Monday, September 18, 2006

stalkers take note: i'll be @ fashion island this sunday morning, along with 20,000 others racing for the cure.

i am so horribly uncomfortable asking for money, but here goes.

i'm participating in the Susan G. Koman race for the cure at Fasion Island, in Newport Beach this coming weekend to honor the memory of my mom, Joan McDonell. My sister asked me to participate last year as a birthday present to her. This Orange County race always falls in September, which is the month of my sister's birthday. how cool is that, that this is all my sister wants for her birthday celebration? pretty dang cool, if you ask me. yeah, i still get her a gift. but hey, i'm her sister and i love to give, give, give. i'm a giver, what can i say?

last year we did the 5k walk for the very first time: my sister, her 12 year old daughter (my oldest niece) and me(or is it i? i think it's i, but that just sounds weird), the ever faithful blogger, mckay (aka auntie, sis, mom). i went out and bought us matching pink nike baseball hats, to get in the spirit of the day. little did i know that wearing pink at the race signifies that the wearer is a breast cancer survivor. here we were a happy threesome, with my little 12 year old neice wearing a pink hat, along with her mom and aunt. everyone thought we were cancer survivors. it was so embarrassing! we had the master of ceremonies stop us and interview us. we said we were walking in honor of Joan McDonell, which was announced over the loudspeakers. hearing my mom's name announced to thousands had me in tears, and the race had just started. we had tons of photographers taking our pictures. and one of my sis and my niece made the front page of the orange county register: a very big newspaper in our parts.


...i just told this same story to a manager where i work (she's gonna donate! YEA!! but only after i go to the doctors and get a mamogram. i'm way over due.)...


this year, my sister has some of her friends participating. i just signed up and never gave much thought to collecting donations, until today.

here's a link if you want to help me gather a little caCHING to help a good cause. my mom died way too young. she has two grandkids she never got to meet. my son will never know what a wonderfully funny lady his grandma was, but he does know visiting her grave.

donate for a cure!

well, the link will give you some basic information, but if you want to donate... email me at my.mckmail@gmail.com and i'll give you my full name so you can fork over the cash.

help today...and if you can't donate, then at least assist a friend with a breast exam ;0)

16 comments:

Rhea said...

Really glad to hear you are doing the Komen race. I give to folks here in Boston, so I won't be able to donate, but thanks for running!
Rhea
The Boomer Chronicles

mckay said...

scribe, thanks for the support!

neil, thanks for the email. any donation you can make will be greatly appreciated!

Update: My fantastic boss donated $100.00 on my participant page this morning (which raises my donation thermometer a notch) and another cool manager donated $25.00 (via check - no raising of the thermometer, but it's still 25 buckaroos!!!!! Woo!

also, i'll be rummaging around my house for family photos of my mom and family to scan on my participant page...maybe something scandalous. curious to see my personal peeps? then donate, dudes!

Jamie Dawn said...

Our family knows all too well the devastation of cancer. We've lost several, young and old, to various kinds of cancer. The loss of your mother had to be terribly hard on you. I'm glad you are doing what you can to help others to not lose the women they love to breast cancer. A friend of ours who is my age, died last year of the disease. It is awful. I applaud what you are doing, and I will email you right now so I can participate. Go for it!!!

Dave said...

I've given quite a bit to cancer research this year. I know I'll die from cancer, it's just a matter of time.

I saw you Sunday.

TheCleaningWoman said...

Send me the details, McKay! Please.

Phil said...

Good for you and thanks you for running.

Bar L. said...

I would like to donate! Maybe I"ll even come meet you since I am so close by!

I'll email you.

Bar L. said...

please email me at bll127925@yahoo.com so I can donate. Thanks!

Barbara/Layla

Hale McKay said...

Hello, McKay. Hale McKay here. I am paying you a visit because I was attracted by the "name" on the comments page over at Jamie Dawn's site.

Your run is a for a good cause. I have already contributed to the Jimmy Fund for childrens' cancer research here in Boston. Also I donated to United Cerebral Palsy in behalf of a 24-Hour Blogathon participant.
...I trust you did well.

mckay said...

thank you, again, jaime, for your contribution. your words of support are cherished. you and layla both lost dear friends to cancer. hasn't almost everyone?again, THANKS!!!

senor, if you saw me sunday it must have been at the Home Depot. the 5k hasn't happened yet. it's in two days. sometimes i think i'll die of a heart attack. i don't know why.

cw, thanks so much for your donation and support!!! like i said earlier, you're an awesome Aussie. glad we're emailing, too.

phil, thanks for your encouragement, but let's be clear about this. i'll be walking the 5k. i have a torn ACL (ski accident of 2000) i never had repaired, so my knee is in no shape for running!

layla, again, thanks so much for your donation and support. you should come to the event, there's lots of sponsor booths and activity to watch, and then you're set to shop at fashion island, my favorite mall.

hale mckay, thanks for stopping by! i think jamie must be the center of the blogging universe, since my favorite blogs are sort of a 6 degrees of separation from jamie :0).

5k in two days!!

BlondeBlogger said...

That is so cool you're doing this! I lost my aunt to breast cancer. And I myself had two benign tumors removed after finding one in a self-exam.

I go in to my surgeon in a couple of weeks to follow up on two more lumps that have showed up.

Good luck in the race!

Jamie Dawn said...

I hope you enjoy your day tomorrow. I know that cancer is not something to celebrate, but raising money to fight it is!!
Get yer runnin' shoes on, girlfriend!!

Michael K. Althouse said...

mck ~ I don't know too much about race/walks and such, but I do know how helping worthy causes can make one feel like nothing else (much) can.

And speaking of making one feel good, I must take this opportunity to thank you for making me smile with your comment on my blog!

I don't think my parents heeded your warning, but I don't care (I don't think they did either). I was laghing to myself for no apparent reason... people around must have thought I was nuts! Maybe they're right.

I must say you're just a little twisted, which is, of course, just what I like. But you knew that!

Word verification: xcxjel.

Hmmmm

mckay said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
mckay said...

jamie, i wish i had had the foresight to ask for the names of your friend. at this event, the walkers/runners can wear the names of people whom they remember (those who've passed) or celebrate (those who are survivors). as i walked i thought of you and your friend. i didn't know her name, but i thought of her, just the same.

blondie, i thought of you during the walk, too. i've been thinking about you a lot, and i hope all is well. major good thoughts that those lumps are cysts. i've had a few sliced out and it's no big deal...it just hurt while the incisions healed.

sam, glad you liked the comment. it could either edify or offend, and i'm relieved it made you laugh, as that was my twisted intent ;0)

Anonymous said...

You know, men don't do anything like this. Ever notice there is no "Football Watching For The Prostate Cure"? Just an example, but why do you think that is? Why don't men do stuff proactive like women on things like this.

~Jef