THE LLS MAN OF THE YEAR IS....

The Gala was such an amazing night for us! Before the ceremony even began, Scott and I were having such a blast. So many friends and family members came to support him, it was so much fun seeing people from all different parts of life come together and support Scott.  We listened to Candice and Bryce speak and thank the audience for helping find a cure for their cancer (tear jerker). We listened to parents who have lost their children to blood cancer (more tears). And we listened to those who, including Scott, have such passionate reasons to campaign for this fundraiser.  It's a charity gala - so there was LOTS of listening during dinner ;).

At the end of the program, the moment finally came. All of the candidates were asked to go up on stage. And my stomach was full of butterflies. We had an idea of how much Scott had raised, but we also knew that there were a lot of auction items and raffle items that could be game changers for some candidates during the actual gala. Then again we also had zero idea of how much the other candidates had raised. The pressure was on. There was a lot of waiting as final numbers were tallied. And a lot of anxiety rising at our table.

They first announced the runner up - Mike Hyde with $35,000. I gasped. Grabbed my sister's arm. And filled with so much pride I whispered to our table, "He did it." I knew going into the night Scott was near $80,000.  A number we had kept silent to ourselves.  After all, it is a competition!

Then they announced the winner, Scott Bernstein with $91,000. Holy Crap. The audience jumped to their feet with applause. Our table, Scott's team, Holding on to Hope, walked up to the stage. There were a lot of joyful tears and hugging all over that stage. Scott was crowned and we were all in awe. Ninety-one THOUSAND dollars. Scott broke the LLS's Gateway Chapter record for Man of the Year that night. It was truly an unforgettable experience.

Side note - after a double check with accounting, he actually raised over $93,000 :)

In his acceptance speech, Scott reminded us that although it's his name as the winner, it's not really about him. It was the hundreds of people who donated to his campaign - to this very important cause. Today, friends and family come up and congratulate him and thank him for what he did. And he says, no, thank you. Because the people who believe in finding a cure for my cancer and who donated to Scott's campaign are the ones who deserve the thanking. So thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you in believing in Scott, supporting our family, and giving me hope for a long, healthy life.