posted by Sandy Fails 0 comments

In the winter of 2006-07, not long after her diagnosis, Ceci wrote a story for the Crested Butte Magazine called "Team Fairy rides victorious." She described doing the Alley Loop Nordic ski race with an entourage of elves, led by artist Kate Seeley. Her tenuous duct-taped sit-ski was pulled reindeer-style by nine "Seuss-ian Munchkin Fairies" in gaudy bell skirts and giant flowers.

Ceci wrote, "We laughed, we pulled, we fell, we pushed, we had help, we went it alone, we had fans, we did it all! Two hours after the start of the race, we crossed the finish line. Five kilometers has never seemed so long, but all fairies saw it through. I have to declare the race a total victory."

Once again, this month, Crested Butte sprites are propelling Ceci forward, including Crested Butte Magazine writer, musician, traveler and good friend Dawne Belloise. Dawne donated two round-trip tickets to Europe that she'd won in a benefit raffle two years ago. Dawne e-mailed me, "The odd thing is that I hadn't used them yet, which led me to believe I had won them specifically for the purpose of getting Ceci to her cure all along."

A series of "lucky" events moved Ceci to the front of the line for this procedure, for which her brother Dooley (another Crested Butte alum) helped provide funding.

Many people with multiple sclerosis have "chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency," where narrowed veins prevent blood from the brain and spine from draining normally back to the heart, causing lack of oxygen and other problems in the brain. The liberation procedure, opening a patient's blocked femoral vein with a small balloon, has hugely helped many patients, according to Ceci's blog.

Keep track of Ceci's story via her blog, stumblingtowardswellness.wordpress.com. Meanwhile, our good wishes travel with her.