Drapers deeply grateful for support

My family and I would like to thank all of you who have generously donated and given of your time to help get me to Australia to compete in the ITU World Championship Triathlon in Gold Coast Australia on Sept. 12th.

After losing my leg four years ago in a freak accident, I would have never thought I would be where I am today. To have the opportunity to compete in a sport, that I used to love, now as a para-triathlete is truly a dream come true.

We would like to thank Derek Hanley, the owner of Peggy Kinnane's, and his staff who graciously offered to host a fundraiser at Peggy's and donate 15 percent of his proceeds on Aug. 27. This was a wonderful evening where so many of our friends and those in the community came out to help support me and make it possible to compete in this event.

We would like to thank The Bonesetters, Greg Svoboda and Rob Vinopol for playing a fantastic show for us that evening! They truly enhanced the evening with their excellent music and were enjoyed by all!

We would also like to thank Northwest Community Hospital, The Wellness Center and all its members (my pool party pals) for their sponsorship and contributions to help in this endeavor. All of the kind words, outpouring of support and messages of inspiration have touched us.

Finally, we would like to extend our thanks to Amy Philpott at the Tuscan Market for opening her restaurant in order to help get the word out about our journey. As always, the wine was great and so was the food.

Our family is truly touched by each and every one of you, and we are very grateful to be a part of such a caring and wonderful community. With such a huge outpouring of support, it's become extremely difficult to give the proper thanks to each and everyone of you. Please know that all your efforts and generosity will forever be appreciated beyond what words can express.

Jean and Robert Draper

Arlington Heights