I first met Lisa Koch-Howell here a few months ago shortly after her mother lost her life to breast cancer.  At that time she wrote to me the following:

“Well I was wondering if you could give me some advice. My sister did the 3 day breast cancer walk 2 years ago. She really enjoyed it. Our mama met her at the finish line. This last year in June, Mama was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. I went down to Oregon the next day & stayed & took care of her & daddy. Mama then past away on 9/26/09. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. I held her in my arms as she took her last breath.

My sister, who by the way is my best friend, wants me to go to Seattle & do the walk with her. The walk has always been the 1st of Sept. but this year it is on mama’s 1 year anniversary of losing her life on 9/26/10. Can we do this? I don’t know. The other thing is how do I raise enough money to do it? I live in a little community of 75 in the bush here in Alaska. I am just feeling this out as I am also very out of shape. Could you please give me some suggestions?”

Lisa and I wrote back and forth for awhile and the next thing I knew, she had sent a notice out to all of her Facebook friends to let us know that she had set up a website for donations to the Susan G. Komen Foundation so that she could do this walk.  And despite the challenges that she faced in order to raise that amount of money, she has successfully been able to do so.

I have been in touch with her recently and know that among other things that have happened to her since she undertook this challenge, a recent foot injury has caused a major setback to her training.  However, she is not letting that interfere.  In her last post to me she said:

“I talked to my sister & she encouraged me & told me it would be fine. I can walk a while then catch a ride, then walk. So I will be there with my swollen foot, limping across that finish line. With the support of all of you who have prayed & supported me financially, I will make it.”

This is the face of one very courageous lady who is truly an inspiration to anyone who knows her and knows her story.  She is a true representative of each of those who walks for the cure.  She is one who puts a real face on what this deadly disease can do and does do on a daily basis.  She, to me, is a real hero.  I also want to thank another hero in this story, her sister, for all that she has done and is doing personally and in support of Lisa.  I, too, have a wonderfully supportive sister and know what a difference that means to me. 

And although I will not be there physically when these two women cross that finish line on September 26^th, the one-year anniversary of their mother’s passing from breast cancer, you can be sure that I, along with all of their supporters, will be there in spirit to celebrate their accomplishments.  Thank you both for everything that you are and everything that you have done.  You have shown everyone exactly how one person can make a difference and we are all the more fortunate for knowing you and knowing about the tribute that both of you are making to your mother.

I always love your COMMENTS.

Although the final count is not tallied, the Crespi Carmelite High School male lacrosse team raised more than $44,000.00 by the start of their premiere event that was held yesterday at the school. What an awesome result in only two months!

The guys will be sponsoring a variety of other events in their effort to raise $140,000.00 by the end of the year. They are also looking forward to meeting up with three other lacrosse teams in New York City on April 9th and walking the last 6.98 miles of their total goal of 5,500 miles which is the distance from the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge to Time Square where they want to present a check to Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America”.

For those who missed it, the team had a very special last minute walker join their them.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIKaM0cnXrw]

Now despite all of his hard work, Guy was not successful in raising so much as a single dollar for his efforts. So he has decided to keep on walking and walking and walking until such time as he sees some positive results and can collect some funds in his name in support of this cause.

As soon as he is rested and can begin the next step on this journey, we will post more videos on his behalf so that you can see the progress that he is making.

If you care to donate some funds on behalf of Guy, please let me know by writing to letlifehappen@gmail.com and we will make the necessary arrangements for acceptance of your contribution. And if you would like to follow the progress of the team and their continued fund raising efforts, please log on to the website at www.crespi.dojiggy.com. This is only the beginning of the Coach’s Challenge where high school athletic teams throughout the country are being enlisted to join in this cause.

Walk Like A man

I received an e-mail from my friend to whom I had made the initial request. She informed me that the coach read my letter to his players at practice. They were so moved by what I had to say that they upped the ante and although they have already raised $35,000.00 in less than two months, they challenged themselves to reach $50,000.00 by the time the event takes place next Saturday on February 14th.

Can you believe that? Most high school guys would have responded by resting on their laurels and thinking about how great they were. These men understood the message and stepped up to the plate to push themselves that much harder to set a tough goal for themselves.

Okay, that is why I am begging all of you to please help out in any way that you can. Please make a contribution to the cause if you can. Purchase some merchandise if you are able to do so. But if you are unable to do anything financially, I would really appreciate it if you would log on to the coach’s e-mail at joswaks@crespi.org and let them know how awesome they are for taking on this challenge and giving back to their community in such a big way.

This coach and his coaching staff and every member of the committee that put together this event and every member of the team that is raising money for the cause are our special angels. They have all literally been giving themselves to this cause to make it an unbridled success and are truly the angels in our community.

I have been checking the weather reports and there is nothing but rain in the forecast for next weekend. I know that everyone will still show up and do their part regardless but please, please help them and support them. I will be there myself come rain or shine so please feel free to send a message to me for them if you wish and I will be sure to pass it to them.

I can be reached at letlifehappen@gmail.com and would appreciate it if you would help all of us. And if you can make a contribution to the cause, please log on to the website at www.crespi.dojiggy.com and help in any way that you can. Your contributions will be appreciated more than you will ever know. I will update you on the results from this event in my blog next Sunday. Please, we need your support.

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MEMBERS OF THE
CRESPI HIGH SCHOOL MALE LACROSSE TEAM

You don’t know me but you are my heroes. And if you are wondering why, I will tell you. I know about your great efforts to walk and to raise money for the “Walk Like A Man” Walk-a-thon for Breast Cancer Testing and Research. I know what it is like to have to devote so much of your time and effort to meet the challenges that have been given to you by your coaches for this project. And you have to do all of this in addition to your regular school work, your lacrosse practices and all of the responsibilities that you have at home and in other aspects of your personal life!

Well, that is what makes you special. That is what makes you heroes to those that you don’t know but who will be the recipients of the results of your special efforts. For the funds that you raise will be used to continue research and provide testing for those who otherwise would not be able to afford those tests.

I am a breast cancer survivor who was fortunate enough to have medical insurance that provided the testing that I needed. But I want you to know that it is not the surgeries that were the hard part of my experience. It was the not knowing what to do that was the hardest. As a result of being able to have the necessary testing, cancer patients, in conjunction with their medical doctors, have the information that they need in order to make educated choices about the best courses of treatment.

So when the going gets tough out there and it gets harder and harder to reach your goals, please remember that there are lots of us out here in your community who need you. Please remember that it is your efforts that will help to save our lives and many more lives in the future. And when you go to bed at night, you will know that there are people who look to you as heroes because you helped to save their lives. I think that you will be able to rest assured that although it may have been tough to do what was expected of you for this walk, it was all worthwhile knowing that you made such a huge difference. Your efforts are appreciated more than you will ever know.

I will be at your walk on February 14th and it is my goal to meet each one of you personally. I want to shake your hand and thank you and let you know what a privilege it is to meet such awesome guys who are such a positive representation of the hope for the future of this country.

For those of you who may be reading this letter who are not members of this team and are willing to help with this cause, please let me know at letlifehappen@gmail.com or go to the school’s website at www.crespi.dojiggy.com. Please help me to acknowledge the wonderful work that is being done by these young people by letting them know how much it is appreciated.

Walk Like A Man

The men’s lacrosse team from Crespi High School in Encino, CA is doing a fabulous job of raising funds for the walk. In a little more than a month, they have raised $26,500 toward their goal of $140,000 which they hope to reach by the end of the year. That is just awesome. But how do we get the word out about this special community event that we hope will become a national cause to be embraced by every high school athletic team across the country?

If you are like me, I don’t have a lot of money to give to other causes when I am trying to pay my bills and keep things going in this economy. But I certainly can find some time to help these young people to be successful with their own event and to inspire others to do the same in their local communities. And I sure can use your help to do the same.

I have spent the week contacting the local media to provide coverage about what these guys are doing and to request coverage of the actual event. So far, I haven’t heard anything back but I am continuing to reach more media contacts who may be interested.

I am contacting friends who might be interested in participating in the walk and obtain sponsorship from their family and friends for their efforts. These contributions are really needed to fund the research and the testing needed to bring an end to this disease.

I have spoken to friends and associates to garner interest in other local communities to sponsor events at their local high schools. All of the help that they would need to organize such an event is readily available and accessible through the lacrosse coach who is the inspiration for this whole idea.

And I am trying to reach out to bloggers and participants on a variety of social networks to help get the word out across the country. If my “friends” would be willing to send out the information to their “friends”, we just might be able to pick up a massive support from other high schools.

If anyone has any suggestions for additional things I might do, please let me know. And if you are willing to help with this cause, please let me know or go to the school’s website at www.crespi.dojiggy.com. Your efforts are appreciated more than you will ever know.

A high school’s men’s lacrosse team is walking to raise money for breast cancer research and testing. Inspired by the team’s coach, Jonathan Oswaks, the Crespi High School team located in Encino, CA is walking the equivalent of a round trip from Los Angeles to New York where the team will match up with 3 Long Island lacrosse teams in the Spring. Those team members from Sewanhaka, Hewlett and H. Frank Carey High Schools are also participating in this fundraiser and all are walking an astounding 5,500 miles.

The idea of a group of teen, male athletes raising money for a women’s issue was incredible to me. This coach and some of his athletes have had personal experience in dealing with breast cancer in their own families and it is the belief of this coach that every young person will be touched by this disease in their lifetime. With an army of high school athletes out in their communities raising money for this cause, the funding that would be provided for the researchers and for testing is incredible. They would be making a real difference and hopefully be the hope for the future to wipe out this disease in their generation.

Therefore, I am asking for your help. Please check out the website at crespi.dojiggy.com. Here you will find lots of opportunities to make a difference. If you are able to make a financial contribution or contribute something to the silent auction, that would be fabulous. Every dollar that is collected will go to the lacrosse team’s event that will be held on February 14, 2009.

However, that is not the only goal. I would suggest that you take a look at the “Coach’s Challenge”. He is asking that every coach in every sport at every high school across this country get behind this initiative and raise money for this cause. Perhaps you can initiate such a walk to raise money in your community. If that is not a possibility, maybe you would be willing to contact all of your “friends” on MySpace and Twitter and FaceBook and every other internet social network and spread the word. Although there is only one month left until the Crespi High School will hold their big event, there is no reason why the fund raising and support needs to stop on that day. With your help, we can make this the beginning of something wonderful, not the end!