Last year, Scott mentioned to me that he felt ready to add
something new to his resume. It had only
been a few months since he switched companies so I found this interesting. I listened as he explained how he wanted
more – not for him or for us, but to do more.
To help others. He began putting
his feelers out to join a board or find a charity that he found rewarding. It’s funny how fate works – it was right then
when the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Man of the Year fundraising campaign fell
into his lap.
He was sold immediately.
Raise some money for a charity that was near and dear to our hearts?
Done. He called me excited with his
news, only to find hesitation on my end of the line. “Are you familiar with this campaign? Have
you been informed of the amount of time and effort this campaign takes from a
candidate? And the amount of money one is expected to raise?!” I knew more about the history
of this fundraising campaign than he did, and sat him down that night to
knock the idea of a few thousand dollars out of his head and get him to
understand this was a huge commitment – we’re talking about raising tens of
thousands of dollars over a few months span.
We have a toddler, a new dog, and hopes for more kids in the future – is this
really something that we can take on right now? It was a question that was necessary
for us to ask ourselves, but one that we were able to answer in a
heartbeat. Absolutely.
Scott is running to be LLS’s Man of the Year. He is competing with 7 other men in the
Gateway Chapter of LLS. The winner – who
ever raises the most amount of money in ten weeks, wins the crown. Literally. I kind of laugh
sometimes, how brilliant was LLS to come up with the idea to get men competing
against one another while raising money for cancer research?! Definitely a
smart woman out there ;).
Scott has built a team with a few friends and family members
to help support him during these ten weeks. I have taken on the role of campaign manager and now spend many of Charlotte’s
naps on the computer planning, organizing, and trying to keep up with Scott and
all of the donations he has coming in.
This campaign is focused on two children, this year they are
Bryce and Candice. They are both survivors. I’ll attach their stories at the end, but fair warning, reading about
such young children battling cancer surly pulls at the heart strings. LLS
donates $.75 for every dollar raised to patient support, family support, and of course cancer research. In charity world, that is fantastic. The goal of this
campaign – to find a cure for blood cancers.
While we are inspired to raise money in honor of these children and for the thousands of families affected by blood cancer, we are also doing it for a
completely selfish reason – me.
Back to that night when Scott and I asked ourselves if we
were ready to jump on a 10 week campaign filled with planning, meetings, events, and crazy time commitments, we knew we didn’t have a choice. It was the elephant in the room that we never
talk about. It is the scariest and most real elephant that follows me around
every day. It is the elephant that won’t
go away until there is a cure for my cancer.
My cancer has been stubborn over the last decade, proving
that it is aggressive. My relapse in
2011 was stage four without any warning signs. It was stage four without a treatment available. It was stage four that took almost two years
of chemotherapy to beat. My oncologist put me on a clinical trial chemo pill to
hold me over for eight months until the drug Brentuximab was FDA approved. And I thank my lucky
stars every day that the drug became available. Because that brand new FDA
approved chemo saved my life and beat my stage four relapse. Without
donations to fund cancer research, that chemo would not have been available to
me nor the thousands of lives it has saved.
As for the elephant in the room, the elephant is the fact that according to statistics, my cancer will likely relapse one day. Maybe ten years from now. Maybe ten days from now. Maybe never. My oncologist spends my check-up appointments playing with Charlotte and reminding me of the sweet fact that I have not relapsed like that majority of patients whose lives were spared years ago with Brentuximab. Scott and I are not they type who travel the world and explore the unknown like we're living on a clock. To us, living our lives to the fullest include family trips to the park, evenings with friends, and exploring the world through our daughter's eyes. Cancer has affected us in so many ways, this opportunity to help others live their dream life is now our priority.
Scott and I are passionate about this fundraising campaign
for the thousands we can help and of course for such incredible selfish reasons
– we want to grow old together. We ask
that if you have not considered a charity or organization to give back to, we
truly believe in LLS and would be honored if you would consider a donation to Scott’s
campaign.
One thing Scott keeps saying to me, although winning this
campaign would truly be all the feels, what’s more important is the actual
money raised. In just a little over a
week the Grand Finale Gala will be held at the Chase Park Plaza on May 5th. That is the last day to donate and the winner
will be announced and crowned. We couldn’t
be more excited to be a part of this fun and incredibly rewarding experience.
From the bottom of our hearts we cannot say thank you enough
for your generosity to LLS and to our future as a family.
Bryce's Story
On February 28, 2015, I heard the worst words a mother can hear: “You son has cancer.” What followed those words was a whirlwind of emotions. All of a sudden, my seven year old boy seemed much more fragile than he ever used to be. Bryce was immediately admitted to the hospital for further testing, surgery, and treatment. He ultimately was diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma. While this was truly the scariest time of our lives, we did what we do best: we all rallied around Bryce and continued to live in our positive and faithful way. Were there hard days? Absolutely. There were days in which it seemed almost impossible to keep moving. But we chose not to focus on the bad and to remain positive about the outcome. After what seemed like a very long five months of inpatient treatments and sick visits, I heard my new favorite words: “Bryce is in remission.”
We are so grateful for the support that we received for Bryce during the most difficult time in his life to date. I honestly don’t know how we would have made it through without that support. Not only do I speak for myself, I know I speak for other parents whose children have been diagnosed with cancer when I say “Thank you”. Thank you for supporting our children and an
organization that is helping to find a cure. Thank you for making someday today for my son!
With heartfelt appreciation,
Bryce’s mom, Regina
Candice’s Story
This little girl is Candice Crume. She is a child of a military family. Daddy is active duty and mommy served 12 years in the US Navy.
On 17 May 2013, shortly after she turned three, she was diagnosed with B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Her diagnosis came as a surprise to the entire family. The day we took her to the ER, she was in repertory distress, her skin was pale (yellow), she had been acting really unusual for more than a week. From the beginning of this roller coaster she has proven she can take on anything. From the ER visit, finding out about her enlarged heart and liver, failing kidneys, her getting transported to St. Louis via Helicopter because her little body was shutting down, spending a few days in the PICU but ultimately finding out what was causing this all, and her starting her treatment plan it has been a very rocky road.
Every day we are amazed what a strong little girl she is. She has taken to treatment very well. Even with the set back of a blood clot in her leg, relearning how to walk, and the isolation of being at home amongst many other factors she has true strength. Nothing can break her fun loving, grateful, affectionate, adventurous spirit! Want to see true strength, look into the heart of a child that is in the fight of their life. She has since finished treatment in July 2015. She is an inspiration and has a true heart of gold!
