I am pleased to report that an important bill, H.R. 2749, passed in the House of Representatives on Thursday, July 30. This bill was co-sponsored by Diana DeGette of Colorado, one of our most important allies in the fight to improve our nation’s food safety regulations.
As my friends and family know, I can relate almost anything in life to a basketball game. One basketball game in particular reminds me that nothing is impossible with a positive mindset. It was a game my son, TJ, and I participated in a few years ago. I’m proud to say TJ dares to dream big like I do. My kids are the best part of me.
Life as Basketball
I coached TJ’s team to six victories in three years. Not stellar, but the opportunity I had to shape his skills and sportsmanship was more important than wins and losses. The father and son time was invaluable.
We actually qualified for the season-ending tournament that year, my last year of coaching. TJ was ten years old. Needless to say we qualified last as the eighth seed and had to play the number one seed in the first game—the same team that beat us by forty points in our regular season matchup.
Kip and Chance’s story is a solemn reminder to us all of the thousands who fell sick or who died as a result of faulty gaps and holes in our nation’s food safety system.
—Dianna DeGette
I am proud to count two members of the United States Congress as friends: Diana DeGette of Colorado and Lynn Jenkins of Kansas. I'm humbled to say that both have agreed to contribute to Second Chance!
Representative DeGette has written a special introductory letter to the book stating the importance of our project to her cause of food safety regulation reform. We met in 2007 when I participated in food safety discussions she hosted in our home state.
Representative Jenkins and I have been friends for over fifteen years, and she graciously contributed the forward to the book. In it she recounts our conversation we had when she was first deciding to run for Congress and reminisces on how Chance’s story affected her as a friend and mother.
I am very proud of Kip for having the courage to share his story. I believe this book will have a strong impact on parents and families everywhere.
—Lynn Jenkins
The fact that these two women sit on opposite sides of the political aisle is interesting, but irrelevant. Food safety is everybody’s concern—it is not a Democratic or Republican issue.
Keeping our children free from harm is a sacred task that we all must undertake.
Stay safe! —Kip
chance·ism /chans-izem/
noun
chance·isms (plural)
I am encouraged by the steps President Obama is taking to improve the nation’s food safety system. The food safety working group he created in March recently presented him with their initial recommendations on Tuesday, July 7. In addition, the administration created a post of deputy food commissioner to coordinate food safety tasks.
The recommendations were praised by groups briefed on the plan, such as Safe Tables our Priority, for focusing on prevention.
With Tuesday’s announcements, I am hopeful our country is on the right track. Still, we have a great deal of work to be done before reaching our ultimate goal of safe food.
My kids move me emotionally in different ways. My pride for my oldest, Shannon, is hard for me to describe, though. Maybe it’s because she is talented in so many things that I am not: dance, music, acting—all self-taught, too. She is amazing.
Shannon showed up for Father’s Day this year with a guitar in hand. She said she had written a song about Chance when he was ill and wanted to sing it for me as my gift. I was shocked.
I didn’t even know she knew how to play the guitar.
Writing and publishing a book is a long and arduous process. Sometimes I think there are too many things to do and remember at once. However, every once and a while a milestone is reached that fills me with renewed excitement and causes me to look forward to the final result even more.
To the right is a thumbnail of the leading candidate for the final book cover design. Numerous designs and opinions have been considered, but I think we are finally getting close. Click on the image for a full-sized picture.
As a semi-famous television character once said, "I love it when a plan comes together."
—Kip
On July 4th, Marti and I took the kids to the Colorado Rockies baseball game. We had once-in-a-lifetime second row seats! After Aaron Cook was announced as the Rockies starting pitcher he jogged toward the team dugout from the right field bullpen. As he got closer, he pointed at Chance. None of us knew what his intentions where until he flipped his warm up ball to Marti to give to Chance.
Chance was speechless. He grinned from ear to ear as the rest of us went wild around him. Click on the image to the left for a full-sized picture. I think the expression on his face says it all.
Moments like that are so precious to us. Marti and I stole a long look at each other. We shared a wordless glance that could have meant, “We are so lucky to have him,” or, “How different our lives would be had we lost him.”
I was proud to the point of tears that night, and not just for Chance; I rejoiced over my whole family. TJ and I dove desperately for each foul ball throughout the game so we would have a ball to match Chance’s...no luck.
Stay safe. Have fun. Enjoy your family. —Kip