#479 Block Out Cancer Volleyball!!!

Maggie and I thank you for your support!

Our local workout place, The Zone Fitness and Training, has partnered with the Headquarters Bar and Restaurant to bring you a volleyball fundraiser to benefit Metavivor.  Two establishments in town are making sure they have our backs when it comes to fundraising and getting the word out that we need research NOW!  Please consider either forming a team or supporting us on August 14th starting at 1 PM.  

We are also looking for local donations for a raffle.  Contact the numbers below if you have any items to contribute.

One step closer to finding a cure...that's what it is all about and you can be part of the solution to helping save lives.  Hope you can join us. Go to their Facebook page and find out more.

Co-ed Sand Volleyball Fundraiser Tournament to benefit Metavivor! 
**Limited Space Available!

Contact Jen: jen@thezoneoregon.com
for team registration and/or to obtain tournament details.

12:15pm Registration
1pm Start

*Co-ed teams of 6 players
*Rec League Rules will be used
*Raffle prizes

$75/team through Aug. 6th
$100/team after Aub. 6th

Event location: Headquarters Bar and Restaurant, 101 Concord Dr., Oregon, WI 53575

**ALL proceeds to go to Metavivor for Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer Research and Awareness!
*In partnership with "One Woman, Many Lakes"

SPECIAL THANKS TO:
The Zone Fitness and Training
Headquarters Bar and Restaurant
Sprint Print

Thanks for reading # 479 of 7777.

#478 DC Bound

Hi Washington

The craziness of life is slowly calming down reaching into the near normal range so I'll share the last few weeks of life in the Gooze house.

A week and a half ago I boarded a plane to Washington DC to participate in the scientific peer review for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).  Being selected to be on this panel with eighteen extremely distinguished PhD's and medical doctors was quite an honor and a way to roar once more.  The panel consisted of me, three other patient advocates and researchers with enough brain power that could launch us towards a cure for cancer.

The history behind my trip began in late May when I received my first grant proposal along with a couple of webinars to educate me on how to meet the challenge before me.  To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement but I persevered and eventually figured out what they meant and the necessary comments to complete the task.  It was gratifying to see all the possibilities of research for breast cancer and if even one of the proposals discovers the elusive cure it will be well worth the time and money put in to this entire effort.

I was assigned a mentor for the duration and she was simply amazing in her ability to understand my bumbling emails especially when I had a question or two (there were definitely more than two but less than a hundred) on a regular basis.

When departure day came and I landed in DC I was reassured that all was well when the bus picked me up, my room was ready at the hotel and I found the right room to enter on my first panel discussion.  Our chair and cochair were extremely competent and thorough in their explanation of how the sessions would proceed. Fascinating process and they have been doing this since 1992 so it is an efficiently run machine.

In our group we all had a vote and, as a patient advocate, I felt my voice was heard loud and clear.  The first time I spoke into the microphone was a bit intimidating but after getting the virgin launch out of the way I felt comfortable sharing and speaking out about MBC.

I discovered that the researchers and patient advocates alike were determined every effort was made to find the best science that will catapult us into making this a chronic disease. We voted with the knowledge that each proposal with high ratings will help millions of those living with cancer.

This was truly a memorable experience even though I moaned and groaned while reading and commenting on each grant prior to the big collaboration in DC.  I know the researchers who will ultimately be selected will have a profound affect on future generations and I felt privileged and honored to be a part of it.

Thanks for reading #478 of 7777.

#477 There's No Place Like Home

fanpop

Only a few days late but I've had both a roaring tornado and a splendid rainbow hovering over my head either one or the other or simultaneously.   After two and a half days of advocating for MBC in Washington DC I'm convinced we are on the right track for getting the word out to researchers and those who can make a difference (those were the rainbow circling my head days).

Unfortunately the tornado blasted me on my trip back home when not one but two delayed planes kept me from being like Dorothy as the winds took me from Denver to Chicago and still couldn't quite make it to the home front.  Wandering around O'Hare airport at 2:00 AM trying to find a shuttle to take me to a hotel for some much needed sleep almost put me over the edge until the rainbow emerged with some extremely helpful workers guiding me to the right door.

My Denver journey had me sitting next to a delightful young mother who was interested in my past few days doing peer review work on grants in DC.  Nothing like having a captive audience on a plane where she endured my ranting on funding and awareness.  Actually she was surprised at the facts and thanked me for the mini lesson on MBC.  Rainbows were hovering at this point despite the ongoing storm of disasters with the flights.

In the end, I made it back home with my bag intact and a greater appreciation for scientists, frequent travelers and my very own bed.

Now go out and help find some rainbows for those living with MBC by visiting my website at www.onewomanmanylakes.org

Thanks for reading #477 of 7777.

#476 Give Me a Little Bib Action

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

Lake  Monona--clear waters

You're busy, I'm busy, but please take a moment and go to my website and print out a bib, wear it doing something active and then post it on social media. GET THE BIB HERE! If you check out #tri4mbc on Facebook, you will see some incredible poses with the bib.  Now don't just sit here reading about this, go get creative and keep the buzz going on saving lives.  We can make a difference and broadcasting about the low priority in research for this disease will keep spreading the word.  (Pass this on to your friends and their friends and their friends.) 

Go to my website to see the news release on the latest videos of the swim (which was awesome) and other facts about how you can help.  The best ever husband, Rob, would appreciate your presence on this site as he has diligently worked to make it happen.  He also knows this could keep me around for a long time and on most days that makes him a very happy man (reality check--we all can be a pain in the a$$ some days).  

Pause today on this happy Fourth of July and think of those who would benefit from your gift to give them more time with their families.  ONE WOMAN MANY LAKES is the place to be to be part of the solution.

Thanks for caring and reading # 476 of 7777.