Late Blog

This was on the Davis Carlson Memorial Foundation Sign starting on the 31st of October. Thanks, Carlson Family for making lung cancer matter too!

I know I'm writing this very late, but around 2:00 today Rick decided we should go to Desert Aire to get the house ready for the winter. We darted over there, drained the hot tub, blew out the sprinklers, had dinner at the little Sandtrap Restaurant (while the tub was draining) then headed back home. Whirlwind Day.

I'm not ready for the trip to San Francisco. Surprise, Surprise. I will be by the time we leave. Otherwise, I'll have to buy whatever I forgot. (Don't let Rick read this. He thinks I do it on purpose).

When I got back from Eastern Washington this evening I checked my e-mails and I had 19 in my box. That's a lot for me since I check them regularly. Tonight they were very different than usual. I had some wonderful, touching letters from people who had been effected by the blog.

In the mail today I received a check (for the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation) from a woman I met last year while I sitting in front of Haggen's with my "Breath Away From the Cure" paraphernalia and knitting a scarf. She has been reading the blog since the big newspaper article this year and has now joined a Relay for life team for 2008.

Another girl who Amy and Angie met in May, wrote a story about our family for her work newsletter. She works for a company that does clinical cancer trials. She sent us a copy of her article and of course...I cried. If I get her permission, I'll post it. (You already know the story if you've been reading this blog, but it's nice to get someone else's take on it)

I got a great e-mail from a gal on Bonnie's Advisory Board who had very nice things to say and is looking forward to meeting me on Friday. With all these people I'm going to be meeting in San Francisco, I'd better start that diet I was going to work on. Can I lose 20 pounds by Friday? Oh, forget about it. I'm just going to bring my sense of humor and smile. They might not even notice my extra flab. :)

Angie's friend (and mine) Shannon, from Portland, made up flyers for us to distribute this month for lung cancer awareness. I'll post that later this month too. After "networking" with her while we were in Portland last weekend, she jumped on board to help with our Relay for Life endeavors as well. Thanks, Shannon!

Lauren Amundson, a high school classmate of Jake's, is coaching volleyball while attending college in Rhode Island. Below is the e-mail I got from her today:

I am hoping to raise money for the American Lung Association, in honor of you (and of course the many others affected by Lung Cancer). On December 1st, they are sponsoring an event in Providence called "Wind Up the Westin" where we'll climb 26 flights of stairs! I just found out about it, and started a team in hopes of getting the staff within our Athletic Department to join. If you would be willing to pass the word along, here is my fundraising page. I know you have the ability to reach so many people who would be willing to donate & fight!! Thanks so much. Love you, Lauren....

http://www.mrsnv.com/evt/e01/part.jsp?rid=720082&id=1633&acct=1183085414&mid=0

If you're interested...please help her reach her goal as she climbs those stairs in Providence. I'm winded just thinking about it. Thank you Lauren for thinking of us.

Ok, that's about it for today...oh wait, this is a health blog isn't it? So, about that...Rick is feeling much better. I'm coughing a bunch. Oh, for goodness sake, stop worrying about it. I have lung cancer. I think that's a common symptom. I'm going to bed now for beauty sleep. I'll wake up on Thursday. I hope that will be enough time. :)

Love you more than all the hunters getting ready for opening season,
(I'm so happy I don't have any hunters...what if they brought "stuff" home?)

Dreaming Big,
Dor