Lawn Summer Nights

Inspired by Our Friend, Eva. 

Eva Markvoort is the inspiration that drives Lawn Summer Nights. 

In December 2008, Duncan Gillespie, Andrew Dalik and Graham Dalik were in Sydney, Australia with film director Philip Lyall where a casual game of ‘Barefoot Bowls’ was extremely popular. During an afternoon of beers and bowls, they collectively vowed to bring this fun experience back to Canada. They wanted to organize it as an event, as an opportunity to bring people together. 

Philip had brought along a rough cut of 65_RedRoses, a documentary he was working on at the time. The powerful film told the story of Eva Markvoort, a young Vancouver woman living with cystic fibrosis (CF). The group returned from their memorable day of lawn bowling to watch the film later that night. The idea to create a lawn bowling fundraiser in support of Eva and others living with cystic fibrosis was hatched on the spot. 

What is Cystic Fibrosis?

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults. There is no cure. Of the Canadians with cystic fibrosis who died in the past five years, half were under the age of 37. Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, degenerative multi-system disease that affects mainly the lungs and digestive system. In the lungs, where the effects are most devastating, a build-up of thick mucus causes severe respiratory problems. Mucus and protein also build up in the digestive tract, making it difficult to digest and absorb nutrients from food. In addition to the physical effects of the disease, mental health concerns are emerging; anxiety and depression are common among this population. Double lung transplants are often the final option for patients with end-stage disease; most fatalities of people with CF are due to lung disease.