Sunday, May 4, 2008

Remember when I put out the post about the Relay for Life? I know it was a very strong post because it was a very strong feeling. Our focus is still pediatric cancer. It's not that I don't feel that other cancers are important, they certainly are, but pediatric brain cancer is what we're dealing with right now. It's also severely underfunded. I did learn something new this week-anyone raising money in the Relay for Life can designate where the money goes if they raise at least $10,000! I still would not have done the walk and tried to raise that much money, that's a lot and I don't feel like I can ask people for money for yet another cause. I feel that our mission now with Hannah's Cans for Cancer is where our focus should be when asking people for money and raising the money with our cans.

However, I started thinking about the event itself, it's meaning and it's positive impact for cancer survivors. Hannah is a cancer survivor. I began to think that she may really be inspired by being one of the survivors-she beat cancer. The first walk of the relay is for the survivors. Only survivors are allowed to wear the purple relay shirts, all other participants wear white. The second lap is for survivors and their caregivers. The survivors also attend a pre-relay dinner where they share their stories of inspiration in beating this monster called cancer. Dave and I discussed the idea. We don't want Hannah to always feel like she is "the cancer kid" but frankly, it will always be a part of her life (I hope it's always in the past.) She won't ever forget this part of her life, but we want her to feel proud of what she has accomplished in beating cancer.

We want Hannah to feel good about herself and in a lot of ways now, she isn't. She thinks she is ugly with no hair, that she doesn't want to do cheerleading camp this summer because she won't be able to do it, that she doesn't play any sports anymore, that she is still so wobbly, that she has trouble with schoolwork sometimes and she is stupid. We try every day to build her up, increase her self confidence, but it's going to take some time.

So, with that long explanation we have decided to participate in our Relay for Life event this year.

When I talked to Hannah about participating her comment was "what if my foot hurts and I can't walk?" I told her I would carry her. We will be part of the Maui Mamas team with our friends Pam and Aileen, and others. Pam's mom is also a cancer survivor and they have done relays in the past together! We won't be asking for any direct donations, unless someone works for a large company that wants to donate $10,000 or something close so that we can direct the funds to pediatric cancer research! Ha ha!!

We are not going to campaign for donations. However, we do want to give everyone the chance to buy a luminary bag in honor of Hannah's fight, or in honor of another special person in their life with cancer. These bags have much significance during the relay. Here is a description about the luminaries:

Help us shed light on the fight…

Whether it’s a parent, a sibling, a friend or a neighbor, we all know someone who has been touched by cancer. Relay For Life is one way of recognizing loved ones who are surviving cancer and remembering those who have lost the battle. At dusk, we quietly remember those whose lives have been touched by cancer. Luminary bags line the track, each bearing the name of a loved one. This ceremony of light symbolizes the hope and courage with which we all continue to fight cancer. For a donation, you can remember someone who lost his or her battle to cancer, or honor someone winning the fight.

In total silence, all of the luminaries are placed and lit around the track and everyone walks by the light of the candles. The luminaries are decorated in support of someone with cancer, or in memory of someone who passed away from cancer. I understand that this is a very special and moving part of the relay. Our family plans to do many in memory of our cancer warrior friends that have lost their battle with cancer-all kids, all that were much too young to die. Pam told me that last year, there were many many luminaries for Hannah (I know we bought quite a few.) I would have loved to have seen that. How inspiring would that be to walk and see so much love and support?

The luminaries are $10 each. If you are interested in purchasing any, please let us know. We will decorate one for you-I have all the bags here. Our relay is May 31st, so we have to get moving quickly! Let us know if there is anything in particular you would like on your bag (for Hannah or someone else, or no one in particular) and we will decorate it specially for you. If you would like to email any artwork or photos, we can also include those on the bags. We will send you an email with a picture of your bags once they are completed. We'll see if we can get enough to complete one entire circle around the track!

Here is what we need if you are purchasing a bag:

Your name and address
Who is to be honored on the bag (in memorial or in honor of)
Any photos or artwork you would like included on the bag
Anything additionally you would like us to include on your bag
Your check made out to American Cancer Society-bags are $10 each send to us at the address listed on the blog page.

If you could please email your request for luminaries with your information as soon as possible, that would be great. You can send your request directly to me at kprokop@optonline.net. We would like to get started on them as soon as possible since we are a bit late on getting started!

I'll leave you with some photos of luminaries from other Relays, very inspiring!

Thanks for your support....xoxo Kim