The Face of the Fighter and the Trainer cont.
Michelle's fund raising event went well, though I don't have a final tally of results. Just a amateurs eye, 100+ folks showed up at Stubbs BBQ (For you non-Austinites, Stubbs a restaurant and rockin' night club) and the silent auction had several items that were being bid up clsoe to their retail values. All in all, it looked like a successful night.
Kudos go out to:
Stubbs
The Annie Madden Band
The Rust Tones
Tito's Vodka (A Wide-Body personal favorite!)
Sweet Leaf Tea (Another Wide-Body favorite!)
Tiffany (Michelle's sister)
and countless others that I will fail to know or recognize, so I throw myself on the sword now.
Before I go on, if you are moved by Michelle's story and you want to make a difference, yet you are not sure where to turn, go out to Michelle's Angel's, her Komen Race for the Cure team and make a donation. http://www.komenaustin.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=1090&team_id=32732
Michelle's Angels have been incredible. Before the event last week, the group has raised $46,000 for breast cancer research. That is a HUGE number for volunteer work. You can make a difference, and you can do it now.
Let me wrap up the event by giving you all my amateur medical opinion. I made a special point of giving Michelle a big hug during the event. Yes, she is friend and I am fond of her. The other reason is that I had to feel how well she was doing. She has started chemo treatments and as you can all imagine, it is devastating. YET (!!!) When I hugged her, she was felt solid, and her hug back was strong. Medically, that doesn't mean crap, but to me, it means the world. She is going to kick the beast in the ass. And, just to be sure, I went back for a second hug. Anymore than that, and I would have been a glutton.
Now time for the serious talk...
At the event, the president of the local Komen volunteer board spoke and he made some hard reality points that everyone should think about.
(KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK) Hey this is not a "chick" issue. Wide-Body Dudes, your loved ones could be affected by this, so pay attention.
Two biggest points that were made by the speaker was that 1 in 7 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. That is a little over 14%. That is 14 out of 100, 7 out of 50, nearly 3 in 20 women. Thing about the last mid-sized reastaurant you were in or social event you attened. There were at least 20 women there, and three of them will have breast cancer. Does that get your attention?
The second point is this: These women, the diagnosed, have an IMMEDIATE sense of urgency for a cure. Not just a sense of urgency, but an IMMEDIATE sense of urgency. Think about the last time you immediately needed something. Now consider it as life or death. A little more stressful now? Think it would affect other parts of your life? Of course, yet now you get a sense, small but some sense, of what these women feel.
Okay...I'm a little drained, and yet I'm still inspired. I hope you are too. There is still more we can all do together and so let's explore that in future entries and discussions.
Kudos go out to:
Stubbs
The Annie Madden Band
The Rust Tones
Tito's Vodka (A Wide-Body personal favorite!)
Sweet Leaf Tea (Another Wide-Body favorite!)
Tiffany (Michelle's sister)
and countless others that I will fail to know or recognize, so I throw myself on the sword now.
Before I go on, if you are moved by Michelle's story and you want to make a difference, yet you are not sure where to turn, go out to Michelle's Angel's, her Komen Race for the Cure team and make a donation. http://www.komenaustin.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=1090&team_id=32732
Michelle's Angels have been incredible. Before the event last week, the group has raised $46,000 for breast cancer research. That is a HUGE number for volunteer work. You can make a difference, and you can do it now.
Let me wrap up the event by giving you all my amateur medical opinion. I made a special point of giving Michelle a big hug during the event. Yes, she is friend and I am fond of her. The other reason is that I had to feel how well she was doing. She has started chemo treatments and as you can all imagine, it is devastating. YET (!!!) When I hugged her, she was felt solid, and her hug back was strong. Medically, that doesn't mean crap, but to me, it means the world. She is going to kick the beast in the ass. And, just to be sure, I went back for a second hug. Anymore than that, and I would have been a glutton.
Now time for the serious talk...
At the event, the president of the local Komen volunteer board spoke and he made some hard reality points that everyone should think about.
(KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK) Hey this is not a "chick" issue. Wide-Body Dudes, your loved ones could be affected by this, so pay attention.
Two biggest points that were made by the speaker was that 1 in 7 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. That is a little over 14%. That is 14 out of 100, 7 out of 50, nearly 3 in 20 women. Thing about the last mid-sized reastaurant you were in or social event you attened. There were at least 20 women there, and three of them will have breast cancer. Does that get your attention?
The second point is this: These women, the diagnosed, have an IMMEDIATE sense of urgency for a cure. Not just a sense of urgency, but an IMMEDIATE sense of urgency. Think about the last time you immediately needed something. Now consider it as life or death. A little more stressful now? Think it would affect other parts of your life? Of course, yet now you get a sense, small but some sense, of what these women feel.
Okay...I'm a little drained, and yet I'm still inspired. I hope you are too. There is still more we can all do together and so let's explore that in future entries and discussions.
I am honored and completely touched by your blog. Thanks so much for standing by me and fighting with me. I haven't felt alone in this battle thanks to my amazing support system and God. I believe that this battle is impossible without God and the peace that His word provides. Faith...don't leave home without it!
I have searched for silver linings with my story...something positive to do with it. Putting a young face on this disease has become so important to me. Breast cancer is NOT an old woman's disease. I found my lump at 31, but wasn't correctly diagnosed until 33, because I believed my doctor who said the lump was nothing. "You are too young" is simply NOT true. I have met a number of women in their 20's with breast cancer. There is something out there in our environment, in our food, in the water....SOMETHING! This beast is destroying lives and families every minute of every day. If we can put a man on the moon, why the heck can't we find a cure for breast cancer? TODAY is the day to find a cure. Tomorrow will be too late for so many of us.
Four weeks prior to receiving the news that my cancer had spread, I ran my first triathlon (along side my sister). My body was strong and will continue to thrive as long as I stay physically active and mentally focused. I encourage everyone to eat life with a big spoon. Remember, life is good and each day we have is an absolute gift...run with it!!
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Thank you Michelle. You are in our prayers and please continue to keep us up to date with your progress as you KICK THE BEAST IN THE ASS.
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