LAcarGUY.com
LAcarGUY Supports Cystic Fibrosis
Breath of Life
Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama support cystic fibrosis fundraiser on July 19
Story by Lori Denman
Photos by Adam Latham
While they battle and conquer fierce elements by choice, two legendary watermen now hold a new hero in their hearts – surfer and cystic fibrosis survivor Emily Haager.
Laird Hamilton and David Kalama launch down 70 foot walls of water, completing feats that leave other surfers speechless. Risking their lives for the perfect ride, their idols have always been surfers who bring home the gold. That was until they met those who surf to survive.
Haager, a surfer from Diamond Bar, has been battling cystic fibrosis since six months old. At this age, she was not gaining any weight. Numerous tests revealed no connection to CF. Prompted purely by intuition Haager’s parents took her to a CF specialist and insisted on treatments including the ingestion of special enzymes, Haager finally gained the weight necessary to survive.
Lung infections and issues began at age four, when she began necessary breathing treatments to maintain her lungs. A few months later, she entered the hospital for a month. She has battled lung infections ever since.
At the age of ten, Haager’s cousin died from complications of CF at 19 years old. In 2006, the predicted median age of survival was 37 years. Now at the age of 25, Emily stands strong against the odds of doctors’ predictions. She undergoes numerous therapies including four daily breathing treatments that clear her lungs for air passage and ingests numerous medications for her digestive system.
Although her life has consisted of strife and struggle, a shining smile breaks the barrier of any pain written across her face, thanks to a natural treatment she has enjoyed for the past three years – surfing. She is now the face for Pipeline to a Cure, a fundraising campaign recognizing the connection between surfing and the deadly genetic disease.
"I am really excited to be a part of Pipeline to a Cure and working with the CF Foundation because there is so much hope ahead for cystic fibrosis,” Haager said. “I fully believe that there will be a cure during my lifetime and I can't wait to see it."
The correlation between surfing and healing surfaced two years ago when patients with cystic fibrosis in Sydney, Australia reported feeling better after hitting the waves, stating that their chests felt relieved as the ocean water cleared the mucus from their and sinuses and lungs. The finding made complete sense, as the top daily treatment for the disease, Hypertonic Saline Solution, mimics a “surf session” for the lungs.
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease in which a defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clog the lungs and causes life threatening lung infections. It affects 30,000 children and adults in the
The Australian surf session findings eventually led to a medical breakthrough. The surfers participated in studies that had them inhale a specially mixed saltwater solution at least twice a day, leading them to acquire marked improvement in lung function and receive half as many hospitalizations for lung problems. Those afflicted with CF cannot clear their lungs with coughing and the treatments significantly improved their ability to clear mucus from their lungs. The studies were published in January of 2006 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Dr. Scott Donaldson of the
Since surfing eases the suffering of CF patients, the surf industry is now responding quickly to the cause by supporting Pipeline to a Cure.
Hamilton and Kalama met Haager this year and have since come face to face with a new heroine and now carry a new appreciation for their beloved sport. After a lifetime of receiving the benefits of the ocean and her perfect rides, they feel an eagerness to give back. They are now supporting Haager and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation by recruiting other members from the surf industry for a benefit.
On the evening of July 19, Hamilton and Kalama will co-chair the Pipeline to a Cure Dinner Gala, an event at the Hyatt Regency in
Mike Sullivan, a car dealership owner from
“As a surfer and a father, the event represents two big points for me,” Sullivan said. “Once I learned about Emily and her situation in a video, it just cut threw. You just realize that sometimes you might take everything you have and do for granted. I could not be more pleased to be involved.”
Together, Hamilton and Kalama will lend their time and efforts to raise as much money as possible to further medical breakthroughs to find a cure for the disease. To help raise funds, they are both offering one-on-one adventure days with the donator’s choice of surfing, paddling, canoeing, windsurfing or stand-up paddling. They will also sign posters and memorabilia as auction items and lead a panel discussion based on their "courage" of facing waves, personal health benefits from the ocean and the miracle of the CF connection to their sport.
“Our duties as co-chairmen are to help push the snowball over the hill,” Kalama explained. “We want to help raise as much awareness and get as many people on board as possible by lending our name to the cause. Surfing has been so great to us and now it is our chance to give back.”
The founders for Pipeline to a Cure consist of longtime Cystic Fibrosis Foundation supporters including Paul Motenko, co-founder of BJs Restaurants. His daughter Stacy, diagnosed with CF at birth, is now 21 years old. Motenko and his family have been supporting Stacy ever since.
“When our daughter was born, she weighed only five and half pounds and had to have half of her small intestines removed the day after she was born. They then told us that she had a fatal genetic disease. We went on to love our daughter, cherish her and raise her, but to not expect her to live long. It was heartbreaking.”
Motenko saw only one answer and this was to join the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
“The life expectancy at the time Stacy was born was 18,” Motenko explained. “The great thing is that since she was born, this estimate has increased to 37. I am so proud of my daughter. She is graduating from
Motenko appreciates the efforts of the foundation and those who back Pipeline to a Cure, especially Hamilton and Kalama, who are putting their faces forward to help raise awareness for the event.
When speaking of health, wellness, and materializing his goals,
Visit www.pipeinetoacure.com or contact Monika Gilbert at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at mgilbert@cff.org or call (714) 938-1393.
LAcarGUY.com suports EMA's cell phone recycling program
Join celebrities such as Rosario Dawson, Sienna Miller and Heather Graham to recycle your old cell phones and raise money for the environment.
Go to www.ema-online.org and recycle them for free!
Lexus Santa Monica Beautiful Service Facility opens at New Location
Lexus Santa Monica Service & Parts Department has moved!
Visit us at: 1602 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404
866-906-5773
"It's Official! We have MOVED! Lexus Santa Monica is very proud to have just completed their new State of the Art Service and Parts facility at 1602 11th Street in Santa Monica.
Built in the Early California style to mirror the new sales facility on
Santa Monica Blvd, it is conveniently located and open for business.
As
part of the LAcarGUY.com Family, it is our goal to offer you the best
customer service and quality of workmanship we can provide. Enjoy our
private computer terminals, the flat screen TVs, the new shoeshine
station or even the cafe coffee bar while you wait for your service.
Surf Santa Monica reports on Lexus Santa Monica Grand Re-Opening
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By Jorge Casuso April 20 -- There aren’t many car dealerships with showrooms that feature hand-carved chess sets or a fireplace or tapestries hanging from the walls. But then, there aren’t many car dealerships like Lexus Santa Monica, which held a grand opening celebration for its newly refurbished building Thursday night that drew some 1,300 guests to what is arguably the largest showroom in the Los Angeles area. After a year-long renovation, the 1928 building resembles a Spanish mission with towering ceilings laced with trusses, the latest model luxury cars taking a back seat, at least for one crowded night, to their surroundings.
“We just went back and resurrected everything,” said owner Mike Sullivan, who photographed Union Station and the Roosevelt Hotel as models for the look he wanted the renovated building to evoke. “We’re getting offers for weddings and proms,” he added.
Those who stood under the lobby’s decorated ceiling or wandered the
26,000-square-foot structure hung with custom built mission-style
chandeliers dreamed up events of their own. “We’ve had a request for a ladies’ golf luncheon,” said Steven McClintock, head of advertising for LA Car Guy, Sullivan’s collection of six dealerships.
By renovating the Lexus dealership in Santa Monica, Sullivan cast a vote of confidence for a town he considered leaving four years ago when his expansion plans were frustrated by what he deemed a slow-moving City bureaucracy and a “capricious” Planning Commission. The political scene has improved and the auto business -- the City’s prime economic engine -- is on the fast track, he said. “The economic model is phenomenal, the market is great and the political climate is functional,” Sullivan said. Former Mayor Michael Feinstein, who helped push for new auto dealer standards while on the council, said the City’s efforts to accommodate the needs of its auto dealers have paid off. “We sent a signal to people like Mike Sullivan that we wanted him here, and now he is still with us to this day,” said Feinstein, who sought advice from Sullivan and his Volkswagen delership when renovating his vintage van. “I am thrilled that a young-thinking, hip, yet down-to-earth person with business acumen has kept his existing dealerships in Santa Monica -- and continues to invest in new ones here -- when neighboring cities were courting him hard,” Feinstein said.
Turning the old dealership -- with its service bays, closed framing and exposed roof -- into a spacious upscale showroom was no easy task, said Don Wheeler, the architect responsible for the renovation. “We rebuilt this building, other than a few walls,” he said. The massive doors were fashioned in New Mexico of salvaged wood, the trusses were beefed up and every window casement was replaced with wood, said Wheeler, who works for RTK Architects. The ambitious renovation even turned up a few surprises -- like the bathroom buried between walls that seemed to throw the drawings off. It was only discovered when someone poked a hole. Inside the bathroom was a 40-year-old Valley paper with a front-page headline of the Sharon Tate murder and a coffee mug Wheeler kept. “After all the time we spent on it, it feels great to stand here and say, ‘Alright,’” Wheeler said. Then he looked at the crowd eating fancy hors d’oeuvres and swaying to the jazz band playing a Billy Holiday tune. “And it’s a good place for a party,” he said. |
Hybrid Autos Save Money in Long Run, Study finds
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Being
all the rage nowadays, it's no surprise that consumers who are
interested in hybrid vehicles are also keenly interested in their
ownership costs. Everyone knows they get better gas mileage, but people
should also know how much it will cost to maintain a hybrid over time.
Are they a good value, relatively speaking, or a lousy value? It
depends on a lot of parameters, and it so happens that automotive
ownership costs are IntelliChoice's specialty. Indeed,
we have been following the trends of hybrid vehicles for several years
now, and can comment on the economic performance of these vehicles with
some certainty. The truth is (for all cars, not just hybrids) one needs
to look well beyond the purchase price to see what a vehicle will cost
you over time. Regardless of the "value" claims that you may read in
car reviews or hear in ads, a vehicle's economic value is based on how
much it will cost to own and operate compared to its purchase price.
In a sense, purchase price is "what you pay" and the ownership costs
are "what you get." The less you pay for what you get the better off
you are. Our annual Best Overall Value of the Year awards identify THE
vehicles that promise the best return on investment within their
classes. Here are some facts that we know to be true about hybrid vehicles: -They cost significantly more to purchase than their 'non-hybrid' counterparts. -In 2006, all hybrids were IntelliChoice Excellent Values in their respective classes. -They
have about the same maintenance and repair costs for the first five
years or 70,000 miles as compared to gas versions of the same model. -Hybrids hold their value better over five years compared to gas powered versions of the same model. -Average insurance costs are somewhat to significantly higher on hybrids. -As expected, fuel costs are dramatically lower on these models. -Hybrids
are in demand. Currently most if not all hybrids have Target Prices at
or near Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP).
Even
without the benefit of the tax credit, the hybrids have lower Total
Ownership Costs over five years. Repairs, maintenance, and state fees
are all very close, and while the hybrids perform much better in fuel
they do tend to have higher insurance costs overall. Based on data from
the insurance industry and other sources, we speculate the reason
behind these higher costs in general is due, at least in part, to the
added expense of repairs to hybrids, in the case of an accident--the
cost of battery and electric motor replacement, for example. Ownership
costs are based on IntelliChoice's proprietary Target Price. It should
be noted that as part of our methodology, we do not set Target Price
above MSRP. As a company that evaluates ownership costs, we can't
advocate paying over retail price for a vehicle, as that is financial
equivalent to just tossing money out the door, both in terms of initial
purchase price, as well as added depreciation costs. The
most important area of ownership costs is depreciation, and here there
seems to be particular disagreement between automotive research
companies--especially when it comes to the spectacularly popular Toyota
Prius. IntelliChoice bases its depreciation forecasts for hybrid
vehicles fundamentally like any other vehicle: by using historical used
value trends. With the Prius for example, it's fairly easy to do
because there's a lot of Prius history out there now. What
IntelliChoice has found is that the Prius is holding its value
amazingly well--the car simply refuses to stop being in demand, both as
a new and used vehicle. Its resale values can't seem to drop, and
analysis of years of accumulated data allows us to state confidently
that in terms of depreciation, the future looks particularly rosy for
the Prius. Overall, fifth-year retained value projections show hybrids
holding their value 5-10% better than gas vehicles, depending on the
make and model. It
is important to remember that value is a relative term, not an absolute
term. Value means performing better than the logical expectation.
Hybrids do cost more to purchase; many other vehicles cost less. But,
when their costs to own and operate are plotted against conventional
vehicles with comparable purchase prices, in the end your cash outlay
is less. So much less in fact, eight hybrids took top place in their
respective classes--including the new Escape and Highlander models.
Hybrids are available in an increasing number of segments, giving
consumers even more choices. IntelliChoice's
ownership costs are our own. We don't farm out our research. We perform
the analyses of vehicles ourselves, independently of the auto industry.
In addition, our methodology and calculations belong to us--it's all
designed and run in-house, not conjured up out of the blue or borrowed
from some fly-by-night company. In fact, IntelliChoice pioneered the
concept of automobile ownership costs nearly twenty years ago. So, it's
safe to say that IntelliChoice's ownership costs for automobiles can be
held up to the highest scrutiny. |
LAcarGUY's Mike Sullivan featured in Luxury Life & Style
