Lots of miles, but wait...we Rang the Bell for Lupus!
Astonishing. Humbling. Invigorating. Inspirational.
How else can I possibly describe the experience my daughter and I had of being in two different worlds but taking part in the ringing of the bell at the NY Stock Exchange on Wall Street for 'The Ride for Life without Lupus?' I'm certainly not a Wall Street titan, but I was there, "ringing" (actually...pushing a little green button) it with CNBC, Fox, CNN all aiming their cameras toward the podium. That's the LWL crew on the stage with me (and Elise, a world-class friend and business associate). My daughter was in my heart and soul as I thought about how great this would be for her and all of the Lupus patients around the world. For 10 seconds while I held the button down, the ride to Daytona seemed like a breeze. And, the market opened up that day, big-time. When the market is down 400 points, I'll bet others don't ring the bell and clap and smile as much as we did! 120 million people watch the opening every day. Imagine! The NYSE put on the Ritz for us: we got the inside tour, a killer breakfast, commemorative medallions and a history lesson. How can I ever thank Chris at the Exchange who called me at 345pm the day before to ask if we'd be interested in doing it? And, to my brother in-law who's a cop there and went on his own personal mission to get us in. And, to the people who visited the site and donated at nearly 75% more than the day before! Go Lupus, go!
How else can I possibly describe the experience my daughter and I had of being in two different worlds but taking part in the ringing of the bell at the NY Stock Exchange on Wall Street for 'The Ride for Life without Lupus?' I'm certainly not a Wall Street titan, but I was there, "ringing" (actually...pushing a little green button) it with CNBC, Fox, CNN all aiming their cameras toward the podium. That's the LWL crew on the stage with me (and Elise, a world-class friend and business associate). My daughter was in my heart and soul as I thought about how great this would be for her and all of the Lupus patients around the world. For 10 seconds while I held the button down, the ride to Daytona seemed like a breeze. And, the market opened up that day, big-time. When the market is down 400 points, I'll bet others don't ring the bell and clap and smile as much as we did! 120 million people watch the opening every day. Imagine! The NYSE put on the Ritz for us: we got the inside tour, a killer breakfast, commemorative medallions and a history lesson. How can I ever thank Chris at the Exchange who called me at 345pm the day before to ask if we'd be interested in doing it? And, to my brother in-law who's a cop there and went on his own personal mission to get us in. And, to the people who visited the site and donated at nearly 75% more than the day before! Go Lupus, go!
posted by Chris Paradysz at
3:28 PM
4 Comments:
It was very exciting for us to see you on TV at the NYSE. You are doing such great work for Lupus. We will be with you in spirit when you make the ride to Florida. See you soon!
Besides the market being UP when you rang the bell, you also rang in the vision of a cure! We love you,
Angela, Allie, Dani and Nico
Alas, CNN Europe didn't broadcast it...I was so exited waiting for the bell to ring...but no...But I'm happy and moved to view it here. Hopefully Europe will have a wake-up-bell soon too!
Thank you so much.
Love from the Netherlands,
Adriana
Great Job Chris! What an exciting way to wake up on the West Coast! Hopefully, this sparks more awareness and more funding for Lupus!
We are so proud of you and love you!
Shelly and Crew
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