consoling the teary-eyed nurses and doctors whom she had so touched with words of encouragement.  As we said getting into the car that dreadful day, we had many more awesome departures from there than this last one, and those others such as with John and Donna coming home for the first time would be the ones we would remember.

Christina’s involvement with Northwestern
continues today. 

She has been recognized in several areas of the hospital campus for her giving during her lifetime and for what she meant to people that felt her hugs.  It can’t be scientifically proven, but John, Donna and I know she orchestrated our introduction to Dr. Vadim Backman last year, a passionate researcher and humanitarian who has also felt the pain of losing a loved one to the same extremely rare cancer that took our Christina.  He is doing amazing research in so many different areas, and one of his passions is to beat leiomyosarcoma, and all cancers, so that one day no one else will ever lose a wife, mother, daughter or sister to that dreaded disease again.  Please take a look at his video here and you’ll understand why it wasn’t hard to convince the Board to support his research, and we know Christina was there to in spirit to make sure we did just that.

For more about Northwestern Memorial hospital, see www.nm.org
For more about Feinberg School of Medicine, see www.feinberg.northwestern.edu
For more about Lurie Cancer Center, see www.cancer.northwestern.edu
For more about Northwestern University, see www.northwestern.edu

Please consider a donation to CCCF: www.celebratingchristina.org/donate

One day, one goal, one hug.

PEACE

Day 20 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

Christina attended Queen of Peace High School in Burbank, IL, along with 20-some of her cousins; it was like their home away from home.  It also allowed her to branch out with a new group of friends, and she followed the family path to work at the Egg Store on Archer (if you’ve never been to the Egg Store, you have no idea what you missed in that old-fashioned neighborhood market!!!).

These were the years when Christina learned about support, support from people as her Mom began a long fight against breast cancer.  There was huge hugging to celebrate an early diagnosis of remission, and then there were hugs to support the troops when the cancer came back.  But Christina’s circle was growing fast, and there were even more people who got to share in those hugs and smiles from her new group to hug at Queen of Peace.

Christina and her cousin Laura at their high school graduation from Queen of Peace

Queen of Peace and its “brother school” St. Laurence came on hard times in the early 2000s.  Christina remained a supporter of “Peace” all those years, understanding what a close-knit group of people can mean to one other.  Through dedicated alumni and devoted staff, those two schools have merged and again are thriving as a place that can help produce more young men and women with the virtues that institution has to offer now.  To see how close Christina and her classmates remained is to understand what made Christina the empathetic and caring person she was, the great hugger.

For more on the remarkable St. Laurence and Queen of Peace revitalization story, please visit http://www.stlaurence.com/

Please consider a donation to CCCF: www.celebratingchristina.org/donate

One day, one goal, one huge hug.