$13,285,266

It's been a couple of years since I've written.  For those of you newly diagnosed or in treatment, my silence is a good thing.  We're very busy doing normal things, not going to clinic.  Visits to Duke are now only once a year, where labs are drawn and hearts are monitored.  There are annoying side-effects from treatment that have popped up but nothing we can't handle at the moment. 

Although we volunteered, this is the first year I have not done an Ultimate Hike as a participant.  Weekends are filled with basketball, volleyball, track, Boy Scouts, dance, and general merriment.  No time to train.  I'm very happy that my last hike on the Foothills Trail in 2017 was with Matt, Daniel, and Natalie in Eve's honor for the whole 30 miles.  It was a good note to end on. 

Matt and I have been quite busy working on a project.  There is a historic home in downtown Holly Springs, NC that we are turning into a restaurant.  Pimiento Tea Room is our current labor of love, and no matter how hard an undertaking it may be, it pales in comparison to dealing with childhood cancer.  While this will cut into my normal fundraising time, it is with great excitement that once we are open, a regular portion of our proceeds will be designated for pediatric cancer research.  And since I'm never shy about begging for money, if you know anyone who wants to join our investment team, you know where to find me!

Since I can't possibly NOT fund raise, even though I don't have the time to do something extreme that requires months of training, I found something extreme that doesn't require any training.  On October 13, 2018 at 9:40 a.m., I'll be rappelling down the side of the 21c Hotel in Durham.  It's called "Over the Edge" and all funds raised are benefiting Duke Children's Hospital.  I've never rappelled, but I'm good at falling down things.  Somewhere, there is a video of me tumbling down Monument Valley on a trip to Arizona as a child while there is no video of my parents trying to rescue me.  I signed up for the second slot after the first rope check; I figured I would let someone double check the rope check for me.  Want to donate?  You can right here! 

Although it's the end of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month for a lot of you, a lot of us are all-too-aware the rest of the year as well.  If people can get excited enough to give $13,285,266 to fund a cooler on Kickstarter, surely we convince them that funding research to save an average of 71 years of life is just as exciting.

Imagine how many Victory Tacos could be eaten in those decades.