Winter Season - Week 5

"Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right."

~ Henry Ford

Fundraising Tips

Email your monthly update reminding others to donate. This is a great way to keep people up to date with your training and fundraising progress. It's also a great time to update your potential donors on your honored patients status.

Training Tips - Safety

1. When walking, running, or cycling near traffic, always face traffic so that you can see and be seen.

2. Wear a reflective vest or reflective strips on your clothing, especially at dusk or dawn. On dark days, you are more visible in bright clothes. Another option is to purchase blinking reflective lights that can be attached to belts or jackets. These are ideal for night time or early morning use.

3. Whenever possible, try to walk, run or ride with a partner. Or have some of your friends walk, run or ride with you in shifts if they can’t complete the entire distance.

4. Stay away from isolated areas. Find places that are well-let and patrolled.

5. Leave your jewelry at home.

6. Good things to carry with you:

 A whistle

 Identification

 Money for a phone call or a beverage

 Dog spray or protection spray

7. We do not endorse wearing a walkman because of the safety issues they raise. We realize many people want to use them. If you must, make sure the volume is not so high that you can not hear traffic or anyone that may be approaching you.

8. We do not endorse training with dogs or small children in strollers because of the safety issues that they raise.

9. Always exercise caution and be on the lookout for any type of danger.

Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT IS MYELOMA?

Myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, a type of white blood cell found in many tissues of the body, but mainly in the bone marrow. In myeloma, a plasma cell becomes malignant. It grows continuously—especially in the marrow—destroying normal bone tissue, causing pain, and crowding out normal blood cell production.Malignant plasma cells produce an abnormal protein called monoclonal immunoglobulin. Immunoglobulins (or antibodies) are an important part of the body’s natural defense against infection since they recognize microbes that invade the body and permit them to be removed and destroyed. The onset of myeloma interferes with normal production of antibodies and makes myeloma patients susceptible to infections.

Mission Moment

"My Life with Cancer - My Life Has Change"
• I have Cancer, (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia); it has been a big shock for family and friends to find out.

• I turned bald at 15, on New Years Day I turned 16 and it turns out that I still have cancer. I look different on the outside but I’m the same person. I don’t have the choice in many things, but I could choose to make the best of the situation. CANCER will not conquer me.
• I try to make myself happy. Even on "bad" days, between treatments, it always makes me happy to take a week off from treatment.
• I have choices and I can still make some decisions. I chose whether to be asleep or awake for some procedures, and I chose not to eat hospital food.
• I am very independent and I cook whenever I can, but some days I can’t work up the energy to do it.
• I hate different smells. To help make my room more enjoyable I spray the room or use candles of smells I like.
• I try to make the best out of everything. But there are days that I want to stop with the treatment.
• I am determined to fight Cancer, to live my life to the fullest. I see things in a different way; I learned that the unexpected gift of cancer is a way to appreciate life more. I have strength and tolerance to pain that I did not know I had.
• I can say that cancer has made me different. It can make me feel very alone sometimes. When it comes down to it; I’m not alone - I have my family & friends!!! I am very surprised to have such great support from all the people that have made a difference in my experience with cancer.
• I want to fight for my life with cancer and want to live. Everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives.
• I have not been able to return to school and homebound school service has not been approved; the relationship with the school has not been positive.
• I have a life with cancer and I have many family and friends who are caring, concerned and always fun to be with. Fortunately, they can not have been more supportive. They will do anything they can to help in any way: phone calls, visits, gifts, prayers, fundraisers, donations and most of all, words of encouragement and love. These are the things that keep me going. Some days are bad, some are good, and some are great. If I look depressed, someone will always be there with a smile and a big bear hug.
• I can say as awful as cancer can be, it has brought my family and friends together, and we all have grown closer because of it. I guess you could say that I put my family and friends to “the test” by having them deal with cancer right along with me. The result: nothing will ever change the relationship I have with my family and friends. I have the best family & friends anyone could ever have!