What a Sunday. After much planning, our Wine & Canvas fundraiser, as part of our efforts to raise money for the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, finally happened. I have to admit I was pretty nervous going into this. I'm no event planner, so trying to organize everything and make it interesting enough for people to want to commit to coming was intimidating! Well, I'm happy to report that today went amazingly well. We had 45 people turn up for our event! Women came from everywhere, not just because of our group supporting Elaine, but because they had seen our event on Facebook and on the Wine & Canvas website. All in all, we raised a total of $860 to put towards our fundraiser, which puts us more than $1,000 over our original goal of $3,000. And to think Emma and I had only figured we'd be able to raise about $200 each!!
I just have to reflect for a moment on what an honor it was to be in the same room as Elaine today, as well as another woman, who pulled me aside and informed that she too had been fighting Ovarian Cancer since January of 2010. I find myself thinking over and over how strong these women are. It can't be easy to go through every minute of every day knowing, in the back of your mind, that your own body is betraying you. I don't think that Elaine is one of those people that goes through every day lamenting about the fact that she has been dealt an unfair hand, but I have to imagine it would be difficult to wake up every day wondering whether or not treatments were helping. I am so grateful to know someone as strong as Elaine, who fights through radiation-induced nausea to lead as normal a life as possible. Who refuses to be tied down by her treatments and jets off to Europe for a two-week cruise down the Danube. The woman who takes off her wig on the dance floor and flings it around like a t-shirt because it feels better to be dancing without it. I can only hope that if I were ever in her situation, I would be able to be as brave and fantastic as she is. Somehow she has managed to confront her now three-year ordeal with an inspiring sense of humor and fantastic flair.
The Chicago Half Marathon isn't until September 11, so we still have plenty of time to train. But I'm already so humbled by how many people have gotten involved in our efforts, if not for Elaine, than for someone else they know who has been affected by cancer. So I'd just like to say, here's to the fighters out there, no matter what version of cancer they're fighting. To have that kind of bravery is an incredible thing and I will forever be in awe of them.
I just have to reflect for a moment on what an honor it was to be in the same room as Elaine today, as well as another woman, who pulled me aside and informed that she too had been fighting Ovarian Cancer since January of 2010. I find myself thinking over and over how strong these women are. It can't be easy to go through every minute of every day knowing, in the back of your mind, that your own body is betraying you. I don't think that Elaine is one of those people that goes through every day lamenting about the fact that she has been dealt an unfair hand, but I have to imagine it would be difficult to wake up every day wondering whether or not treatments were helping. I am so grateful to know someone as strong as Elaine, who fights through radiation-induced nausea to lead as normal a life as possible. Who refuses to be tied down by her treatments and jets off to Europe for a two-week cruise down the Danube. The woman who takes off her wig on the dance floor and flings it around like a t-shirt because it feels better to be dancing without it. I can only hope that if I were ever in her situation, I would be able to be as brave and fantastic as she is. Somehow she has managed to confront her now three-year ordeal with an inspiring sense of humor and fantastic flair.
The Chicago Half Marathon isn't until September 11, so we still have plenty of time to train. But I'm already so humbled by how many people have gotten involved in our efforts, if not for Elaine, than for someone else they know who has been affected by cancer. So I'd just like to say, here's to the fighters out there, no matter what version of cancer they're fighting. To have that kind of bravery is an incredible thing and I will forever be in awe of them.
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