June 27, 2004 DAY #243
Friends,
I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday, but there has been too much going on to wait until then. I want to give you a summary of the last couple of weeks.
Menchie and I were on vacation in Illinios and Wisconsin from June 9 to June 22. This was an opportunity to share with Menchie some of my past, and show her new places and things! Illinois is a different world compared to California. Everything was overwhelmingly green! Menchie was able to drive on the way to Wildcat Lodge in Boulder Junction in Northern Wisconsin for about 150 miles. This is by far the longest time she has spent behind the wheel so far. Northern Wisconsin is another world again, with all the lakes, forests and mosquitos. While there we saw lots of deer, several Bald Eagles, and lots of other birds. In addition, I took Menchie fishing for the first time in her life. We caught our limit of Walleyes, with Menchie catching the biggest at 20 inches. Another day we went panfishing and just watched the little fish pulling the bobbers around while we laughed in the boat. It was great fun! Believe it or not, another highlight for me was getting a cold and getting over it in less than a week there at Wildcat Lodge. We visited a peat bog and saw carnivorous plants, as well as a lot of mosquitos. It is fun jumping up and down on the edge of a bog and watching the surrounding pine trees wobble back and forth on the waves created. We visited Upper Michigan and Lake Superior while we were there also. During the trip, I had my 50th birthday. This was a major milestone for me, since I had no reason to expect to get to it for a while there. One of the biggest highlights was the owner of Wildcat Lodge agreeing to sell Light The Night paper balloons to help raise funds for Team Mzima. If you want to go on one of the most wonderful vacations you can imagine, give Linda at Wildcat a call! This is the 33nd year my family has gone there. Just being on vacation there, was another important psychological milestone for me. It was GREAT!
The Team Mzima Polo Shirts are in! They look pretty much as depicted in the Team Mzima website at
http://www.wilcoxent.com/TeamMzima/TeamMzima.htm
. We are selling them for $15.00 each or 2 for $25.00. Profits from sale of the shirts will be donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as part of the Team Mzima contribution. We got a SUPER deal from BigApple Silkscreen on the shirts. Thank you, Anna for your assistance and the beautiful work you did on the shirts. If you need printing silkscreening done, please contact Anna at or call her at (858) 549-7199.The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has made a web site available for each registered walker for the Light The Night Walk. This is a really cool site which allows supporters to make donations with a credit card on-line. It tracks the donations and automatically adds them to a thermometer that tracks progress to the individual's goal. I will be adding this to the Team Mzima web site for every team member as the sites are assigned. I will be adding mine as soon as possible. If you want to make a donation, please visit the Team Mzima web site and look for the "Make a Donation" link.
This has been another week of anniversaries. Friday was 1 year since I was diagnosed with Leukemia. Saturday was one year since entering the Hospital, and 6 months since Menchie and I got married. Last year, I went into the hospital the day before Field Day, an amateur radio emergency exercise. I was supposed to be there to provide a shelter for one of the stations and to help operate the stations. Since becoming an amateur radio operator, I had never missed a field day. Instead of doing field day last year, I started chemotherapy, one year ago today. Another milestone this year was going to Field Day yesterday, on the anniversary of being admitted to the hospital for treatment, and operating one of the stations. I talked to people in Hawaii, North Carolina, Utah, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland and Florida among other places. It was great fun and another major achievement for me psychologically.
JOIN TEAM MZIMA!!! If you are in San Diego area, and would like to join my fight against the ravages of blood and other cancers, please join Team Mzima. Members of the team should be prepared to raise $100.00 to contribute to the cause. The Light the Night walk is a 2 mile walk. For those who cannot make the walk, walking is optional. You will still be able to enjoy the food and entertainment and carry your balloon. Please notice that team member should RAISE $100.00, not donate that much themselves. Raising $100.00 is easy! First ask your family members for a donation. Then ask the people at work. You probably have a list of people's emails in your email program. Send an email to your friends asking for donations. Send an email or letter to your neighbors. Ask neighborhood businesses to sell paper balloons and display them on their premises. You can get signs, brochures, pamplets, posters and other fund raising tools from me, the captain of Team Mzima. The Leukemia & Lymphoma society has sample letters and emails that you can use. I have found that the average contribution is over $50.00. Of course, if your goal is $100.00 and you get two contributions of $50.00, you are there. It is a lot easier than you might think. So, even if you don't have any money yourself, you can get sponsors and help fight cancer in a big way. Join today at the Team Mzima web site! My goal is $1000.00, and I am beginning to think that was too easy of a goal! Every registered participant in Light the Night who raises $100.00 will receive a Light the Night T-shirt and will carry a lighted balloon for the walk! For those of you outside of the San Diego area, you can join teams local to your area, or you can start a local Team Mzima in your area. If you just want to donate, please feel free to send me a check made out to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Every dollar raised can make a big impact on someone's life.
Ted
tw@wilcoxent.com