Amazing by "Webby"

Seven months into her journey, the amazing Christi meets her equally amazing webmaster - Eric Cook! (Age 5 1/2, April 2003)
April 2003: Christi, Shayla & Angela meet Eric & Alicia for the first time!







"Webby's Eulogy" (by Eric Cook, Webmaster - ChristiThomas.com)
*Interestingly noteworthy the day Eric gave his eulogy was exactly the date that he launched the website four years earlier and it was also the very day when the site recieved it's one millionth hit.

Amazing…

On September 19, 2002, I received an e-mail from a fellow bank-school classmate that forever changed my life. This was how I learned of Christi’s diagnosis. Four days later, on September 23rd, I started ChristiThomas.com and that’s when I became part of this four year long, life-changing experience. As I contemplated what I was going to say this morning, I sat and stared at my computer screen for half an hour before mustering the strength to press the first key. I knew once I started, it would be difficult to stop.

Sitting in front of my computer... I’ve been doing that for Christi for four years now, I wanted to make sure I said the right thing- whatever that may be. As many of you know, I have been fortunate enough to be a part of the Thomas Team’s entire journey, even if I could not be there with them physically through it all. The highs and the lows. The smiles and the tears. I’ve been to the extremes of the emotional spectrum with them over these past four years, all the while with Christi leading us along the way. Despite the sadness that I’m feeling, that we ALL are feeling right now, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way and consider it an honor they let me in.

As Christi’s faithful “webmaster,” I have received a lot of compliments and credit. It’s really Christi who deserves all the credit, not me. She inspired me, like thousands of other individuals from ACROSS THE GLOBE, to be a better person. To put others first, to take time for the “little things”. My perspective on life is forever changed thanks to her, and for that I’ll be eternally grateful. And speaking of her global reach, since the Christi Thomas Memorial Fund page was launched Tuesday evening, we have received over $21,000 in donations from virtually every state in the Union, as well as Canada, Germany, Greece, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, France, Australia, the Ukraine and I’m sure the list has grown since I last checked.

May 12, 2006 (Christi's 9th birthday) and her final picture with "The Cooks". (She was with them again in August, but I do not have a picture.)
Little did I know that becoming best friends with my “running buddy” from the Graduate School of Banking would have brought me here, before all of you today. But, as one of our instructors used to say, “life’s a trick”. I don’t think that Shayne or I ever really figured out what he really meant by that statement, but we have used it often over the years. I think the “trick” in all of this is for us to fight through the sorrow and celebrate all the good that resulted from Christi’s short time with us.

To put some perspective on things, I want to provide you with some statistics, after all I AM the webmaster and geeks like us love statistics. I think they are a telling tale of just how Christi’s story changed the lives of so many.

• Well over A MILLION HITS on her website and blog combined over the past four years.
• 220 WEBSITE PAGES, 172 of them journal entries (several pages long) with the first entry dated September 10, 2002
• 71 PLAYMATES in Christ’s Clubhouse, 38 of whom earned their angel wings before her and I’m certain were waiting for her in heaven
• OVER 2,500 PICTURES documenting her extraordinary life
• 384 PAGES OF “BLOG” ENTRIES, often times with several postings in a single day
• THOUSANDS of e-mail messages and blog comments from ALL OVER THE WORLD
• All thanks to ONE AMAZING CHILD

April 2004: Joking Around After Christi's Amazing First Holy Communion (Age 6 1/2)While I contributed here and there, in most cases I was simply performing the “magic” of cut and paste when it came to my work on the website. The task of putting their thoughts and feelings into words belonged to Angela and Shayne, and they need to be commended for this. It was my “job” to make sure the rest of the world got to hear them… see them… feel them.

November 2004 (CT 7 1/2 years) Relaxing with the amazing webmaster, Eric, Shayla and Ally(sweet doggie).

One short year ago today: Sailing with the Cooks on the Disney Cruise (Dec. 2005 / CT age 8 1/2)
It has been said countless times that Christi touched so many in her short time on earth. To even scratch the surface and try quantifying her true impact would keep us here for days. Exactly how many people she had an impact on we’ll never know… but maybe that’s the trick in all of this. If you think about it, it’s the tricks that can’t be explained that are the most amazing, and Christi was just that… amazing.

Wonderful Webby - what a blessing you are!
Eric & Christi, August 2003

May 2005 (Shayla 6, CT just turned 8) with Allyand "Angel" Dutch. I often think of Christi playing in Heaven with the Cook's sweet Golden Retreiver.

Leading the way, through thick and thin, till the bitter end - THANK YOU ERIC!

When I reflect back upon Eric giving his lovely tribute to Christi I can't help laugh. Relaxing back at our house after the funeral was completely over I asked him how he was able to muster up enough courage to go give that eulogy without breaking down he said something like, "I looked at those little girls bravely saying their poems without crying and I knew I had to do it, even if I felt like crying like a baby. Those girls were amazing!" (Yes, they were! I'll soon share the girls' lovely tributes from church and their pictures.)

Thanks to: Mike, Traci & Eric for their lovely eulogies for our beloved Christi! You were so very special to her (and all of us) and without a doubt, she's watching over you as you did for her for so long!