Giving...for the Magic

Last week (in October, 2013 for any historians that find this blog post in the future), I attended the MRF Miles for Melanoma Raleigh Walk (the 3^rd Annual Amanda Wall – Corey Haddon Memorial Walk).  The event had a near miraculous feel about it.  Nearly 225 walkers participated and over $45,000 dollars was raised!  That is so many more people and so much more money than any of us expected.  While the majority of walkers were local, several traveled many miles from Northern Virginia and Charlotte.  Compared to last year’s Amanda-Corey Walk, this had a much more “Big Event” feel.

Last year in November, 2012, I participated in the Charlotte AIM for a Cure Walk.  That event raised a lot of money as well plus also had many walkers.  Right after the walk, I wrote a blog post reflecting on the event.  My closing paragraph read as such:

 This AIM walk is one of many…and AIM is one of several organizations that host such events.  EVERY walk is special.  Each event raises funds and awareness. Don’t let all the blogs and Facebook posts make you think that this was the ONLY event in which to participate.  Hardly.  It’s one of many, and I encourage everyone to find such an event near you.  AIM.  MRF.  Miles Against Melanoma.  Outrun the Sun.  Each one helps our campaign to raise awareness.

I have the same thought today.

I guess what I’m trying to say is…walk.  Attend an event.  Go to a golf tourney that raises funds for melanoma awareness or research.  Attend a free MRF or AIM seminar and give yourself the gift of knowledge.  Teach a middle school class about sun safety.  If you participate in an event with others, even stranger and particularly with survivors and warriors, you won’t regret one second.

In this day and age, it’s hard to give.  Money is tight (boy don’t I know that recently) and time is tighter in our busy schedules.  But I encourage you to make a moment available to give something.  Save 25 cents a week to donate some day in the future.  Pencil in one weekend out of the year to give time for a walk.  Spend 5 minutes of your Facebook time each night sharing articles on awareness.  Send a “thinking of you” text to a survivor/warrior.

Give.  Not “til it hurts,” but until you can’t stop smiling.

 

Postscript:

I have many friends walking in the 2014 Charlotte AIM for a Cure Walk next month.  I won’t be able to attend this year (which is why I pour so much of myself into the MRF Walk), but I ask that you support one of the AIM walkers.  It doesn’t matter which…the money will go to the same place.  Click here for the donation page.

There is also another event in North Texas affiliated with the Miles Against Melanoma organization.  Click here for their donation page.

I invite you to check out my “Melanoma Awareness and Fund-RaisingEvents” link for many such events.  I’ll be adding 2014 events soon, but there are still plenty of 2013 events scheduled.  Look for one near you!

I'm fine...thanks for asking!

First of all, thank you to those who have checked in on me.  My absence from the blogosphere and reduced presence on Facebook has inspired several folks to make sure I’m okay.

I am.  Thanks!  J 

I’ve been forced to take a little hiatus from blogging lately.  Nothing serious…just a perfect storm of family, personal and career events all taking place at the same time.  My twins started middle school in July (they go to year-round school) which starts a LOT earlier than the previous elementary school.  They have to be at the bus stop by 6:30, requiring that I get up around 5:00AM to get the familial ball rolling.  At work, my customers have become more active, so I’ve been working on more customer-related projects than normal.  Combine that with two colleagues resigning within the last few months and my responsibilities (and those of my remaining co-workers) having increased nearly two-fold, thus requiring many work days to extend well into the evening.  And then at home, there’s just the usual pay-the-bills, mow-the-lawn, feed-the-cats, fix-the-toilet activities that seem to hit a peak every few months.

What this leads to is a full day from 5:00AM to about 10:30PM where I’m running non-stop.  And when I finally get the chance to settle down to type some thoughts…I fall asleep.  Literally.  My wife has found me numerous times sound asleep while sitting straight up in my office chair.  I am simply exhausted.

I hope I don’t seem to be complaining…I’m not.  Sure, I’m wishing for a good rest and some good opportunities to write some thoughts (and I’ve had many)…but I’m not complaining.  You see, being a volunteer advocate for melanoma (and cancer in general) has made me realize that I’m very fortunate.  Not for simply not having cancer, but for having met so many that have.  So many have stated that it took “cancer” to open one’s eyes to how precious life can be…to not sweat the small stuff.  I’ve learned through your eyes that many of my exhaustive events are small stuff.  I am obligated focused on them…but except for the love of my family, it’s all small stuff.  While there’s no way I can truly see and feel the precious nature of life as seen through a cancer survivor without getting cancer (knock on wood), I feel you have given me a gift to peek just a little through your eyes.  Thank you.

So in that regard, I’ve chosen to recharge.  I’m sweeping the small stuff in a pile…reorganizing things a bit…and expecting to be back to blogging soon.  My next blog may be in a couple of days…a couple of weeks…or a couple of months…I’m not really sure.  But there are far too many thoughts and words I want to share to be away for too long.  Thoughts such as:

·        Sure Miley Cyrus was self-promoting, but the buzz about her nude pose for “Protect the Skin Your In” splattered the phrase “melanoma awareness” across the media for a good solid week.  Then again, I suppose there are limits to how much one should tolerate in the name of melanoma awareness (or any awareness).  Having someone bomb tanning salons would certainly catch attention, but the wrong kind of attention.  (That was an example…a BAD example…PLEASE don’t bomb anything…geesh).  So was Miley wrong?  I think she did a good thing…but I can see where others might have been put off.

·        I’m planning to read two books related to melanoma and cancer.  (Note, if I can’t stay awake to type, I have no chance against reading!  Finishing these books may take awhile!)  The first is “Hope Throughout Cancer” which was written last year as a compilation from many writers (including yours truly and Rich from the Hotel Melanoma) about their relationship with cancer.  So far, it’s been a very inspiring and heart-tugging read.  The other is a Kindle download called “Tanning and Melanoma” written by Mary Barrow of the SunAWARE International Foundation.  I hope to share my thoughts on both at some point…and invite you to read both and share your thoughts as well.

·        The tanning bill in North Carolina has been gathering dust in a Senate committee for months after House approval, and now the legislative session is over until the fall.  I suspect the bill has had its day in its current form and will rise again next spring with strong modifications.  I’m sure there were many lessons learned this past session…and several advocates and adversaries discovered.  I’m confident that a bill will go further next year and hope that the many laws that have arisen across the country this past year will provide additional influence to North Carolina’s…um…unique legislators.  (Oops…sorry…I really try to remain politically neutral…really)

·        After a successful wine-tasting fundraiser for MRF in memory of Amanda Wall and Corey Hadden, the 3^rd Annual 5K Walk for the same group is only a couple months away!  My recent schedule has already forced me to miss a preparation meeting, but I’m pretty sure this year’s walk will be bigger and better than ever!  I believe it’s the biggest melanoma fundraising event in the Raleigh North Carolina area.  (By the way, before the walk is a fund-raising night at Buffalo Wild Wings.  Check the Amanda-Corey.com website for more info).

·        Just down the road eastward is the little town of Charlotte ( J ) which will be hosting an even bigger event in the AIM for a Cure 5K.  My fingers are crossed that I’ll be able to attend again this year to reunite with friends met a year ago and to meet new friends and faces.  Last year’s event was magical and I can only imagine the same this coming November.

So that’s a snippet of my thoughts and I hope to find time to share more sooner than later.  I’ll still be poking my nose into Facebook almost daily, so you can find me there.  Even so, just know that my thoughts and prayers are with everyone fighting the fight…and with those family members from whom melanoma took away loved ones.

Thanks again for checking in.  I’m fine…and you guys make me better.

PS…yes, I dosed off once while typing this.  You can thank my cat for waking me up. 

Random Thoughts...

Yeah, yeah…I know.  It’s been a couple weeks since my last blog posting.  Please accept my apologies.  As is always the case, life and work have interfered with me sharing thoughts and spreading awareness about melanoma.

Speaking of thoughts, I’ve had a few random ones during my blogging absence.  Here are a few updates and brief thoughts from the last two weeks.

·         I visited my dad in West Virginia last week.  It was my first trip back “home” since my brother’s funeral.  While I have a few friends and relatives in the same area, I decided merely to spend time with Dad…and to have him spend rare time with his grandkids.  We all went fishing at the local park (each kids caught three), played in his back yard, and generally enjoyed our time.  It was far too short, but it was time well spent.  I hope to see other relatives and friends during my next visit.

·         My wife, kids and I visited my brother’s site.  His wife Debbie had purchased a very nice headstone.  It is in the shape of a bench and there is an etching of a photo of the two of them along with the dates of both births, his death, and their marriage.  On the back of the bench are etched the words “Go Mountaineers.”  He loved his WVU Mountaineers for sure.  I did the only logical thing when I visited…I sat on the bench and just laughed a little.  Call it a weird way pinning him when we used to wrestle, or call it a way of him continuing to support me.  I told him of the Black is the New Pink campaign as I sat, and left a melanoma wrist band around faded flowers that had been placed there before.  We left, and I was not sad.  I miss him, but I feel some comfort.

·         We also visited my mother’s grave in a different part of the valley.  It’s the first time I visited when I didn’t feel great sadness, but a sense of comfort.  I had an inner thought flow through me at both sites that said, “you don’t need to visit here again…it’s time to live your life and to know that we’ll be following you.”  Corny I know…but it felt good to know.

·         I gave dad a hard copy of the ten most read postings from this log (remember, he doesn’t own a computer).  I told him that it would be a hard read at times.  His tears a little later proved me right.  But this time, he didn’t convey that I was preaching to the choir.  He simply told me, “good job.”  That’s an entire sermon from my dad.

·         My dad and his wife’s hearing is quite bad.  The TV was turned up to its maximum volume during our entire visit.  I’m surprised Jeff and mom didn’t tell me to have him turn it down.  J

·         Back at home, my wife had her consultation with the plastic surgeon to have her re-emerging mole removed.  Her appointment is September 14.  Thank you for your encouraging words to convince her to have this done.  I’ll keep you posted.

·         The whole Lance Armstrong thing occurred while I was out of town.  When the yellow “Livestrong” wrist bands came out so many years ago, I felt that many wore them simply to be fashionable and not for the message.  I was quite naïve about any cancer back then.  Now, I see the impact this campaign has had and “understand” the message.  My brother wore a Livestrong band along with his black melanoma band.  I have no thoughts one way or the other about his cycling/doping controversy…but I have great respect for what the campaign has done.  I wore yellow this past Friday as others did in honor of Lance Armstrong.

·         I’m getting very excited to attend the AIM walk in November!  I can’t wait to meet so many of my Facebook friends for the first time.  But I’ve also asked to be involved with another walk in my town of Apex…an MRF walk in October (yes, in the middle of Breast Cancer Awareness Month).  I’m very excited about this event being so close to home and will definitely blog more about it soon.  Donations are still encouraged for the November walk, and I’ll be providing a link later this week to donate to the October walk.  Honestly, I wish I could participate in something every month!

I don’t see work and life letting up any time soon, but I’ll do my best to keep posting as much as possible and doing my part to spread melanoma awareness!