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.