Another night where well into the early hours of the coming day, I am still awake.....thinking scheming. The past 5 weeks have been all consuming. Gretchen and I are both truly exhausted yet we must push on. I think we have been averaging about 4 hours of sleep a night for close to 2 weeks. We are running on fumes and when we feel we can do no more something happens and motivates us to push ahead yet again. What started out as me helping found the Band of Parents, has turned into something of a challenge and personal crudade for us. Anyone who knows us would quickly confirm that we are both fierce competitors. We want to win, hate to lose, and rise quickly to a challenge. We have both always been fighters. Never afraid to mix it up even when out gunned. Something one of my dear friends said this week has been stuck in my head. After spending a day working side by side with Gretchen at the baking site she wrote me a quick letter:
Yesterday was so great to be among friends and yummy cookies and all the positive energy and to be able to do a small thing to help beat the big C. Watching Gretch kick ass and take names and smile throughout reminded me of a momma bear (albeit one well versed in pr) whose den and cubs have been threatened. Neuroblastoma picked the wrong family to pick on! Kudos to both of you for actually pulling this off. I am very proud of both of you and for what you are doing.
Much love Kate and Coop
I know now why I have not missed playing Ice Hockey as much as I thought I would. Why we both drive forward and have yet to let anything stand in our way. We have been personally challenged and for us this is a call to arms. Fighting neuroblastoma has become my ice hockey. Like my friend said, Neuroblastoma picked the wrong kid and the wrong parents. Personally I am angry and want my revenge on this coward of a disease that feeds on innocent young children and families. One that terrorizes again and again. One that when your child says his leg hurts, your first reaction is not to wonder if your child fell and bruised it, but instead to think your number one enemy just launched another attack. So we bake and we bake and we share our story again and again and again. It is a sneak attack, a flanking move, a strike of our own this time. We are building an army of supporters who like us, hate to lose! Together we will raise money to fund the insurgency.....research, alliances, medicine, innovative new weapons, awareness. Today we are out gunned and neuroblastoma will win more often that it loses. But each loss motivates us to push ahead, to fight back even harder. One day neuroblastoma will receive the blow that will knock it back on it's heels. Liam's doctors believe Liam's leg pain was from Acutane. This week he seems fine for which we are relieved beyond belief. It will not be the last time neuroblastoma strikes fear in all of us.
Liam was his charming self when filmed for various news segments this week. All are tied to the cookie event and the awareness its helping to create as part of our counter attack. Watch CNN's Your Money this Sunday (today) at 3pm est (during last half hour). You will see your Prince and national coverage of the cookie event and neuroblastoma as well as an interview with Dr. Cheung. Liam also appeared as did Gretchen and the cookies earlier this week on WABC News 7 NY. The largest media market in the United States, during the 5:00 news.
You can watch the video here:
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news&id=5818670
Thank you to all who have helped make the cookies for kids cancer event such a huge success.
A million more things to share but now I must sleep.
