Fundraiser Friday #3

Fundraiser Friday!

Meet Logan
8 years old

Diagnosis:

Logan was found to have a brain tumor when he was 6 years old. 

Logan's story:

“Logan is a kid who gets everyone’s attention, and he doesn’t even have to try,” says his mom. He just has a certain something that draws people to him.

When Logan was 6 years old, he started having headaches. At first, he would have one every few weeks, but soon he was having headaches several times a day. After repeated trips to the emergency room, doctors ordered an MRI. The scan revealed a tumor in Logan’s brain.

Logan was transported by air to a children’s hospital for surgery, where Logan’s worried family was warned of the possible outcomes. “What they told me made me sick to my stomach,” says his mother. “They said he could be paralyzed on the right side or that he could go blind.”

Fortunately, Logan came out of surgery without any lasting damage. But even so, the crisis wasn’t over. The tumor was malignant, a type known as ependymoma.

Logan needed intensive post-surgery treatment to improve his chances of survival. The best place for him to get this life-saving treatment was St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude has the largest pediatric brain tumor research program in the country and the world’s best survival rates.

At St. Jude, Logan received 33 radiation therapy treatments over the course of six weeks. His mom remains proud of how brave her little boy was. “I was the one crying,” she remembers.

The wide-ranging support of his treatment team at St. Jude helped Logan cope. “The Child Life Specialists worked with him every time he got an IV,” his mom says. “He loved his physical therapy. They let him play basketball every time they got done with a session.”

The St. Jude school helped Logan keep up with his peers during cancer treatment. And Logan picked up a new hobby: puzzles. “He started with the puzzles that were 30 or 40 pieces,” says his mom, “and by the end of his treatment, he was doing the ones that had 100 pieces. His motor skills were excellent.”

“I didn’t worry at all when I was at St. Jude,” she continues. “I knew he was going to get better, and I didn’t have to worry about having to take care of everything because St. Jude helped.”

In fact, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.

Today, Logan is in the second grade but doing math at a third-grade level. He is signed up for baseball this year and loves his pet Chihuahua, Jo Jo. His mom says, “He’s all you could ever want for a son.”

What can you give today? Please, DONATE HERE, and thank you!

M.LEWIS

Fundraiser Friday #2

Fundraiser Friday!

Meet: Kayla
At 8 years old

Diagnosis:

Kayla was found to have acute lymphoblastic leukemia in September 2012. 

Kayla's story:

Nine-year-old Kayla has a million-watt smile. When it spreads across her face, which is often, it shows the light inside her that not even childhood cancer can dim.

A day in 2012 that had been such a fun, with a trip to the park and then to the movies, ended with Kayla at an urgent care clinic, crying in immense pain. An abdominal X-ray showed her liver and spleen to be enlarged. When they took blood her mother really panicked.

“She wouldn’t stop bleeding,” Kayla’s mom remembers. “I thought, oh, that’s not normal. Something else is going on, something deeper.” It was cancer.

That night, Kayla was brought to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude is where doctors send their toughest cases because St. Jude has the world’s best survival rates for the most aggressive childhood cancers. When she arrived, Kayla was found to suffer from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer.

Kayla began receiving chemotherapy at St. Jude, where the groundbreaking development of combination therapy for children with ALL has revolutionized leukemia therapy worldwide and increased the survival rate from 4 percent when St. Jude opened in 1962 to 94 percent today.

Chemotherapy for ALL usually lasts more than two years, which can seem like forever to a child. But Kayla has stayed positive and upbeat, even during the hardest times. Kayla’s smiling face is well-known to both hospital staff and patients. She’s often seen to be something of a “big sister” to newer and younger patients, helping them learn to feel at ease.

“Kayla has a great personality,” her mother says. “She enjoys life, and she is an entertainer at heart.” When Kayla grows up, she wants to have her own television show.

Two years of treatment could add up to a lot of bills for a family facing childhood cancer. But families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.

“Thank goodness on top of all of this, I’m not getting a bill for Kayla’s treatment,” says her mom. “It allows us to really concentrate on our children, on loving our children, and we don’t have to worry about the money aspect. I can focus on Kayla and being supportive of her.”


What can you give today? Please, share and give thanks. DONATE HERE.

M.LEWIS

The 4 Step Weekend

Home improvements. There is always something to do, to clean, to spruce up. Last weekend was full of this, mainly because I have been sick for the past 2 weekends.

4 main things needed to happen last weekend.

1- Lawn needed mowing
2- Installing garage hardware
3- Insulating the inside of the garage
4- Coloring and sealing the kitchen tile

I went into the weekend with the plan of of the first 3 things, the tile was a last minute add-on. I don't have any pictures of the lawn, it just needed to be done. Badly. Chris accomplished this Sunday, but on Saturday I installed the hardware to boost the curb appeal of our house. We have a front drive house, so that lovely garage door is most of what you see. The house needed this.

It was surprisingly easy, and I do recommend the process for anyone who is trying to make their house a wee bit prettier without spending a lot of cash. The set I used can be found here.

Next was start of the tile grout. Oh my, I knew at the beginning it was going to be tedious and time-consuming, and I was right. Though, quite worth it, I might add. I cleaned the grout about 6 months ago with cleaner and a grout brush. On my hands and knees for a couple hours each nap time for a few days. Inching my way through the kitchen, scrubbing and scrubbing, barely making a difference. I figured the grout was probably worn out of its original sealant and has most likely, never been resealed. So, for less than $20 at Lowe's, I got grout colorant/sealant to slowly paint on over the existing grout lines. I got a color called 'bone' but a similar color can be found here. In about 1.5-2hr increments over 2 days, I spent a grand total of 7-8hrs painting on sealant.

I firmly believe it was worth it. The pictures are good, but it looks even better in person. Plus, I shouldn't have to reseal it again for a couple years, and hopefully we will be in the process of resale by then. ;) Basically, if you floors are gross and cleaning them isn't much improvement, buy this, put in the time, you won't be sorry.

Now for the next project, starting on Sunday. Insulating the garage door.

For sound reasons, and temperature control, we decided to insulate our garage door. You can buy kits, like the one I choose here. A bit pricey, but I do think it was the right decision. I already can tell the difference with the sound...the temperature has been pretty mild as of late, so that is harder to tell. We have a 2 door garage, so I ordered 2 kits. Beware, there are no extra panels. If you screw up a measurement, if you cut it crooked, if you break it, you are out of luck. I can proudly say (after forcing myself to take my time and double checking everything) I only screwed up one panel, and even then I think I recovered well.

Our door had some extra cross bars and such on it from previous owners, so the cuts were a bit tricky in places, but over all it wasn't too bad. Don't be fooled by their instructions though, the panels don't "pop" into place with ease the way they make it sound. You will sweat, maybe even bleed a little (yes, I bled) trying to snap these things into place. It was a work out, but it adds comfort and resale value, so I am pleased.

Next on the list? Well, we have a fence company coming out for a replacement estimate tomorrow, so more on that later. ;)

M.LEWIS

 

Fundraiser Friday

Fundraiser Friday!

Meet Andrew:
8 years old

Diagnosis:

Andrew was found to have Ewing sarcoma in April 2012. 

Andrew's story:

In February 2012, 7-year-old Andrew and his family were headed out of town for a day of fun when he began clutching his right leg in pain. The pain went away as suddenly as it had started, but this was not its first time to strike. The strange pain and cramping had been affecting Andrew’s leg, off and on, for several months.

Initially, Andrew’s parents thought it was growing pains. Then they thought he must have a joint problem or a broken bone in his leg, but nothing showed up in an X-ray or an MRI. Sometimes, Andrew limped so badly he could barely walk.

Finally, in April, an MRI of Andrew’s lower torso revealed that the source of his pain wasn’t in his leg at all — a tumor the size of an orange was growing in his pelvic area, next to his spine.

Andrew suffered from Ewing sarcoma, a type of cancer that can affect bone or soft tissue. His parents were devastated. “No one ever thinks their child has cancer,” says his mom.

Andrew was referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by ambulance the very next day. St. Jude has the world’s best survival rates for the most aggressive childhood cancers. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since it opened 50 years ago.

Andrew’s tumor is inoperable due to its location. At St. Jude, Andrew received chemotherapy, radiation therapy and a bone marrow transplant to drive the cancer from his body. After chemotherapy, the tumor had shrunk enough that Andrew was able to move around without the aid of a walker.

“He couldn’t really walk when he got to St. Jude,” remembers his mom, “but now he can.”

While fighting for Andrew’s life, St. Jude was also protecting his quality of life. “We love St. Jude,” says his mom. “Andrew loves it here. It’s our home away from home. There are lots of things to do for the children. The staff is wonderful. Andrew likes his doctors. His favorite doctor is so friendly and upbeat, so positive.”

Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.

“It meant so much when we learned that we’d never get a bill,” Andrew’s mother remembers. “We already had debt — from our house, from other medical bills. It was a gift not only from Danny Thomas but also from God.”

Now a creative and imaginative 8-year-old, Andrew is happy to be active again. He has finished treatment and now returns to St. Jude every few months for checkups. Back home, he likes to go canoeing and floating on the river.

What can you give today? Donate here.

M.LEWIS

Introducing Fundraiser Friday

I would like to take a quick minute to introduce a new series of posts to you all. "Fundraiser Friday."
As you all know by now, I am raising money and awareness for an important event on November 22, the St. Jude Give Thanks Walk.

We have a fundraiser page, you can find that here. St. Jude has all the information you could want on their main page, but I would like to start bringing more information to you on a direct basis. I understand you may find this series an unwelcome addition to your blog feed, but this event, this organization is something that inspires me; it is something I value...children. Each Friday I will try to post a profile of a child that either has been or is currently a patient at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Their stories put a face, a name, a family behind why we are raising money. I hope this encourages and inspires you like it does me.

Thank you!

M.LEWIS

Coming Soon!

Man, this summer has been rough. Lots of traveling, Adalaide teething, Lorelai potty-training, house expenses, and illness.

I do hope to get back into the swing of blogging soon. I have the urge to write, but nothing is particularly motivating or interesting in my life to share.

I do have some house projects I want to complete over the fall, maybe a few of those will be worth a blog post or two. I am also flooding your fb feed with requests for donations for an upcoming new adventure for my sister and myself. I am motivated about that...more to come.

Until then, we are beating down the last of the cold-like virus and waiting for that famous cold front to arrive later this week!

Goodbye summer!


M.LEWIS