The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - Woman of the Year Kickoff - Today!!

Family and Friends,

Today starts The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Woman of the Year Fundraising Kickoff which I am participating in. Please go to the website at :

http://pbf.mwoy.llsevent.org/mstanek

As many of you know, I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to help the more than 912.000 Americans who are living with blood cancers. Each year The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Palm Beach Chapter launches its Man & Woman of the Year fundraising campaign. During this campaign from March 23 - June 3, our team goal is to raise $50,000 which will go directly to LLS in support of its long standing mission to find a cure for blood cancers and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

My decision to play a very active role in helping the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society raise funds for its research to cure these deadly forms of cancer was an intensely personal one for me.

I remember very clearly Father's Day 2009. That was the day I learned my fiancee, Bob Youngs was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. The exact same blood cancer that his mother had been diagnosed with a few years earlier.

That awful day was also the spark that got me involved in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – which is the world’s leading private research organization dedicated to conquering these especially deadly forms of cancer.

Thankfully, on January 4th of this year, Bob was diagnosed as in full remission. Due to my execptional patient advocacy, Bob's oncologist nominated me as Woman of the Year for the Palm Beach Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society .

As part of this effort, I have committed to raise $50,000 from my closest friends, family members and relatives, as well as our business associates by June 3rd – which is a few weeks from now.

Like many of you, I have witnessed first hand the debilitating effects that leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma can have on those who suffer from these blood diseases and on the friends and family who care for and nurture their loved ones. In fact, leukemia still causes more deaths among children than any other cancer.

With your support of a tax-deductible donation, LLS can continue funding critical research in the fight against blood cancers as well as provide outstanding patient services.

I want to thank each and every one of my friends and family for their generous support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s misson. LLS is the leading non-profit organization committed to finding a cure and giving life to those who have, are and will fight the tough challenges of blood cancers.

I am hoping I can count on you to help me keep my promise to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Many thanks for your support for patients battling blood cancers and their families. Be sure to visit my Web site often to check on my progress and please ask your friends to support my efforts. Join me and help advance the mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

For more information about LLS, please visit www.lls.org.



Love and Thanks,
Michele

Christopher is sick, Bob goes to doctor...

Family and Friends,

Christopher is sick today. Bob picked him up from school yesterday and he had a fever of 101. Bob and Chris are alike in the sense that neither one of them are ever cold. When Bob brought Chris over to the house and he wanted to be covered in 3 blankets I knew he was really bad. Apparently he threw up a few times during the night so Bob is over there taking care of him now. I just hope Bob doesn't catch what Chris has. That's the last thing he needs right now, especially since he's been making such progress in his recovery. He went to his pain management doctor today and the doc said everything is headed in the right direction. So things are looking up. Bob is very committed to his recovery and exercise. We get up first thing in the morning and do yoga, then we either go to the gym and do weights and cardio or he rides the recumbent bike here, and we do yoga in the afternoons. And he's living on muscle milk protein shakes for at least 2 of his meals. I'm not sure what remission dieting should be for leukemia patients but at least he's not eating junk food. He wants to lose a few pounds so it's less stress on his back.

As for me, I'm diligently looking for a job. I'm focused on that and getting ramped up for the upcoming Woman of the Year fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. If anyone is interested in buying a Lift Strong T-shirt, please go to this website and remember all proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?cid=388

Love and Thanks,
Michele

We're back! Blog is up and running again!

Family and Friends,

After much contemplation and complaints from everyone who really enjoyed reading the day to day issues that Bob has been dealing with on his road to recovery from Leukemia, I have decided to start the blog up again.

Since I last wrote a few important things have happened:

1) Bob and I had our engagement party (See photo)

2) Bob is beginning to get his ducks in a row to start his job search down the road.

3) I was nominated and will begin actively campaigning for Woman of the Year with the Palm Beach Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. (Which I am very exicted about)

I will write more tommorow in depth, but I'm glad to be back!!

Love and Thanks,

Michele and Bob