Why am I doing this? Let's just say it's on a bucket list of a different variety. My pocketbook is not deep, but my heart is. I've donated blood, bone marrow, climbed all the steps at Soldier Field decked out in Bears gear ( I'm a Packer fan), and participated in medical mission trips to Columbia and Nepal.
When I became a nurse, I shadowed a nurse on a hematology oncology floor because it was a speciality I was interested in. At the end of the day, I decided I wasn't emotionally equipped to work with that population. This is a small token of my appreciation for what these children and families go through.
I'm scared (Mike freaked out a bit) . I've debated a million times whether or not I can go through with this- but I know my hair will grow back. I can't imagine, though, how scared parents must be when they learn of their child's cancer diagnosis- and they don't get their child back. It is days, months, even years of treatments, hospital visits, and much uncertainty of whether or not they'll get to see all the milestones reached in their child's life. Their life changes permanently once they hear that word 'cancer'.
I will be honoring, Ashley W., the daughter of our childhood neighbor and family friend.
Please help me in reaching my donation goal to help fund research for the cure for pediatric cancers.
Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity . If you have heard or read about St. Baldrick's, you know that it's a great foundation.
(Did you know that kids' cancers are different from adult cancers? It's true. And childhood cancer research is extremely underfunded. So I decided to do something about it by raising money for cures.)
