As many of you know, my husband, Rich, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma back in November of last year, five months to the day after we were married. Following his diagnosis was a whirlwind of Dr. appointments, tests, surgeries, days filled with chemotherapy, and then radiation, etc, which would keep us busy for the next 8 months. We were blessed to be surrounded by family and friends who prayed for us constantly, sent encouraging cards and notes, emailed or called to see how we were doing, and were a great source of strength and encouragement. I am so excited to share with you the news that Rich is officially in remission! We found out two days after we celebrated our first anniversary.
Though we still have many oncologist appointments ahead of us, we are so thankful to God for bringing us this far, and have every confidence that Rich will never have to face another day of chemo or radiation treatments again. (Though, it appears that Rich missed the memo that we’re done with hospitals and the like. We spent about 14 hrs. in the emergency room on Monday night/morning before he was admitted for appendicitis. Thankfully, he is out of the hospital now and doing well, down one appendix).
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that our lives have been very changed over the past few months. Cancer is downright scary, and admittedly, not something I thought I’d ever have to face. But, the reality is that MANY people encounter cancer at least once in their lifetime, whether it is themselves or a loved one who is diagnosed with it. My heart aches with the knowledge that so many are fighting for their lives every day.
There are many organizations out there dedicated to funding research for a cure for various forms of cancer. One of them is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Every year they host Light the Night, which is a walk that is dual purpose. You can walk in memory or honor of someone who is battling/battled a blood cancer such as Leukemia or Lymphoma, and you raise money for further research in the process.
“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.”
I have signed up to walk in Ft. Worth in October and am really excited about it! Joining hundreds, and hopefully thousands, of others in Ft. Worth in honor/memory of those strong men, women, and children whose lives have been so drastically changed and challenged by cancer will be such an honor.
I want to encourage you to get involved too! There are a couple of ways you can do this. You can walk! There are numerous cities all around the country that will be hosting these walks. To find a city near you, check out the link above. Or, if you feel led, you can make a donation to this incredibly worthy cause. I have set up a page through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which can be found here: Light the Night donations. Of course, all donations go right to the LLS.’
I’ll let you know how it goes and how much money I was able to help raise!!
by mel
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