Running for Tyler February 27, 2010
At the start of this journey, I mentioned a little boy – the best friend of my co-worker’s son. Four years ago he was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a very rare form of brain cancer. Only 250 children are diagnosed with it a year, and unfortunately Tyler was one of them. After being told about our fundraising efforts for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, Donna told me about her own connection to the fight against pediatric cancer and described Tyler’s resilience throughout his own four year battle.
Being that he is her son’s best friend, Tyler has been like a son to her and she has experienced all the peaks and valleys with his family. She has been there to see Tyler suffer but never complain, to see his parents refuse to give up hope or neglect to try anything possible to help their son. Donna said that he could be extremely sick, but if you asked he’d always say he was doing great. Tyler’s story has been with me throughout the training and the fundraising. Though I’ve never met him his strength and amazing outlook – so similar to Alex’s – has been a constant inspiration.
Tyler lost his battle with cancer this past Tuesday. He was only 12 years old. I naturally asked Donna how she was doing and if there was anything I could do. She asked me, “Will you run for him?”
Yes. We will run for Tyler. That is what this is all about. We are running for a very worthy cause. We are running for Tyler and all the children who have suffered and for their families. We will run for the children who will one day have the chance to lead a full life because of ALSF’s efforts. We will run for Tyler and Alex who were on this earth such a short time but somehow touched so many lives and have taught us – have reminded us “grown-ups” that when life hands you lemons, you don’t need to give up or give in. Make some lemonade, and smile.
So thank you, Tyler and Alex for reminding us what is truly important. And tomorrow we will run all 26.2 miles for you.
Our thoughts and prayers to Tyler’s family and friends and all who will be missing his smile.
xoxo
Alaina
Thank you for your support!!! February 17, 2010
~*Dream Big…Live Bigger*~
Wine Tasting Event
*Crawling for a Cause* 1/30/2010
Blue 82
An Ode to Josh January 20, 2010
We have to send a special “Thank You” to our new friend, Josh, who only 2 weeks ago was nothing more than a stranger. Josh, who is rooted here in upstate New York, actually works in one of the most dangerous countries in the world – a place quite unfriendly if you are American. However, he has managed to do good for the poverty-stricken locals there, doing his best to persuade several companies to donate bags of clothing for them. While doing his part to change the world abroad, Josh has managed to be a tremendous help to us as well granting us an extremely generous donation of $1,000. We were honored by his generosity and even more thrilled to get the opportunity to meet him in person.
While home for the holidays, Josh came across an article about our cause in The Times Union. After having to tell a man abroad that there was little hope for his 5 year old son suffering from brain cancer, Josh saw donating to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation as a way that he could help. And so, not knowing us at all he tracked us down, donated a generous sum, and took us out to a lovely dinner at Jack’s Oyster House!
So here’s to you, Josh, for taking a chance on 5 crazy cousins and giving unlimited chances to even more crazy kids 
As Josh says, “Giving is contagious,” sooooo……….
*Are you interested in helping out Josh’s friends? They need clothing, shoes, and jackets. If you would like to help, please a comment on this blog with your contact info and we will be in touch!
TWO NEW EVENTS SET! January 19, 2010
Hi everyone! On behalf of all the Crazies, we hope you all had a great holiday season and that 2010 brings nothing but the best to all of you We wanted to update the blog with two new events we have coming up.
The first event is another pub crawl set for JAN. 30th. Yes we realize that we have already had one, but it just went so well that we had to do another! We can’t help that our followers also love the sauce… Click the link below for all pub crawl details and how to pay online for the event!
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=260761546509&ref=mf
Our second event takes place on Saturday, FEB. 13th and will be held at Glenn Peter’s Diamond Centre, located at 1544 Central Avenue in Albany. We will be hosting a wine tasting with hors d’oeuvres, in addition to live music and a raffle for a beautiful piece of jewelry! This is a perfect date for a couple- and if you’re stag, a great event to wine and dine among friends! Please click below for all details and we look forward to seeing you all there!
X’s and O’s December 29, 2009
When we first decided to train for a marathon and raise funds for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, I wasn’t too sure what to expect. Of course I expected the perfunctory aching muscles, early morning runs and those random trickles of doubt you experience whenever taking on a project of this magnitude. What I didn’t expect, was to learn as much as I have, not only about myself but about the four amazing women I am training with. It would be ambiguous of me to say that I didn’t know much about my four team mates prior to our training. After all, I have literally known 3 out of 4 of them, since they were born. I have experienced major ups and downs with each one of these ladies throughout the years, yet through it all, there was still so much I didn’t know about them. It’s hard to appreciate the time, energy and discipline it takes to train and raise money for something like this so being able to share it with Lauren, Jenny, Jennifer and Alaina has given me a unique insight into how truly remarkable each one of them are. If it wasn’t for our training and fundraising, I never would have realized Jenny Nag’s awesome writing skills or Jenny V’s knack for bringing large groups of people together; it has given me a better appreciation for Lauren’s resiliency and Alaina’s genuine kindness.
Sitting at Justin’s last night, putting together the remaining pieces of our fundraising efforts, I felt very lucky to be a part of something as meaningful as Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation with my four teammates, family members and friends. Throughout this process we have been questioned about our ability to run 26.2 miles and raise $10,000; in all honesty, we have questioned it ourselves. But as I have watched all of us pour our time and energy into making this goal a reality, I am more convinced than ever that this is something we absolutely can and will do. (Insert cheerleader jump here)
I realize that running a marathon and fundraising isn’t for everyone but I cant help to feel a little sad for people who never get to experience the camaraderie and sense of accomplishment that comes with being a part of something so significant. So in closing, I’ll leave you with some what of a cliché; no matter how big or small, make a concerted effort to do something meaningful for someone less fortunate than you- in the end, you always get back more than you give.
*Angie*
P.S. While your thinking of ways in which you can make the world a better place don’t be scared to visit our fundraising page to make a donation…………
http://www.alexslemonade.org/stands/20285
