Light the Night - Movie Tix Raffle Winner 4

Today's winner is... Kelly B.!


Thank you again to everyone who's supporting Team Life's a Beach in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Light the Night Walks.


Life's a Beach Team Home Page

Life's a Beach pages by walk site:
(On the day of the walk, registration begins at 5:30pm and the walk begins at 7:00pm.)

September 13 - Milwaukee, WI (Veteran's Park)

September 23 - Minneapolis, MN (Target Field)

October 3 - New York, NY (Basketball City)

October 20 - Verona, NJ (Verona Park)

October 27, Woodland Hills, CA (Warner Center Park)

Light the Night Update: Friday, 9/7 @ 5pm - Movie Tix Raffle

At the end of the day on Friday, Katelyn will be drawing two names from those who have signed up to walk and/or donated to Team Life's a Beach in 2012. Also, I am working on team T-shirts. Details to come...

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has become so important to me not just because of my personal experience, but because of all the friends I have made over the past year who have also been afflicted with a blood cancer.

One of my friends, Dona, just received her bone marrow transplant last week (please say a prayer for her). The day of the transplant is commonly referred to as the patient's birthday, because it literally is a new chance at life. She was diagnosed with AML last year on Mother's Day. We met her at the bone marrow donor drive, where Ryan joined the registry (Be the Match). Her daughter started kindergarten today, while she recovers from the transplant in a sterile wing of a hospital because she does not yet have an immune system. She is a brave, kind person and embodies the Life's a B**ch! attitude.

If you would like a shot at winning the movie tix, please check out Team Life's a Beach Details. We are in the process of adding a Southern Cali walk to our team, thanks to Sheila and Lauren!

Dona and her Big Kindergartener!

 

A total stranger's gift to Dona and her family: LIFE (a.k.a. bone marrow)

 

Denial Ain't a River in Egypt...

In my case, denial appears to be taking the form of a lake--Franklin Lake.

I've signed up for a 2.4 mile open water swim race in June. A year ago, when my mom and Ryan brought me home from the hospital, I was too weak to climb the two stairs from our garage into the house. I've come a long way in a year, but 2.4 miles is still ambitious, particularly since my next ATRA treatment, May 7th - 22nd, will undo any training progress I make before then.

So why have I signed up? Because, like I said, I'm in denial.

Or maybe because I am sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.

Or because it's a way to start strengthening my heart, of which I've become overprotective. Cardiomyopathy (hardening of the left ventricle of the heart) occurs as a latent side effect in 3-5% of patients who've received their "lifetime limit" of anthraycline chemotherapy.

Whatever my rational happens to be on the day of the race: the water will be cold; there will be lots of kicking and shoving; a plethora of professional Ironman triathletes will leave me in their wake; my body will cramp up; and I will love every minute of it. Because it will be good pain. It will be living.

If anyone would like to join in 0.5, 1.2, or 2.4 miles of fun: Open Water Swim Registration Form