The Kick-Off Party

I’m sure you’ve seen by now, but the official Man and Woman of the Year (MWOTY) kick-off gathering was Wednesday evening at Parkview Field.  The other two women candidates and their teams were in attendance, along with the three MOTY candidates and their respective teams. 

 

I’ve always been a sucker for camaraderie.  Being a part of a team is one of my favorite places to be.  From softball to basketball to track and cross-country, I was always a part of a team growing up.  Perhaps that is another reason I feel so blessed and thankful right now to be a part of a team which is dedicated to working non-stop over the course of these next ten weeks in the race to help fund a cure.

After being approached to run for WOTY and subsequently agreeing after heavy contemplation about all it would entail, I was asked the following question:  “So, who are you going to have on your team?”  I hadn’t given it a second thought since I figured I’d just do it all myself.  I know, save your comments – but in that admission is the first step to solving any kind of problem, I quickly admitted NO WAY can I do this alone.  Not if the goal of $100k is going to be reached.  Not if we’re going to make a difference in an impactful way.  Not if every possible network is going to be exhausted during this race.  I was going to need some serious help.  Cancer takes an army to defeat.   

To say that the outpouring of assistance and participation thus far has been amazing would be a gross understatement. Honestly, even I have no words.  I am going to find them for a future posts though, because the way in which people come together for the greater good is the best feeling in the world and the ultimate definition of camaraderie.

Thank you to my team for EVERYTHING.  Thank you for putting up with me and my endless questions.  Thank you for offering to help with things even before I ask.  Thank you for going outside of your comfort zones.  (What?  22 hours at O’s on St. Patty’s Day won’t be “comfortable?”)

 

Ok, now that I type this I’m realizing something:  This exactly parallels what cancer patients and their support teams go through.  Endless questions.  Help given before it is requested.  Comfort zones tested and surpassed. 

I’m pretty proud of all this camaraderie.  Soldier on, friends.  We’re in this thing together – no matter what side of the diagnosis we are on.

69 days until the party. 

http://www.beth4lls.com

 

 

Why Am I Doing This?

Happy Valentine’s Day to all you lovers out there. You know what I love? Talking. I seriously asked my Mom once what she thought my “spiritual gift” was because I had no idea. She responded as if it was the most moronic question I could have possibly asked.

While no one is surprised I like to talk, it is surprising to most people when they first find out I had cancer. I take that as good news. That news means there are those of us out there living normal lives (zip it friends who have dirt on me), who have gone through treatments and are now cancer-free.

Let me tell you something that surprised me. As you know, yesterday was the kick-off for this 10 week effort. I sent out several hundred emails to customers and contacts asking for help. And in the span of the first two hours, I cannot tell you how many emails came back with stories. Shared stories detailing personal cancer journeys and the associated struggles, triumphs, and for some, the defeats. I normally don’t cry often, but yesterday morning I couldn’t stop. The overwhelming feeling of “I knew this disease was far reaching but I didn’t really know…” came over me as the emails continued to fill my inbox.

• Thanks Beth, my mother passed away from leukemia 5 years ago, so this is close to my heart. I have made a donation.
• Thanks for the e-mail. I had an uncle that I never got a chance to meet because he died many years ago at the age of 4 from Leukemia.
• Your email is very touching because what you don’t know is about 1 year ago, my mother was diagnosed with AML Leukemia while her and my dad were in Florida for the winter. While we have been through a lot with my mom having leukemia in the spring, going into remission and then it coming back in the fall in the form of a rare skin leukemia.

Here’s something else I thought I knew – that I was prepared for this campaign. Yes, I’m going to do everything I can to bring in as much possible money so the researchers can figure out how to beat this thing. They have to. We have to. Cancer needs to go away like, now. But I was completely ill-prepared for the emotional part. My emotions have been on overload since yesterday morning. The emotions have both taken me back and centered me to the here and now. This part, I can’t really explain sufficiently. Just thankful.

So why am I doing this? So eventually, none of us will have to receive emails like these ever again. Thank you for sharing; thank you for helping.

70 Days to go. The race is on.
http://www.beth4lls.com

The Cancer Curing Kick-Off

So here it is. 10 weeks from now, there will be a black tie gala here in Fort Wayne to celebrate the efforts of 6 individuals who are raising crazy amounts of money to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). This campaign ("race" henceforth) is called the Man & Woman of the Year. I am one of those women. And, I am a leukemia survivor.

Here is where you'll learn my story. A story which some of you may already know; others may not. A story which is so near and dear to me yet one which I've not revealed to the magnitude which I'm committed to revealing now. No, this isn't some People-Us Weekly-George Clooney-like attempt to bring publicity to a movie. This is real life. Names will not be changed (sorry, some of you).

This is real life with real people, including our local Boy and Girl of the Year - Greyson Snyder & Kellcey Nichols - two brave kids who have been diagnosed with blood cancer. You will learn about them, their battles, their triumphs, their families, and how WE are going to help. Every dollar I raise in this whirlwind of a 10-week race counts as one vote. The candidate with the most votes is named the Man and Woman of the Year at the gala on April 26th.

I want that night to be a party. A party to celebrate life and all its ups and downs. A party to celebrate what a city like Fort Wayne can do when it comes together and works hard. A party to celebrate, thank, and honor patients, survivors, families, and friends because guess what? Cancer doesn't discriminate. It doesn't just affect the person who had to hear the words, "it's cancer" or the parents who had to tell their 3 1/2 year-old little boy "you're sick, buddy." It affects everyone we know. This disease is far reaching. But here's where we step in and say - reach this, cancer. You're going down.

So before the work begins and that final party starts, here's my one and only sales pitch (What? Those of you who know me find that ironic? C'mon.)

I ask that you join me in supporting LLS by making a tax-deductible donation to my fundraising campaign. All contributions will help fund LLS programs, including research, patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services.

Thanks to LLS’s research funding over the years, blood cancer survival rates continue to climb. The ONLY choice I had when I was diagnosed 14+ years ago was a Bone Marrow Transplant (more on that part of the story later). Today, that's not the case and it's strictly due to money being raised for R&D. Not only are LLS supported therapies now used to treat patients with rare forms of stomach and skin cancers, they're even being tested in clinical trials for patients with a range of cancers including lung, brain, breast, pancreatic and prostate. In addition, many LLS funded drugs are being tested for patients with non-cancerous diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

LLS is leading the way in cancer research. LLS doesn't mess around. And neither do we. My goal you ask? $100,000. I'm gonna need some help, people. Help me help others like Grey. Like my running buddy, Brad (more on him later). Like people you know.
For more information about LLS, please visit www.lls.org.

Sales pitch over. Game on. The race is starting. Check this blog (or http://www.beth4lls.com) daily for updates on the campaign, the fundraising events, the pictures, and all the stories. I am committed to writing to you every day. Commit to reading, learning, and yeah...donating.

71 Days until the party. Let's go.

Monday Morning Madness

Now I'm thinking about Muse; I love their song Madness.

(Digressing even before I get to the topic de jour, wonder if that's a first...ah, never mind.)

Just walked in the door from a fast and snowy 6 miles.  We pushed.  And then pushed some more.  The guys I ran with this morning are faster than I've ever been.  Which is good for someone on a mission to qualify for Boston in just 13 short days.  So I didn't even mind when one of them screamed, "This is what you came for, baby!  Pick it up!  This is mile 25!"

Any other day I would have thought of ways to get back to our cars first and let the air out of his tires.  But today - today I was thankful for the effort.  And the snow.  And the friendships which push me to be better.