The first time I had ever heard the word Leukemia was in 1996 when a childhood friend was diagnosed with the disease.
About three years later, my grandmother lost a fierce battle with Leukemia’s ugly sister, Lymphoma.
Within the last year and a half, two of my friends have had four-year old daughters who have had to take their turn in the Leukemia fight.
Leukemia & Lymphoma are two words that I never wish to hear again.
Through the magic of Facebook, I have reconnected with that original childhood friend, Lindy. I have thought about her all these years and always hoped for the best. I’m proud to say that after having two bone marrow transplants years ago, she is now cured and doing great.
Actually, Lindy isn’t just doing great – she’s also inspiring others. A few years ago, she ran the San Diego Rock ‘n Roll Marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Now, Lindy is back for more, setting her sights on the Chicago Marathon in October to raise even more money for LLS.
I am incredibly moved by Lindy’s motivation. What was once such a foreign disease to me has really become front and center in my mind. Visiting a beautiful, 4-year old little girl in the Children’s Hospital after being first diagnosed with Leukemia is certainly something I would never wish on anyone. I still run upstairs and wake my own son for hugs and kisses every time I think about it.
There’s not much that I can personally do to fight these blood cancers. Sure, I can hope and wish for a cure, but that’s just not enough for me.
So, in an effort to help Lindy reach her $2,700 fundraising goal before the Chicago Marathon, I have decided to do something a little different. Since I can’t get out and run my own race in my current state, I’m using the power of this blog to ask you to help support her fundraising goal. There are two ways to do this:
1. Now through the end of August, I will donate 15% of the price of each piece of jewelry sold through my Stella & Dot website to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program. All you need to do to contribute in this way is shop my Stella & Dot e-Boutique and enter “Lindy Fundraising” as the hostess name when prompted. This is a great way to get a little something for yourself (or start your holiday shopping!) and give back to a worthy cause at the same time. I am honored that my S&D business allows me to do something like this.
2. You can also visit Lindy’s Team in Training Fundraising page and directly contribute to her goal. It’s very easy to donate any amount of your choice via the online donate button.
If you have any questions, please let me know! I’d be happy to answer them (although it may take a few days since I’ll be having Baby Emma in about 48 hours!).
Thank you for taking the time to consider this worthy cause. Together, we can help try to stamp out those two ugly words: Leukemia & Lymphoma.
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On a happier note, it’s time to announce the two winners of the Oregon Chai giveaway!
The winner of the 10-oz canister of Chai Tea Latte mix with a branded hot mug is April. The winner of the 10-oz canister of Chai Tea Latte mix with a double-walled acrylic reusable iced tea cup is Ellen. Congrats, ladies!
I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend where you can enjoy a little Me Time.
and another ugly word you hardly ever hear of: Sarcoma. Less than 1%of all the cancers, but just as frightening and deadly to those affected by it. Maybe even more so because there’s not too much research available.
My niece ran the L&L race last year and it is a great cause to donate to.
Prayers for an easy and healthy delivery for you and Emma!
You are right! All the bad ‘c’ words are absolutely frightening.
Thank you! As a six time survivor of the ugly “C” word I am so grateful for everyone that donates to research and care! One day we’ll beat this dreadful diseases thanks to all the great things that folks do like yourself.
Thanks!
Six time survivor??? Wow, you are inspiration, Todd!
My sister was diagnosed in ’91 with leukemia (ALL) and at that time there were 7 known and of those she had the only one that was curable the time. My sister is now 26 and cured, but she regularly runs in charity events and my family and I all donate fluids to help the fight.
Good luck with the delivery! Can’t wait to see Baby Emma!
That’s such great news that your sister is cured! What a scary thing to see your sister go through.
Thank you for doing this. I recently lost a dear family friend to leukemia after a 12 year battle. He was only 31 years old, and was engaged to be married as soon as he got out of the hospital. I’m going to send your Stella & Dot page to our families. Thank you!
Oh, I hate to hear stories like this, Haley. I’m so sorry for the loss of your family friend. It’s just not fair.
I found out I had hodgkins Lymphoma 4 years ago – when my second child was only 4 weeks old. I’d honestly not trade what I learned from it but I would spare everyone else I could from going through what I did. Thanks for helping in the fight! Every bit helps. It cost me $14,000 for every session of chemo (12 of them). Plus add 17 radiation treatments at almost $2,000 each. Plus all the red blood cell shots and Neulasta. Ugh. Anyway. I made a digital scrapbook album a little over a year ago that sells at cottagearts.net and we donate part of the proceeds from the sales to LLS.org
Bless your heart, Laura. Those treatment costs are insane. I’m so glad you are doing well now.
I add my thank you, as have others. I am battling 4 th stage lung cancer. It is not looking good. Once you belong to the cancer club, it doesn’t matter
what type of cancer you have, cancer is cancer. I am trying to hang on as long as possible to be here for my 18 year old granddaughter because I am all the family she has. She is not ready to live alone. So I want to say thank you to everyone who participates in the fund raisers.
Sincerely,
nancy ellison
Bless you, Nancy. I am so sorry you are going through this. I pray for a miracle for you and your sweet granddaughter.
My oldest sister had Leukemia, she passed away when she was 12 years old and I was only 4, but I do have alot of memories of her. My poor mama still can’t talk about it, so I pray for everyone having to go through this terrible illness, I pray for good days, and health.
When I lived in Austin I got mailers for Team in Training all the time and I always tossed them in the trash. This past January one of my friends talked me into go to an info meeting with her and next thing I knew my couch potato self was signed up to run the RnR San Diego 1/2 marathon. It was an awesome experience that really touched me. The LLS is an amazing organization. I’ve been wanting to make a purchase from you and now I have an even better reason!
A great cause – thanks for using your blog to support The Team in Training. My sister is a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease (a form of Lymphoma) in her early 20s. With determination and luck, she was able to beat it. I hope everyone will give what they can.
Thanks for donating a part of your profits. The first time I dealt with leukemia was our first 2 cats. The one lived just under a year & the other just over a year. They really really suffered with it, so I always cringe when I hear a person has it. We have lots of different cancers in our family, they are all so scary.
God bless you for doing this! What a wonderful thing to do to raise money to fight cancer. My 5 year old neice just finished two years of chemo for leukemia in Feb of this year. Now she is getting ready for kindergarten! My sweet little three year old boy was diagnosed in March of this year (just two wks after his first cousin was cured) with a rare and aggressive soft tissue and muscle cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma. With God’s help, he has completed 19 weeks of chemo and has a little ways to go before being cured. We know God is walking right along with us on this scary journey. People like you help raise awareness and money for research so no other children have to fight this disease!