Celebration of Life for Tim Rau ~ June 21st, 1992 - July 4th, 2009
Tim's parents, Charlie and Diana Lynn Rau, ask friends of the family to send them their stories of Tim by emailing Diana Lynn at dianalrau@gmail.com, commenting on Tim's blog, sending snail mail to PO Box 757, Fraser CO 80442, or calling Tim's phone (970) 887-0547 and leaving a message. They also wish to thank everyone for their support.
- For local coverage and additional information visit the Sky Hi Daily News. Recent articles:
- Public Lands Day features trail dedication - New motorized path will be named after Tim Rau (Friday, September 25, 2009)
- Guest column — Tim Rau ‘taught us about living well with few complaints' (Thursday, July 16, 2009)
- Tim Rau will live on through those he touched (Thursday, July 16, 2009)
- Grand County community turns out to honor Tim Rau's life (Thursday, July 9, 2009)
- Memorial service for Tim Rau to be held Saturday (Wednesday, July 8, 2009)
- Fraser teen remembered: 'It was Tim's independence day' (Tuesday, July 7, 2009)
- Candlelight vigil planned for Tim Rau (Monday, July 6, 2009)
About Tim
My name is Tim Rau and I'm in the 11th grade at Middle Park High School in Granby, Colorado. I have a disease called A-T that is a genetic imbalance disorder that was also supposed to stunt my growth. But with special nutrition and good exercise, I am now over 6'2" and almost 180 pounds. I can lift over 100 pounds. Even though I spend most of my time in a wheelchair or in an electric scooter, I am an A-B student who loves math and science. Read more about my story in The Children's Hospital newsletter and at The Denver Channel.
I've been lucky to travel to some very special places like rafting the Grand Canyon, bicycling in Holland, scuba diving in the Florida Keys, dog sledding in Alaska, and snowmobiling in Yellowstone.
I have my own ATV, raft and snowmobile that let me get out and enjoy activities with my family in both summer and winter. I have a dog and cat as well. My dog Duke likes to go for runs with me on the ATV and my cat J-Boy loves to sit on the snowmobile.
What is A-T?
Ataxia Telangiectasia (A-T for short) is a rare genetic disease that attacks in early childhood and progressively affects coordination and balance, predisposes patients to fatal cancers, and severely compromises the immune system.
Children with A-T are as rare as one in 40,000 births and come from all races and ethicities. The mutated A-T gene is carried by one in 100 individuals but exact copies must meet and then the couple still has a one in four chance of producing a child with A-T. Such children are usually unable to walk by the age of 10 and rarely survive their teens. Their cancer rate compared with the typical population is 1,000 times higher and scientists believe unraveling the A-T gene's function will shed light on many other cancers as well. Neutral stem cells will hopefully rescue or "reseed" the nervous system of those affected by brain disease, stroke and spinal cord injury.
In 1993, the A-T Children's Project was formed to increase awareness of A-T and to raise funds to support and coordinate first rate biomedical research projects, scientific conferences, and the A-T Clinical Center aimed at finding a cure or life improving therapies for Ataxia Telangiectasia. For more information on this dreaded disease, please visit the website at atcp.org.