True Blood News at The Nest

As y’all know, several True Blood fan sites have been raising dollars for the Choroideremia Research Foundation (CRF for short). We all got to know about this debilitating disease because Deborah Ann Woll’s boyfriend EJ Scott suffers from it.

Today we’re here to announce that CRF has put together a new store where you can go and not only get a cool CRF item, but your dollars will go toward finding a cure for this disease.

Cory of the CRF has provided a press release announcing the grand opening for their store. Look for more items to be added in the weeks to come.

So get on over to the CRF store, buy a tie or one of the other cool items and help these blind guys out will ya?

You can find out more about Choroideremia at the CRF website.

EJ and Deb

On behalf of the Choroideremia Research Foundation and True Blood News at the Nest we would like to thank all the fans that contributed to EJ Scott’s “Dropping Calories for the Cure,” campaign. EJ has reached his goal and has brought in around $14,000 in donations and counting. True Blood News at the Nest and Bill’s Wiki’d Women are proud of the $3,500 dollars that we have helped bring in – and donations continue to grow.

EJ is not stopping there – now he is “running for the cure” in the Chicago Marathon. Running seems easy enough to us, but if you’re EJ Scott it’s very challenging. He will be running the marathon blindfolded due to the extreme sensitivity his eyes have to light as a result of the disease. You can keep yourself updated with EJ’s progress by visiting his facebook page or his blog

FaceBook
Blog

Those of you that know me, know that I have attached myself to this cause and won’t let go. When you look at EJ and my friend Cory MacDonald, you see grown men struggling with a disease that threatens to rob them of one of life’s most precious gifts – the gift of sight.

As a mother, when I look at Cory and EJ, I see two children that struggled growing up. Two children that have never driven a car, never seen a star and now, darkness is closing in even more as they age. What we have to remember, is this ugly disease starts at birth. Choroideremia is an inherited disorder that causes blindness due to degeneration of the choroid and retina. When EJ’s sister sent us an email with a kind thank you and an attached file, my heart was not prepared when I opened the attachment. Staring back at me, were two little boys, one with big blue eyes and the other with light brown eyes and only two baby teeth. Choroideremia affects this family and many others in a profound way because it CAN be cured. But, like anything else, they need funding to achieve the cure.

Fundraising does not have to stop at EJ and True Blood.

Our own Aem was present with Cory at the Beerfest fundraiser where we donated several items for auction. Liv, Aem, KF and myself escorted Cory around EYECON where we donated several items to be raffled off including a signed True Blood beverage (by: Allan Hyde, Ashley Jones, Sam Trammell, Nelsan Ellis and Todd Lowe), T-shirts and more. And recently, Cory came to my home town where my husband and I entered our Bluesmobile in the local parade for the Choroideremia Research Foundation. We have more things coming…

Cory and The TB-News ladies @ EYECON

"The Blues Brothers for the Cure" - Cory and Matt

You can do other things as well – it doesn’t have to stop at this article. Your donation does not have to be money, donate your time. Call your local Barnes & Noble bookstore and sign up to wrap presents for the holidays. Wrap grifts with some friends and send the donations to the CRF. This is one of the simple things that you can do and I am sure if you reach out to your community, get creative, you can do much more. If you do – we want to know. We will highlight your fundraiser for the CRF in an article and interview you. Every little bit helps. Thank you for your support.

CHM

You can donate by clicking here:

Send Check to the address below – if you are supporting someone, add their name in the memo section.
The Choroideremia Research Foundation
23 East Brundreth St
Springfield MA 01109

click to enlarge

This month’s issue of ELLE magazine features Deborah and EJ. We hope you enjoy the scan and we have added the text of the article just in case you can’t read it easy. They’re a lovely couple, don’t you think? Click the image to enlarge.

Who: Deborah Ann Woll, 25, star of HBO’s True Blood; E. J. Scott, 34, improv comedian at Chicago’s Second City.

How did you meet? On Match.com. DAW: I saw him perform before I ever met him. EJS: I told her, ‘Don’t let me know if you’re coming”—that way I didn’t have to be nervous. But after the show, I was like, Oh, I hope she saw that.

What is modern love? EjS: I say ask Albert Brooks—didn’t he do a movie called Modern Love? DAW: It might be called something else. EJS: Ask him anyway. He’s funny.

True Blood fans are not strangers to the Choroideremia Research Foundation. We have all been on a fundraiser rampage with one mission in mind, saving the sight of those effected by this disease.

Last week the Vault launched a new raffle filled with very unique and cool items – one being a rare original pilot script signed by Alan Ball. This will make an amazing gift for any True Blood fan. The auction ends on January 10th, so follow the link below and go buy your raffle ticket. The Vault -Auction.

Is this a great picture or what? You obviously recognize the five actors from True Blood: Nelsan Ellis, Sam Trammell, Todd Lowe, Ashley Jones and Allan Hyde. The other two men may not be actors but they sure were fun and interesting guys to hang out with all weekend.

Choroideremia Ribbon

That’s Cory MacDonald standing next to Sam, a representative and fund raiser for the Choroideremia Research Foundation(CRF). We’ve gotten to know him quite well over the last few months and this blind man knows how to have a good time. The other quite handsome and tall fellow is Greyson Wolf; he was part of the team that developed the fangs for True Blood in season 1.

In the very near future we’ll be telling you all about our weekend of fun at EyeCon, meeting the actors and hanging out with Lividity’s favourite man, Todd Lowe. Woo Hoo!

*Some people have asked about the sticker we all were wearing throughout Eyecon. The decal is for the CRF and it really was a great idea to wear them as people wanted to know what it was all about, and it gave us the opportunity to explain about this disease and how we came to help raise funds for it. Here’s a bigger pic of the CRF ribbon.

This weekend Jeff Benelli will be running to save his sight and the sight of many other family’s like EJ Scott’s (Boyfriend of Deborah Ann Woll). Since this disease attacks entire families, True Blood fans must pull together as a family to stop it. Lets support Jeff in his “Run for the Cure!” We are almost there and we will win this fight.

Jeff (Superman) Benelli – After the Chicago Marathon this weekend, this will be Jeff’s 4th marathon in 25 months that he has run to raise money for the CRF. What is even more inspirational is that he runs alone! The picture to the left is a postcard Jeff sends out along with these words:

“THE PATH TO END CHOROIDEREMIA (CHM) HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED. A CURE IS ONLY THREE TO FIVE YEARS AWAY AT AN ESTIMATED COST OF 3 MILLION.

I am attempting to run a three-hour marathon in Chicago on October 11th to raise funds for CHM research. This accomplishment, by an almost 44-year-old blind man, is an incredible feat! It would rank me as one of the top blind marthoners in the country. My hope is to inspire others to join me in the fight of my life… to cure CHM. The stakes have never been higher. CHM has taken my vision, and my 10-year-old nephew has also been diagnosed with this sight-taking disease. He will begin to lose his vision in as early as ten years. Thanks for your help.”

Articles on Jeff Benelli- Kansas City , MorningSun

You can support Jeff on his “Run for the Cure” at www.CureCHM.org

You can also donate by clicking here:

Cindy (Aem) finally gets a bone

The Day Before

I followed my son (Dan) and his wife (Jenn) up to Springfield, Mass. to join in on the fun of the CHM Beerfest and to meet up with Cory MacDonald and possibly some other TB lovers. It rained most of the way, but it was still a fun drive. I blasted music of my choice the whole way up, the joys of driving by yourself. We arrived at 4:30 p.m. and I had to hang out in my son, Dan’s room, due to my roommate being very late… my unknown, never before met, roommate!

Dan, Jenn and I met up with Cory and his wife Karen, Larry (another blindie) and others in the lobby of the hotel and walked to the best German food I’ve ever tasted. There ended up being 14 of us, consisting of members of the CHM and TB fans. We were known as “The Blindies and Bloodlusters.” My roommate finally made her grand entrance with her camera flashing. The woman was a hoot, very fun and ballsy.

Jean Armitage also joined us, some of you may know her as a fund raiser for the Brentwood Theatre. You throw her and Cory together and trouble is just waiting to happen. Cory is an non-stop talker and a bit over the top; he’s great. At one point during the night all the lights were turned off for a birthday celebration at the next table and one of Cory’s “brothers in blindness” said “Darkness, brought to you by the Choroideremia Foundation.” The whole restaurant broke up.

EJ and Deb at Comic-Con

With the upcoming World of Beer Tasting! CRF fundrasier next Sunday, October 4th, I wanted to send out a reminder on why we are involved in this. When I first came across EJ’s page which started a posting craze across the internet, I knew very little about CHM; in fact, I had never heard of it and pronouncing it was challenging. As I delved deeper into the disease, it was like peeling an onion. As I peeled back layers of families, one after the other, that this disease has attacked, my eyes soon began to sting as the tears surfaced. If there is one thing that I have found that all these CHMers have in common, it’s that they are inspiring.

Let’s start with the man that started the posting craze, EJ Scott. For those of you who do not know who EJ Scott is and what he has to do with True Blood, he is the boyfriend of Deborah Ann Woll. EJ’s entire family is affected by this disease. From his grandfather, who went blind in his 40’s, his brother and to his two adorable nephews, this disease has stolen so much from his family. Although it attacks mainly males, my heart goes out to his sister and mother. They may not be losing their sight but they have had life’s precious moments stolen from them as well. As women, we are born nurturers, and I can only imagine the feeling they must go through not being able to make their loved ones better.

Reminder: True Blood fans from all over the world have been making contributions to help the CRF (Choiroideremia Research Foundation) raise funds on behalf of EJ Scott, Deborah Ann Woll’s (Vampire Jessica) boyfriend. On October 4th, we’ll be traveling to Springfield, MA for…

A World of Beer Tasting

A few of us are meeting up and going out to dinner. If you’ll be in town, please contact info@trueblood-news.com so that we may include you in our get-together.

When: Sunday, October 4th, 3 – 9 pm
Where: The Rock Cafe, 280 Worthington St. Springfield, MA

*If you will be flying in, the Springfield Marriott is the closest place to stay and within stumbling distance of The Rock Cafe.

Marriott: 2 Boland Way Springfield MA (1-413-781-7111)

Also, for you fans that are flying, the Hartford (BDL) airport is the closest and roughly 30 minutes away from the hotel.