Haymaker’s for Hope Boston 2016!


Well, it certainly has been a long time since I posted! Life has been good, but crazy busy… as usual! This post is not food related… but it’s important and I want to share it with you.

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I am fighting in a 3-round sanctioned boxing match on May 19, 2016 at the House of Blues in Boston, to raise money for cancer research, through an amazing organization called Haymaker’s for Hope. This is an amateur event, which I (and about 30 other people) have been training insanely for since January 11th, 2016, when we got picked. It is HARD and it SUCKS at times — Bad. But it comes nowhere near the pain and trauma families go through after a cancer diagnosis (or worse, loss)… so I know I can do this with the support and encouragement of my friends and family.

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All ticket sales and monetary donations go directly to my $5000 required fundraising goal… (which I just recently met!) The highest contributor gets to pick the order in which their match occurs (out of the 12-15 fights that night). It would be awesome to get to pick!!! 😀

TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE!

You can also donate directly to my effort RIGHT NOW, by visiting my “Fight Card” fundraising page.

The money I raise is going toward The Pediatric Glioma Program at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. I selected this program for two reasons. One, because a dear friend has a 6th grade son who has a glioma right where his optic nerves cross. Thankfully, it is benign, but it has already cost him most of his sight and will continue to take that from him over time.

Then, a few weeks after I got picked, I heard about a little boy named Logan. His aunt graduated high school with my sister. He is four years old and this is his story. Needless to say, this story has significantly impacted me. I am heartbroken for this family and I want to do anything I can to prevent any other mother or father or child (for that matter), from having to go through what Logan and his parents are experiencing. It’s incomprehensible.

Logan

I have shed many tears for this family and it is because of their courage and openness to share their story, that I decided to focus my efforts on funding research for this terrible disease. Logan has DIPG, a rare and fatal form of glioma. I am distributing 50% of my fundraising to DIPG and 50% to the Pediatric General Glioma Fund. 🙂

If you chose not to fund my fight, please consider a donation to this family to help ease the expense of medical bills as they journey through this torturous process.

On my “fight card” page, I originally talked about why I am doing Haymakers and listed out all the people I am memorializing and honoring by participating in this fundraiser. Here is my original post:

The first time I attended a H4H boxing event I was immediately drawn-in and completely hooked. The amazing cause, the excitement, the energy and the fighters… everything about the event left me wanting more.

Several of my friends are Haymaker alumni and I am so amazed, humbled and impressed by their dedication, exhausting effort and the unending energy they all have toward this astonishing cause. I want to join this incredible group of people by doing my part to “knock out cancer.”

The first step in my decision to fight came on the day my friend Julie Wesolowski’s husband Frank died (a few months ago). There were other steps leading to my final decision, but when Frank died, I knew I had to seriously consider joining the cause.

I am fighting in memory and honor of many special people in my life. First, I am fighting in memory of Bernice (“Bunny”) Berger, my husband Dan’s late grandmother. Bunny died of lung cancer a year before I met Dan and throughout our 15 years together, I have always wished I’d had the opportunity to meet her.

I am also fighting in memory of my “Aunt” Gayle McNally (my father’s first cousin), who died of uterine cancer in 1994. I remember the shock I felt to find out someone so young could be taken so hastily. She was only 47 when she lost her battle with cancer — MY age now.

Lastly, I am fighting in memory of my sister-in-law Mary Schuetz’s mother Judy Gendek Smith, who died five years ago at 54 – after fighting lung cancer for 9 years and Mary’s stepfather John Smith, who succumbed to brain cancer too young as well.

I’d be remiss not to mention the many STRONG survivors I know. You are amazing and inspirational. You motivate me, you humble me and I want to fight in your honor… Melissa Acker, Susan Bunker, Ginny Bunker, Sam Howat, Ruth Kennedy, Jay Engstrom and Lori Schneider. If I am missing folks, I’m sorry, it’s not intentional!

Cancer is a monster and it creeps and weaves its way into too many lives. It is relentless, unforgiving and does not care how old or young you are. I hope that I can help to raise enough money to one day put an end to this terrible disease. Please consider a donation, to help me knock cancer on its ass once and for all!

I plan to update my fundraising page soon, to talk about Logan. I want to honor him, his family and let everyone know how devastating this disease is. Any contribution is appreciated… large or small. Thank you to all my valued readers, who have stuck with me despite the fact that I never post any more! I WANT to… it’s just finding the time. 🙂

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