Calendar with a cause
Mom turns concern about daughters with cystic fibrosis into a way to help others
Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published November 17, 2006
Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic
Emily, Laura and Molly Bonnell were all involved in the 2007-08 "Portraits of Cystic Fibrosis" calendar to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Emily (left) and Molly (right) modeled and Laura managed putting thecalendar together. |
Royal Oak — Cystic fibrosis doesn't do much to slow down the lives of Molly and Emily Bonnell.
It may sideline them from school, but it doesn't keep them from getting good grades. It doesn't keep them from having friends over or from going shopping. It doesn't keep them from playing with their horde of pets: a dog, Elphie (named after "Wicked's" Elphaba), two guinea pigs, Walnut and Fluffy, and a lizard, Suay.
Cystic fibrosis doesn't do much to slow down the girls' modeling career, either. Molly and Emily, students at Shrine Catholic Grade School, are two of 18 people with cystic fibrosis featured in a calendar put together by their mother, Laura Bonnell, as a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation fundraiser.
The black-and-white calendar features children and a few adults living with cystic fibrosis, most of them from southeast Michigan but one from as far away as Massachusetts. Laura Bonnell hopes to raise $100,000 for the foundation, for research to find a cure for cystic fibrosis. A 2003 calendar with a $1,000 goal raised $36,000.
 Cystic fibrosisWhat: A genetic disease that creates thick, sticky mucus in digestive and respiratory tracts, which can interferes with digestion and is a good breeding ground for bacteria; the average life expectancy of a person today with CF is 37 years.
Who: It affects 30,000 children and young adults in the United States.
Treatment: Those with CF need to keep the lungs as healthy as possible to clear out mucus, and also take vitamins and enzymes when eating. | Emily said that during her last stay at the hospital a few weeks ago, some of the nurses recognized her from the calendar. "I felt like a celebrity," she joked.
The idea for the 2003 calendar came from Bonnell's previous work fundraising, and her feeling that a calendar showing the faces of people with the disease would help people to relate to them better. It didn't take long for people to start asking when the next calendar was coming out.
The 2007 calendar was photographed by Maureen Monte, of Berkley, who has photographed Molly and Emily before. Laura Bonnell was able to use her experience as a radio news reporter and freelance writer to compile the short biographies for the person pictured for each month and help publicize it.
The process was emotional for her, she said, because all the people with cystic fibrosis have their own stories and challenges. But everyone in the calendar has that same spirit and same motivation for life, she said.
The Bonnells' journey with cystic fibrosis began when Molly, now 11 and in the sixth grade, was a baby. Laura and her husband, Joseph, noticed that she would shake while eating, and that she tasted salty when they kissed her.
After researching the disease, she demanded Molly be tested. When the results came back positive, it took only a day before Laura decided she couldn't just sit back.
"From then on, it was 'What do we have to do?'" she said.
Emily, now 9 and in the fourth grade, was tested and diagnosed shortly after she was born. Laura said having two daughters with cystic fibrosis has given her life meaning.
"In life, you're always wondering what your purpose is," Bonnell said. "Then Emily was born, and I knew — it was to educate people about CF."
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| Laura said putting together the calendar is the most rewarding thing she's ever done. She's been promoting the calendars through the communities of Shrine school and parish, where she converted to the Catholic faith in April.
Every time she's raised funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Shrine has come through, she said, and always in a huge way. "The Shrine community has been amazing," she said. "There's no way I could thank everyone enough. It's great to have support," she said.
Before the calendar, the girls had been involved in previous fundraising efforts and educating their classmates.
"It feels good to help kids with cystic fibrosis, not just ourselves," Emily said.
Looking at the girls or even spending an hour with them, a casual observer would have a hard time knowing they have an illness. But to control their cystic fibrosis, both have to take handfuls of pills every day and wear a vibrating vest several times a day to loosen the mucus in their lungs.
Emily's had three sinus operations, a major lung infection and intestinal problems, and has to go to the hospital occasionally; Molly's had fewer health problems overall. One thing that helps them manage their health is that they're both active in sports: Molly plays volleyball and soccer and runs track, and Emily did play soccer and does cheerleading now. Emily also points out that she and her sister chase each other around their house, too.
Because they both have cystic fibrosis, they can relate to each other and understand that the other is going through. However, Laura assures that this does not mean that they never fight.
Laura said she's tried to keep a realistic but positive attitude about her daughters. "I worry every day," she said. "I think about it every day. Every time I give them their enzymes, I think about it. On the other hand — they can't live in a bubble."
The family's faith helps them through, she said, which is one reason the girls go to Shrine. "I can't imagine dealing with this without God, without faith, without Shrine."
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