Friday, September 25, 2009

Fundraising restlessness


"If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves." - Thomas A Edison

A little about myself since I really haven't put much in here yet. I live with one of my bestest friends, who has cancer. Her name is Rebecca (but we call her, Becca, Bec, Becs!!!! just not all at the same time).

The type of cancer she has is Colon Cancer. No, she is not over the age of 45, She was actually 24 when diagnosed. She is currently on chemo. No, she did not lose her hair. Altho it did thin out at one point, she does have the longest eyelashes ever! Because of this cancer she was forced to "give up" her colon in order to survive. No, she does not have an ostomy bag (a bag that collects poop out of her body). She has a K-pouch which is internal. It was made with her large intestine and she "flushes" with a tube that's inserted into her abdomen. No, it doesn't hurt her. But sometimes it can be a pain in the ass.... no pun intended. Money has been tight with her and her family due to this horrid disease. Her family and friends have thrown several fundraisers to help out. I, myself, have thrown a few fundraisers as well. Some have been successful, but the last one didn't turn out as good as planned. That was actually my fault from the get go because I had other things going on. But, that's another story that will be addressed at one point. Either way, I now want to put something quick together to help her out. I just haven't figured out what and where to do it.

Fundraising has been a passion of mine lately. I got laid off back in December, which really was awful on my own mental state. I felt useless and so depressed about the whole thing. It was so hard to try to find a job in the winter time, especially in retail. Businesses were laying off people left and right, or they put hiring freezes. What did I do in between looking for jobs and feeling sorry for myself? I planned fundraisers. I currently now have a job with Banana Republic as a Sales Associate in the downtown area of Chicago, IL. So I haven't thought of fundraising up until now. Bec had a setback last month that scared the hell out of everyone that cares about her. The best way to describe it is that she almost OD'd on chemo. One of the chemos that she's been on has an uncommon side affect that gives her toxicity of the liver, which made her lose weight, zap her energy right from under her, dehydrates her, it was awful to watch. She couldn't work, she could barely eat, she didn't even have the strength to take a shower. Now she's doing great cuz her powerhouse doctor took her off chemo for a bit. Just to give her body a rest. As she's enjoying herself by eating whatever she can (within her dietary restriction), drinking whatever she wants (one of the chemos gave her neuropathy which is sensitivity to cold), and being able to do whatever she feels the desire to do, I still can't help how her getting that sick hurt her and her family financially. I know that I really can't do much, me still receiving unemployment while working part time hours, but I can at least do this. So, I want to try to figure out something. Any ideas, feel free to drop them. That would be great.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

staring into the light

"Find solace in the idea that not everybody can stare into the light for too long. For those who do recognize it, they shine with you."

This is something that I've been wanting to do for a long time. I have so much to say, but not really knowing how to say things. Or, just afraid to say them. I know this is a really short posting, but it's just a beginning. Stay tuned for more.....