Each February, Alice 105.9 FM radio in Denver sponsors the 36 Hours for Kids Telethon supporting The Children's Hospital. The telethon always represents a special three days for Marti and me. We listen to story after story of kids and their fights of survival, and of course relive our time at The Children's Hospital with Chance when he was two.
We celebrated Chance's birthday on Saturday, January 9th with a weekend of skiing at Arapahoe Basin and a spot on KDVR Fox 31. My miracle boy is now six years old! Enjoy the story, the video, and the best rendition of "Happy Birthday" you have ever heard.
—Kip
I'm proud that Chance and I were recently featured on 7News, The DenverChannel. Please read the story, watch the video, and then give me your comments and pass it on. I want to get people fired up about food safety reform and keeping children like Chance safe.
—Kip
I would like to express heartfelt thanks to Denver's CBS affiliate, Channel 4, for running a great interview and story about Chance and me that aired tonight.
Click here to read the story, or go directly to the video by clicking here.
Enjoy the story and video, and then please pass them on to the parents of young children you might know. Let's keep them safe!
—Kip
After months of anticipation, the long-awaited box arrived on our doorstep. The first delivery of books arrived from the printer! Six months of hard work had paid off.
I gave Chance the honor of selling the first copy; it seemed fitting to me. Nothing about this story would mean anything if my son were not alive and healthy. He sold it to his kindergarten teacher; I'm sure he loves the attention.
We launched the next phase of our rocket ship ride with a moving and high-energy party at our house last night. I was pleased to see the emotion of my guests as they absorbed the impact of our tale for themselves. Thanks to all my friends and family who showed their support for our project by attending the launch party!
Now comes the task of spreading the news, sharing the vision, and instilling the hope we have that food safety will become the priority in this nation that we want it to be. God willing it will be so.
Blast off!
Stay safe! --Kip
P.S. For those of you keeping track, I had zero heart attacks during the book publishing process, but I did have shortness of breath the entire time...
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
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
I am pleased to announce the launch of SecondChanceStory.com, the companion website to my book, Second Chance: Parents Dare to Hope. I invite everyone visiting to stay and post comments on my blog, read news and information about the book, learn how to schedule a speaking engagement, and enjoy photos of Chance and the rest of the family.
Thanks! Come back often. —Kip