24 posts tagged “fundraising”

There is only a little over TWO WEEKS until I run my marathon to benefit Leukemia & Lymphoma cancer research!!!  I still have a substantial amount of money to raise.  Despite this I am committed and I am running.  Every FIVE minutes someone around the world is diagnosed with a blood cancer and every TEN minutes someone dies; we can help make a difference. So if you have not donated already and have some cash you could give to a wonderful cause please make your donation now!    All donations over $10.00 are tax-deductible.  Sending this page to people you know who might be willing to donate would be appreciated also!

If there is someone that you would like me to run in honour or memory of please do not hesitate to fire me an email.  (Even if you cannot donate I would still love to run for someone you know.)

Thanks so much!!!

Please note: if you cannot make a donation that's alright; I know many people still have student loans and other such financial obligations but regardless please be sure to send good vibes on race day - 21st October!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you could copy and paste what is below to five people you know that I don't it would help a lot!

My friend Kirsten is running a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, it's her first one, and she could use some help! So I am asking you to please Gimme 5!

1. Gimme 5 minutes of your time - go to Kirsten’s website at http://www.active.com/donate/tntvan/kirsten and read about what she is doing.
2. Gimme $5 bucks - just donate online: five dollars for a great cause - and hey if you want to donate more that's fantastic!
3. Gimme 5 friends - send this to five friends and help spread the word!
4. 5 is the number of months that Kirsten has been training 4 times a week, running well over 30 km each week!
5. Every 5 minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer - money for research is desperately needed - so please donate now.

Thank you!

Some microorganism has managed to penetrate my mucosal epithelium.  Sneaky little buggers that they are.  The cold isn't bad (hopefully it STAYS that way) and is more of an annoyance than anything.  Nevertheless, I don't feel as great as usual.  I find myself upset that when I finally think I'll be able to make it to Sunday's GTS again that I cannot because of the stupid cold.  I have definitely been slacking on my workouts of any kind lately so I was super excited to run.  Unfortunately, I'm chalk-full with things to do so I won't be able to make up for the long run until SATURDAY...and with another long run Sunday that doesn't seem plausible so I think instead I'll do more on my "short runs" this week and not take a rest day.

Thanks to Marlene, Amy, Betina & Viv for helping out - your genorosity is MUCH appreciated and your donations are going to help in the fight against blood cancers.  In the meantime..I'm still panicking about the deficit I have so if anyone has a little extra money in their budget (every dollar helps!) floating around it'd be going to a FANTASTIC cause.  Click here to donate :) 

Not going to lie, I'm nervous about the fundraiser!! I'm hoping I'll be able to make a respectable amount of money from it.  I haven't been able to get a hold of the Molson Canadian swag so I doubt that will be there in time - that's not a worry though because I'll just save it for a pub night or other event.  Besides, with four bands playing that's a lot of entertainment ;) 50/50 tickets will be sold and of course, donations are accepted.

If anyone is reading this and wants to purchase tickets I think that the game plan will probably be that I'll stand outside of the library (far side - corner of Hamilton and Robson) due to a rule that I cannot sell tickets within four blocks of the club.  If you know me, just call me to ask and if you don't know me check back here to make sure I haven't changed the spot I'll be in. you'll have to pay the venue and then just buy a 50/50 ticket to give money to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  I don't want to get in trouble for soliciting.

REMINDER: Make sure you bring TWO pieces of valid I.D. & have fun - be sure to say hi to me!!!

If you want to donate right now I won't object!

WHAT: A Rock concert to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
WHERE: The Plaza Nightclub 881 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC
WHO: Veer, On Holiday, Burning Borders, & Cold Driven will be rockin' out!  Presented by 99.3 The Fox, Molson Canadian & Nerve Magazine
WHEN: Thursday August 30th
TIME: Doors open at 21:00 (9PM) - 22:00 (10PM)
*Must be 19+ with 2 pieces of valid ID*

Tickets are $10 but only pre-sold ones go to the LLS.  They include a FREE shooter!  100% of the ticket sales go towards Leukemia & Lymphoma cancer research around the globe.

This event is also posted on facebook.

E-mail me for more info! Or purchase tickets by donating $10 at my fundraising site, thanks!

Fundraiser

In other news, yesterday was another good run at the NRL!  I got there a bit late but caught up to the group.  We did a speed workout, five repeats around Beaver Lake (1k) with two minute rests in between.  It was good to try to push myself on.  My knee started to bug me a little bit so I iced it when I got home.  I tried a different pair of Nike shoes and they were actually ok and I didn't hate them, so that's promising, haha.  I also need to remember to bring water or Gatorade because even in the evening it's still hot enough out that I need to have something with me.

TNT

I have a few great things to tell you! A couple people on my running team have good events coming up:
-----------------------------

I can eat food now!  Due to a nasty stomach bug I was reduced to consuming only Premium Plus crackers, Gatorade, and Ginger Ale for the past few days.  Sooo glad that is over!  Needless to say...I didn't get in any workouts.  I'm feeling back to my fabulous self today and can I have a drumroll please?!?!...................I'm going on my GTS long run tommorrow!!!!  I will most certainly update you on how it goes.

In other amazing news my friend has donated a whopping $250.00 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!!!  Thanks again soooo much, Daryl!!

Today marks the passing of my grandmother.  I have many mixed emotions about this and I never really delve into this topic but I think it is suiting for this blog.

My grandmother was vibrant, fun, classy, independent, humourous, kind, humble, beautiful, and had a huge heart.   Everyone that had the privilege of knowing her loved her.  She always treated her family and friends better than herself.  She loved to see everyone smiling and tried her best to make you happy.  She always believed in me, never pointed out anything negative about myself, and knew what to say if I needed cheering up.  There are so many other words to describe her but I hope this has in essence captured a little bit about her.

When she was diagnosed with cancer I remember it feeling all too surreal.  Not my grandmother.  It had to be a mistake...much to my horror, it wasn't.  She underwent treatment and surgery that made her look frail and I remember thinking "If I hug her will I hurt her?"  The surgeon sliced some nerves by mistake which caused half her face to sag and look frozen.  You could tell she felt self conscience about it but she would not admit it or she'd poke fun at herself instead.

She was diagnosed with a cancer that only 0.010% of people get.  There was no specific treatment for it because it was so rare (I believe only 30 people were diagnosed with it ever by the time she found out...all had passed away.) So the surgery tried to remove all of the tumours and the radiation/chemo was just a hopeful afterthought.

She went into remission and she started to get her colour back in her face and gain some strength. All too soon we found out the cancer was back and this time with a vengeance.  What she thought was bronchitis turned out to be hundreds of tiny tumours in her lungs metastasizing rapidly also affecting her liver, kidneys, bones, brain, and other vital organs.  My family hopped on a flight...only six hours...yet she could be dead by the time we arrived. 

Fortunately, she was still alive when we landed.  Her smile lit up the room when we walked in and I was so thankful to see her joking around like the woman I knew and loved.  She went into hospice care that day.  The next few precious weeks consisted of taking care of her.  She did not want anyone knowing she was in pain because she did not want to worry us...her appendages even started to turn purple because she would lie about how much pain she was in (on a scale of 1-10 she always answered with a 4 or under.)  Lots of people came to visit her, give flowers, and support.  She did not pass away until every single family member had visited...she knew we were all coming, and she held on.  Slipping into a coma the day of her birthday...even still my little cousins made her decorations and threw a birthday party for their Nanny.  A few days after she passed away.

I miss her.  I am so thankful I had such a wonderful role model in my life.  That I received such love from her and have infinitely benefited  from seeing how amazing of a person she was.  Though this entry is depressing I have been able to remember brilliantly happy childhood memories and such great conversations I shared with her.   I have been celebrating the fact she had such a full life.  I strive to be even half of the great woman she was in my lifetime.

Before she entered her coma she asked me to promise her something on her deathbed.  I have not been able to fulfill that promise yet but I will.  Running this marathon, raising money for cancer research for a type that does not have reasonable survival stats is helping me keep that promise.  It's helping me keep her memory alive and hopefully it'll keep others from passing away.  No one should witness their loved ones and friends battle cancer and when it comes right down to it, that's what this marathon is all about.  I love you, Grandma.

This is a virtue I do not possess very much of in certain circumstances. I find it extremely irritating to have to wait for something I want right now!  Running (and sports in general) is not something I like to hold myself back on.  I am craving a run like nobody's business but I know I cannot go yet. :( The biking and elliptical just don't cut it for me; my mind doesn't equate that to running a marathon even though I know it's helping.

After my little "test" run my calves are tight (not nearly as bad as they were.) So I'll still need some time off.  This is super disappointing.  I talked to one of my team members that usually gives me a lift to the Sunday's GTS (group training session) and told her I'd be missing another run. Stupid shins!  The GOOD news is that she and her cousin raised around an incredible $5,000.00 from the pub night they held yesterday evening, yay!!

I love running.  I remember when I thought running for a few minutes without walking seemed taxing.  When I first got into it having to give myself pep-talks in order to actually get out there and run.  Now, it's hard to refrain myself!

Haven't done cardio (besides walking) since Thursday's run.  I've been doing a lot of core workouts the past few days - washboard abs here I come (ok maybe not to that extreme!!) Now if only my butt would become buns of steel....I digress, time to end this post. :)

Donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!