Light The Night Walk - Austin - October 24, 2009

I am such a procrastinator!  For years I was going to join Procrastinators Anonymous, but I kept putting it off.  Finally got around to finding out where the meetings are but I haven't been because they keep postponing them.  I think the last meeting was about ten years ago.

It is almost time for the annual Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night fundraiser.  This will be my fifth year to raise funds and participate.  But, it is less than three weeks away and I haven't raised a penny yet.  It is not like I didn't know about it because I am on one of the committees.  How sad is that?  I even participated in the kickoff in July and was on a discussion group to give tips on fundraising.  Even sadder, huh?  I think I might have told them to start early...sigh.

So how do I try to redeem myself?  Well, tomorrow I am sending out emails to all my family and friends begging, er, asking for support.  I am also posting here and asking anyone who isn't already supporting someone in their effort to support me.  It is really easy to do online using a credit card and you will get an instant receipt for tax purposes.  Just go to my page: http://pages.lightthenight.org/ctx/AustinL09/jtw890 then look over to the right where it says "Make a Donation" and follow the directions after selecting an amount and pushing the red "Donate Now" button.  If you will be seeing me in person, I can take a check made out to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, or you can mail it to my home address.  I know these are horrible financial times and there are all kinds of worthy efforts, but if you could possibly support me with even a small donation I would be grateful.  The five, ten, and twenty dollar donations do add up.  If you can't afford that, I do understand and would appreciate your prayer support if you are so inclined.

So why do I do this?  This will be my fifth year doing the walk because I believe the LLS does some good work.  They give lots of money to research and were a huge contributor to the research that led to the new Gleevec drug which has been a life saver for people with CML (another type of leukemia).  They also do a lot for patient education and give some financial assistance to patients also.  I have benefitted in several ways from the work they do.  Too many children and adults die every year from blood cancers and I want to have a small part in trying to find a cure.

• A donation of $25 provides patients and their loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options.
• A donation of $50 makes possible a Family Support group with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members.
• A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures.
• A donation of $1,000 makes possible one- on-one conversations with health care specialists who provide patients with information about their disease, treatment options, and helps prepare them with questions for their health care team

The walk will be October 24 by the grounds of the Dell Children's Medical Center at the old Robert Mueller airport in Austin.  If anyone would like to join me on the walk, you are welcome to come, just let me know.

In the meantime, visit my fundraising page,
 http://pages.lightthenight.org/ctx/AustinL09/jtw890
and read a little bit more information about me and the walk, and if possible, make a donation.  Thanks! 

Last year on the walk.

 Red balloons are supporters, white balloons are for survivors and gold balloons are in memory of a loved one:

Team Wagner:

The starting line: