Annnd the results are in…….

Wow. What a weekend! Friday night started off with a pretty surreal first-meeting with Iris and her band. They are five of the coolest people I now know and as Iris said, "I feel like I've met my long-lost sister." Being almost exactly one year apart, Iris and I went through our surgeries at the same time in our lives and we were able to relate to each other on a level that most 26/27 year-olds would not have the opportunity to. I felt as though I really connected to all five of the band members and I was super sad to see them head back to Montreal this afternoon. It was a really special 5 days, and we are all pumped to repeat Guitars for Guts next year (but not before Billy and I make a trip to Montreal!).

And, now that we are on such a topic, Guitars for Guts kicked a$$ (pun intended!). We were able to raise almost $2,000 for CCFA and had a turnout of around 100 people. Unfortunately, it rained like cats and dogs on Sunday and we were not able to quite reach our fundraising goals (which we strongly believe to be the fault of good ole' Mother Nature). The most important thing is that we raised a ton of awareness about these debilitating diseases and for those of us that were able to make it to the event, we were psyched to watch four AMAZING bands take the stage. Everyone was blown away by the talent of all of the musicians who took part and were also impressed by the pure magic that is the Music Hall of Williamsburg. What a freakin' awesome venue! I have already had some other bands express interest in participating next year and one fan even commented that we should call it "Guts-a-Palooza". We all had such a blast.

I really want to thank everyone who donated to our fund page and those that attended our event from the bottom of my heart. Your participation and generosity will make an enormous impact on the future health of millions of IBD sufferers and has already made a tremendous difference for those of us IBD patients that attended the event on Sunday. It was very moving to see everyone who came out on such a rainy day to support the cause and that meant the world to people like myself and Iris. And, last but not least, Guitars for Guts brought two young J-Pouchers together who otherwise may have never met and marked the beginning of what we know will be a long-lasting and important friendship.

A BIG THANK YOU!