Recent Fundraisers

Hiii!!

So I thought with everything going on, I'd share a couple of causes and fundraisers that I am doing / partaking in. I'm not sure how to word it so it makes sense, so instead I'm just going to share it with you!!

We just created a YouCaring fundraiser to raise money for my grandfather's memorial and to help my grandmother transition. We are going to be selling her house and she will move into a retirement home. She will have a very small social security income, so we are trying to take care of the memorial for her.


If you would like to help us out, please click here (or share it!). I also have the Widget on the sidebar :)

THANK YOU SO MUCH

In addition, I want to tell you about my favorite charity event each year.

Every year, I try to take part in the CHOC Walk at Disneyland. It is every October and it is a walk for the Children's Hospital of Orange County. It's really cool that participants get to walk through the public and behind the scenes parts of Disneyland and California Adventure.



When our family friend Gregory was treated for cancer, he was always at CHOC. The nurses were amazing and helped him get the best care. We always walk in memory of him, but I now know many others who have been helped by CHOC, including my maid of honor's niece this past year.

The walk is always very difficult because many former CHOC patients, their families and those who have lost children at CHOC do the walk. I cry every single time. I didn't have a chance to do it the last couple of years, but this year I am doing it with a blogger group! If you're in Orange County or Los Angeles - join us!

If you'd like to donate, this is my link.


Seriously, I can't thank you all enough for all of the love and support these past few weeks!! You are truly amazing readers and have made me feel way more stable this past summer than I thought I could feel with all of this going on.




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Lung Leavin' Day 2014

I am super excited to share with you this warrior queen / be brave / face your fears story with you today!!

As some of you may know, in February 2006, my cousin Gregory, died of complications after beating cancer several times. His nickname was Sunshine and I have a few tattoos for him, along with his smile tattooed on my soul. This kid was always happy, and always hopeful. You can read more about his story here.

I am sure he was also completely terrified.

Also, in February 2006, something amazing happened. Heather Von Saint James - diagnosed with mesothelioma shortly after the birth of her daughter - had her lung removed. She had been given 15 months to live and this year, she celebrated her 8th Lung Leavin' Day with her family and friends.

Heather and Cameron with their daughter Lily [photo courtesy of Cameron Von St James]

You may have read about Lung Leavin' Day on a few other blogs on February 2, when they celebrated. I was very happy to be contacted about this - even after the fact - because the message means so much to me.

Lung Leavin' Day is about facing your fears.  

The purpose of LungLeavin’ Day is to encourage others to face their fears!  Each year, we gather around a fire in our backyard with our friends and family, write our biggest fears on a plate and smash them into the fire.  We celebrate for those who are no longer with us, for those who continue to fight, for those who are currently going through a tough time in their life, and most importantly, we celebrate life! 

Heather had to face her deepest fears on that day 8 years ago..and she overcame them. Their celebration of fears and facing them is inspiring and the therapeutic way of breaking dishes are amazing. In the past, I have done something similar at a place in San Diego. This location has closed, but the original WQs and I have hopes and plans to open another one some day.

Each year, Lung Leavin' Day grows to include more people, and now it also includes a fundraiser for mesothelioma awareness. In 2013, 75 people attended and raised around $4,500. They have not yet released how much they raised this year.

While Lung Leavin' Day has passed, you can still donate to mesothelioma awareness and celebrate facing your fears. Head over to the interactive website they built to metaphorically smash some plates into a fire.

Lung Leavin' Day 2014

What do you fear? Do you know anyone diagnosed with mesothelioma?



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