Those of you that know me well know I love my birthday.
Growing up in a big family we shared everything – bedrooms, bathrooms, toys, clothes
– but your birthday was just yours. My mom always made a big sign and decorated
the dining room where we ate all our meals. She always did this after you’d
gone to sleep so you woke up and it was all for you. You got to choose what you
wanted for meals that day and my mom always made great cakes.
As I have gotten older, I’ve decided birthdays are so great
that in my family now we all get a week. Truth be told I’ve extended mine to a
month since my birthday is in May, and so is Mother’s Day, and I am really into
rounding up for things like this. J With the girls I love making their birthday
cake. I’m game for taking on any kind of cake they want. We always make
homemade icing and decorate the cake together. They definitely are never
mistaken for bakery cakes - they are heavy on icing in lots of bright colors,
and in the case of Margaret, heavy on the sprinkles!!
With my big 1 year anniversary of my diagnosis of cancer and
chemo coming up in October I wanted to do something, but it did not feel like a
cake kind of occasion. So instead I am doing the opposite and have signed up to
run the Cincinnati half marathon with Team in Training to raise money for the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). I’m registered, I’ve started my training
(which has felt awesome thanks to the unseasonably cool July nights we’ve had)
and now I need your help. To really celebrate I want to raise a lot of money
for leukemia research because that, along with blood and platelet donors, saved
my life. I frequently think about the fact that if I had been born 40 years
early there would have been no treatment options available and I would not be
alive today.
Below is the link to my TNT fundraising website. Any amount
you can give would be greatly appreciated. I know there are a lot of friends
and family that have already donated to LLS on my behalf – thank you so much
for this. If it is possible for LLS to become an organization you give to
regularly and you are in a position to make another donation I would really
appreciate your support.
From my runs so far I can tell I am definitely not going to
be breaking any personal records on my time. I am hoping with your help I can
cross the finish line on race day and make a difference in the fight against
Leukemia.
