Day Twenty-one of...98 Days

I thought with the coming of the campaign kickoff on February 18th I would share a little background of the success of this campaign in years past.  It started in 1990 in the Northern California Chapter as The Man and Woman of the Year competition.  In 2009, candidates raised more than $7.8 million for blood cancer research and patient services.

The event description basically candidates compete for the most votes and $1.00 equals one vote. The man and woman who raise the most funds are named the Man and Woman of the Year in each city as well as then the one who raises the most for this fund-raising campaign competes on a National level since all dollars raised goes into one total fund for research and to find that cure.

I accepted the nomination as a candidate because I couldn't say no.  I couldn't walk away from something when there is such a great need for money to fund research and find a cure. I love the idea of fund-raising for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society but I really am not fond of the name of this campaign to me it makes me feel very uncomfortable.  You needed to know because the name of the campaign will keep coming up as the campaign starts. 

I instead want this to be about our honorees like Tressa.  I want the focus to be on honoring her fight and remembering her and all others like her who fought and others still battling.  

So whatever happens in this campaign the goal is $50,000 and beyond the campaign is the Light The App iPhone app that will keep that flow of dollars going to the cure.  The real Men and Women of the Year are the brave ones who without warning faced leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma and with every fiber in their body are fight or have fought and lost like our honoree Tressa.  It is imperative they are recognized and never forgotten as we raise money to fund research and find a cure! 

Day Twenty of...98 Days

Something didn't seem right today, it wasn't the snowy weather, it wasn't that I wasn't feeling well it was that something or someone was missing. I looked at the calendar and then I remembered ahh yes my Dad's Birthday. I lost my Dad I guess it's been over 5 1/2 years ago and I have been thinking about him a lot lately. We weren't very close which was a shame but I knew he loved me in his own way and I guess I am thinking about him more as my daughter's wedding approaches and realizing he won't be there. He was 75 and died of colon cancer another devastating disease.

As I thought about how sad I was that he was no longer with us on his Birthday I remember what a full life he lived. He had six children who adored him and a loving wife and wonderful friends. But you know I was okay because that is the natural order in life that the parents pass before the children and you seem to be able to accept that fate.

But what I can't accept and why we will do all we can during this campaign for it to be successful is the idea of losing a child. And Leukemia is what took our honoree Tressa from her parents. I have seen the faces and heard the heartfelt stories of so many other parents who faced the same horrible reality. They keep thinking this can't be happening and I can only imagine how it changes them and their life forever because their little child they loved so deeply is now only with them in spirit. Parents shouldn't lose children to these devastating blood cancers it's not natural it's not right and it needs to stop.

And the only way we can is through more research. And that is why the money raised during these campaigns can make the difference to fund research and find that cure so not another child will have a similar fate.

So Happy Birthday Dad! Thanks for teaching me the importance of giving back and working on such an important fund-raising campaign you always said everyone has the power to make a difference and that is what we are working towards today.

Day Nineteen of...98 Days

It needed to be different we decided.  It was important that beyond the typical successful fund-raising components we did something more. We wanted and needed to go down a unique path with our efforts and find another way to truly honor and remember Tressa and those who fought and are still fighting a blood cancer.  So when we worked on our plan we put together some new facets to this campaign.  

And today we saw the fruits of our labor over weeks of work on one more important element to this fund-raiser.  The gift that will keep on giving an iPhone app known as Light The App.  Our goal was to develop a way to touch all of those affected by this devastating disease.  So our solution was to create a community in which family and friends and supporters could share their dedication to their loved one.  The hope is that through these dedications they find some peace in sharing their thoughts about those they lost and those still battling.

We are going through our final tweaks and can't wait until launch and share it with you.  The dollars raised from the iPhone app will be given to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to fund research and find that cure!  And after this specific campaign is over we will then be donating the Light The App to The Society so dedications can continue and the gift can keep on giving and carry on raising money for research for a cure.

Day Eighteen of...98 Days

If you sometimes buy a lottery ticket and with a wink to the heavens say, if you let me win this I swear I will donate more than 1/2 to charity. So you buy $5.00 worth of tickets on Saturday night and go to bed thinking, "Tomorrow I am going to win the lottery and be a millionaire many times over. And will start a foundation and do good things with my new found wealth."

Sunday morning dawns, you go out to the curb and bring in the newspaper. You don't look at the lottery's winning numbers right away. You want to savor the thought of being the winner, the millionaire. So you make coffee, read the sports page, play with the dog a little. Then the wife gets up and you hand her the lottery results page and say, "You look", thinking she may be the really lucky one in the family.

She goes over the numbers, once, twice, slowly, methodically. Did we win? Did we match any numbers? The answer is the same this Sunday as it has been so many "winning" Sundays before. "No, not this week."

So you can't give a big pot of money to start your charity foundation - this time.

But, what you can give and maybe it is even more valuable than your treasure, is your time, your influence, your ability to spread the word of this LLS campaign to your many friends and your family. You see what we need to make this campaign a success is your grass roots efforts.

So if you can't afford to donate a lot of money, just give that single dollar that would have gone to one lottery ticket, or you can give your"viral" influence which is equally appreciated and until you actually win that Powerball Jacketpot, really easy on the wallet. So what are we asking? Just this - tell a friend or two or ten about our campaign. Invite them to join the fight to defeat blood cancer. They like you will give what is right for them, a dollar, five dollars, or their viral, which will influence many more people, then just watch how quickly the numbers multiple and the dollars add up to our goal of $50,000.00 for research to LLS to find a cure!

Day Seventeen of...98 Days

If you haven't seen Avatar the movie it's definitely worth it on so many levels.  I know this may seem odd that I bring it up but it does makes you wonder how many individuals who are sick or disabled wish they could enter another healthy body through their mind.  What an amazing concept.  People do it virtually through communities like Second Life but in this movie Avatar they transported mind body and soul living through them.

I am sure those 900,000 thousand individuals battling for their lives would like that feeling of being removed from the pain, the after affects of chemo the suffering and just for one day lose themselves in an Avatar.  An escape from what is their reality. 

Or how about them coming in for one of their many treatments and the doctor confidently walks in and says "I can fix this and in no time at all you will be cured".

But today as it stands this is fantasy.  The reality is we are losing someone to blood cancer every 10 seconds.  What is real is the research that is being done and the leaps and bounds in different therapies that is working for patients.  For progress to continue we know that fund-raisers need to happen and a commitment to be involved and take part.  

So here the campaign team is 16 days away from kickoff and we are ready to do our part and raise $50,000 to fund research and find a cure. Because the cure is the reality and that would trump any fantasy!

Day Sixteen of...98 Days

Today is February and the fundraising kickoff is only 17 days away.  For me I always like to remain grounded and remember our honoree Tressa so I go to a place where she and her family had kept a journal one that reminds me of what life was like for her over her eight month battle.  

I introduced you to her and shared a little about what her life was like in the months of May and June.  So I went to read again what life was like for her in July of that year.  And wouldn't you know I found she was in the very place I was this past weekend (coincidence I don't know).  But she was in Chicago with her boyfriend having just a marvelous time and feeling great because she learned there were over 480 bone marrow donor possibilities with 27 perfect matches.

 

It struck me those two thoughts just don't even go together.  She was young and in love so full of life yet battling a devastating disease looking for a donor.  It just doesn't seem right in fact it's wrong all wrong and the need to stop this could never be greater.  In fact I am always reminded that as long as it takes me to write these posts sometimes a half hour or more we lost 3-6 others to blood cancers.  

So these next 17 days of preparation for kickoff are critical because they set the stage for the campaign.  Luckily we have yet another member joining our fight and her name is Jackie.  Again a team member out of  Louisville and she will be handwriting all of the envelopes of the letters we will be sending out.  Each member has assumed a responsibility and I am so grateful to each of them.  The Hutson School Student Council is kicking off their fundraiser that will jump start this campaign today and it is so heartwarming to have children who want to join in and recognize they too can make a difference.  I am hopeful others will come in along the way.  

I have yet to ask you, you have been so kind visiting me on a daily basis and at bay.  If you or someone you know would to come in and join us we would welcome your participation as we raise money for LLS to fund research and find a cure. 

Day Fifteen of...98 Days

Three miles completed and two to go. Whew, am I going to make it? Will I be able to complete this elliptical session today? Will I reach my desired goal?

I had set the machine for an easy five miles or 60 minutes, but when I reached the three mile marker, I had hit the wall. I thought to myself, "I'm tired. I could just hit the stop button. I could quit now and walk away and no one would know, no harm done."

And then I had a second thought. This workout is a metaphor for me for this campaign and fundraiser. There are going to be times when it's hard and there will be days when I am tired and want to stop, but in the end we just have to keep going no matter how hard or tiring to the body and the soul.

Why? Because Tressa didn't have the luxury of quitting when she was tired in mind and body. She fought bravely through countless rounds of chemo. She wasn't able to simply hit the stop button and walk away from this fight for life. And how about those other 900,000 warriors fighting to beat this? No quitting from them either.

So for Tressa, our honoree, and all the others, we won't quit, and just like I didn't stop today this campaign won't stop short of our goal of raising $50,000.00 to hand to LLS to fund research and find a cure. Come with us on the journey. Together we will make a strong, supportive team that won't stop until we achieve this campaign goal.