Amazing is all I can say.

Michigan Light The Night all walks but Grand Rapids: Amount raised:$330.000
Royal Oak Walk amount raised.: $130.000

So that said. Was great to be apart of working towards a difference in the life of many patients and there families.

Blows my mind the generousity of others.

Important Info and why the LLS !!

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Light The Night Walk is an annual event to raise funds for cures. It’s the nation’s night to pay tribute and bring hope to thousands of patients and their families.

Funds raised through Light The Night Walk support the work of hundreds of the world’s best and brightest researchers in their search for better therapies and cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

Anyone can take part—children, adults and seniors are all welcome. This is a casual Walk with no fitness requirements. Not only will you be helping find cures, but there are incentives that can be earned for different fundraising levels. Learn more about Walk incentives.

Now in it's 10th year, Light The Night is celebrating a Decade of Difference. During this time:

* Nearly half a million patients and their caretakers have called the LLS Information Resource Center and received critical information about blood cancers, therapy options and issues surrounding treatment and survival.
* Nearly $40 million was disbursed to patients through the LLS Patient Assistance program to help them get the treatment they needed to fight their cancer.
* Over 100,000 patients and family members found comfort and hope through LLS First Connection and Family Support Groups.
* LLS granted $425 million to more than 400 scientists searching for cures and improved treatments for patients.
* LLS funding contributed to the development of a host of new drugs that are affecting patient survival and quality of life.
* LLS-funded researchers began working in novel areas that hold great promise for finding cures and better treatments including new, less toxic stem cell transplants, immunotherapies and other targeted therapies.
* Our Advocacy Network has successfully supported pro-patient legislation that will:
o Help advance blood cancer research
o Extend Medicare coverage to include oral anti-cancer drugs
o Help fund efforts to reach underserved blood cancer patients

Please bring help and hope to thousands of people battling cancer.

Quarters for a Cure

Times are tough and its showing in our coin drops this year. Its taking us forever to raise $5oo.oo. Amazingly this time last year. We were at double that.
So here's the deal. Give what you can afford. Whatever it is!
We are getting quarters like crazy in our jars...Loose change adds up. Do you guys all realize the March of Dimes, started with a dime?? Yes it did.

So I am started Quarters For A Cure. It might take me till Dec to raise $2,5oo.oo but if that's what takes in a depressed economy then so be it. I will be doing this all year round. So lets do it together.

When you come here please check out my other blogs as well. Thanks

I Am A Survivor

I am not sure people know the validity of the word survivor till cancer hits them and their families. Or some other Critical chronic illness.

Years ago my Grandfather also had Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma it was never talked about then. It was so hushed.
As a survivor of the same cancer I have learned that staying quiet is not where its at.Not for me anyways.

One thing I learned is that Blood cancer touches many and talking about it is of the utmost importance. People if I say I have Lymphoma they don't know what it is. I am a woman so I must have ovarian or breast cancer. NOT.

One thing I found out is this cancer affects women its on of the top six cancer. For men its in the top five, as the fifth and for children the leading killer of children in this country.

Amazingly less it touches someone in your family I am betting you heard about leukemia but not lymphoma or much on myeloma either.

When I had my first surgery Sept 29 , 1997. The thought I had a totally different cancer. However when I saw the Oncologist Oct 13, I wasn't shocked as my surgeon told me it was one of three and NHL was one of them. I still remember the day and the punch in the gut. Cancer is like that its like being run down by a speeding train nothing is ever the same. All you can do is take it one day at a time and life goes on cancer in it.

Over the past 11 yrs. I have had my ups and downs treatment, chemo , radiation and immuno-therapy none which were easy. However minus them the odds were not good with stage 4 lymphoma. So it was a just do it situation and that's what we did to get to this point.

Where do I stand today. I stand cancer free and stable. I am really grateful. But its not a cure for me. My lymphoma will come back. One could hope not but with a terminal form I have learned to look at as the chronic form of disease it is. Take a day at time and move on.

One thing I know is as a survivor there are many of us who have been on clinical studies or trials. That's how I got to this point.. That takes money and researchers to do a job and find cures, and better treatments. That's why Light The Night to Support those with Blood Cancer is so very important. Awareness is key.

I for one have seen the changes in medicine in my disease. With my Grandfather and myself so many changes have transformed the way these diseases is treated today. With the help of The Leukemia Lymphoma Society, I firmly believe with their support is one reason I am here today.

So as a Survivor I ask all of you. What would you do if this was your child , your spouse, your sister or brother, a mom ,a dad, a grandchild. or a friend. Would you walk??

As a survivor this my responsibility to fight for those who are starting out and those who can't walk because I can. I will walk till I can't any more.

If I don't talk about it write about and keep silent as people have in the past. Nothing changes. I want change I want a cure so my Kids and Granddaughter never has to deal with this disease.

Please consider supporting me and and my team by clicking on the light The Light the Night Logo on the right.

Any questions leave me a comment.

Thank You.

$2,500 IN 25 DAYS We Can Do IT.

Please Watch The Last Video on the Video Bar

September Brings Awareness.

September is an important month for us at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). It is a special time when our ongoing collaboration with patients, caregivers and medical professionals is highlighted by our campaign for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma awareness. Please join us in this campaign to educate more people about blood cancer.

Here are some quick facts* you can share on your own websites, blogs, social networks or in conversations with friends.

* Today more than 894,000 people in the United States are living with a type of blood cancer.
* Today about 75 percent of children with acute leukemia and nearly 80 percent of children and adults with Hodgkin lymphoma are cured.
* Every ten minutes someone dies from a blood cancer.
* An estimated 52,910 people will die from a blood cancer this year.
* Since LLS began in 1949, our organization has invested more than $600 million in research to find cures and better therapies.
* This year alone, LLS will dedicate $71.4 million to research.


Another thing you can do this month is help our Public Policy team work to get September officially recognized as Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma Awareness Month by your state. How does this help? It ensures that there will be more media coverage around the month, which means more people will learn about blood cancers. It also means more people could support the fight to eradicate cancer. Contact your local LLS chapter to learn more about how you can help.

Learn more about leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma on the LLS website at www.LLS.org, or contact the Information Resource Center with any blood cancer questions.

*Note that these statistics are for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma only.

Families

Well, as they say family is family and friends are friends! But what I have found over the years is that your family is your friends! My sister Kerry is the Best Sister and Friend I've ever had. Having done Relay for Life in her honor over the years I told her that it's time I help her directly in one of her fundraising events! Yup, I'm not next door but believe me you if she needed me I'd be there in flash!
Sure we are in different stages of life, but that has never stopped either one of us from supporting the other!
So, as we find ways to fundraise for Light The Night in Royal Oak I will raise funds here for the cause and get them on line for her to have her our team raise as much as possible!
Help us help those in need or research and funds for a cure!

Sisterhood and HOPE

Today Sisters4ACure was born. So many times we look to the other women in our lives and draw our daily strength from who they are. I know that's true of me my sister *Dimples* aka Ronnie and my sister Mary. Then of course there are the younger generation of girls my daughter Becka,her friends Jen and Jessica.

As a collective group of women. We are tough and tight. There is nothing we can't do together.

For the next 25days we have decided to hit the bricks and raise $2,500.00. In my behalf they have all decided to raise these funds for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, of Metro Detroit. Oct 3rd is the Light The Night Walk raising awareness for Blood Cancer.

As an 11yr survivor. Its my thought pattern nothing comes to cure these diseases with out money. Its something if your on the receiving end of clinical trials and research that has saved your life. We simply cannot be thankful enough for the LLS.

There is no way I could of done any of this with out my *Sisters*

More in the morning on how you can help.

Kerry
aka Hopesrising.

Sisters4ACure