Hello, and yet another year of fund raising for St. Baldrick's is here and I have been VERY slow to get my page up and running. I am excited to say that including me, there are 12 members on our small team, "Melting Pot for Cancer." This is my 5th year serving as our team captain which is such an honor and I appreciate every one of the members that has joined our team. I am not shaving my head this year but have 3 times in the past. Over the past 5 years as a team, we have raised $61,493 and of that, I raised $23,357. Last year our team was 5th of 60 teams participating and I was in 8th place of 468 people who raised money for the Fado's location alone.
Why am I doing this again you may be asking? I'm doing it to continue to help provide funding to the Physicians in our department who are doing research to find new cures for our patients. I see one of the Physicians, whose research is funded by this organization, many times each month. It brings it so close to home to know that the money I help raise goes to brilliant Physician Researchers in MY department. I had a woman from St. Baldrick's call me last year and she was from the St. Baldrick's organization at a higher level. She was in Denver and wanted to know if I would like to come to Children's Hospital Colorado for a tour of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders to meet some of the Physicians that receive grants from St. Baldrick's. I told her I could give her the tour because I am lucky enough to work in the department she wanted to show me.
On a personal level, last Friday night I attended the Make A Wish gala with my husband and some of the wonderful people I work with in my department. When I arrived, I quickly saw the mom of one of my Angels. This Angel passed away a year ago in December and prior to his passing, he had been accepted to CU where he hoped to become an Oncology Physician one day. I was there that evening to celebrate and support one of my off therapy patients who was asked by Make A Wish to sing on stage that evening with The Fray. That evening was such an emotional night to say the least. I shed tears of joy as I saw how healthy and radiant my beautiful patient was that evening and how excited she was to be on stage. I also shed tears of sorrow with my Angel's mom because he was supposed to be there dancing with the rest of his dance team that evening.
After reading this, please consider a donation to my team and ultimately to St. Baldrick's. My hope is to continue to support the research so we have future options to help treat my courageous patients. I am tired of standing with the parents of so many of my Angels and saying, "I know he/she is here with us." They need to physically be here with us and healthy so we can continue to celebrate life and sing with whoever we want to sing with. My love to all my Angels and every one of my patients who is currently fighting the fight and to those who have won!!! Let's continue to provide options to our patients so we never have to say, "we have used all of our options." Thank you for your support again this year! I fight for my patients every day but need the funding to support what we all do within my department.
